How Video Games Can Become Addictive

Submitted by Mitchell Goss, Community Assistant, Garcia Hall,

New Mexico State University

How can a GAME be addictive?

Video Game Addiction

Game Designers Use Many Strategies to Keep Consumers

Playing

• Immersive Strategies• Expansive Strategies• Social Strategies• Popular Strategies

Immersive- Modern games, especially

MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games) like World of Warcraft, are packed with incredibly amounts of characters, scenery, and back story that are only enhanced by the players’ imaginations.

Game Designers Use Many Strategies to Keep Consumers Playing

Game Designers Use Many Strategies to Keep Consumers Playing

• Expansive- Games often come out with, prequels, sequels, add-ons, updates, or expansions to keep the content fresh and make players feel pressured to keep up.

Game Designers Use Many Strategies to Keep Consumers Playing

• Social- Games played online create intense competition between players. Some games require cooperation, which, while preferable to complete social isolation, fosters addiction through peer.

Game Designers Use Many Strategies to Keep Consumers Playing

• Popular trends- games play on trends in pop culture like Zombies, various wars, music, etc.

WHY so serious?

• Expensive• Time consuming• Impacts sleep negatively• Increases irritability

Why is Game Addiction a Serious Issue?

Expensive- Video games, consoles, downloads, controllers, and subscriptions can add up hundreds of dollars a month

Why is Game Addiction a Serious Issue?

• Time consuming- Games can easily take up huge blocks of time, or collectively add up. The time spent playing often cuts into time normally used for important things.

Why is Game Addiction a Serious Issue?

• Bad sleep habits- Staying up playing until early hours of the morning can disrupt sleep cycles. It has even resulted in death by exhaustion.

Why is Game Addiction a Serious Issue?

Irritability- While some studies suggest video games lead to increased violence, most players will agree that a much more realistic concern is the overwhelming frustration that can sometimes come from losing a match, item, or standing in a game.

Warning Signs

• Playing for hours at a time• Showing less interest in things you previously

did often• Becoming anxious or depressed• Playing secretly• Making constant references about games or

talking about nothing but games• Lying about getting other things done

Help!

• Counseling Center offers free sessions to students?

• Try talking to your friends about their addiction or about them helping you with yours

• Online Gamers Anonymous (www.olganon.org)

This can be used as a bulletin board or a program