League of Legends an MMORPG?
League of Legends (LoL), is a Defense of the Ancients (DotA) game made by Riot Games. I have logged in countless numbers of hours into LoL during the past few weeks but not once did I think of it as an MMORPG until I saw this news feature on the League of Legends website. LoL was nominated for: Best MMORTS 2009 and Best New MMO 2009. After seeing this I wondered why people would consider LoL an MMO. Riot Games says that League of Legends is not technically an MMORPG but it does have a lot of similarities that these type of games offer.
So how exactly is a DotA game like League of Legends an MMORPG?
Your character in LoL is a summoner that can summon a champion of your choice onto the battlefields of Valoran. At the start of every match you can choose two utility spells out of a list of thirteen to use during the game. The spells vary from heals, extra movement speed, teleport, etc. At the end of every match you gain experience based on whether your team won/lost and your personal performance during the match. 
The max summoner level is 30 and for each level you gain you get a mastery point. Mastery points are spent on the three mastery trees which are: Offense, Defense and Utility. This allows you to customize your summoner to your play style. Adding in talent trees makes LoL very unique for a DotA game since everyone will have different mastery builds.
You also get influence points at the end of every match (which can be viewed as currency). Influence points can be used to buy champions you don’t currently own and also to buy runes.
Runes are items that enhance your champions traits and abilities. Summoners have a rune book where you can place certain runes in their respective slots. As you level up you get access to more rune slots in the book and higher tiers of runes. There are three tiers of runes that can be purchased with influence points and four different types of runes. The different types of runes are: Marks, Seals, Glyphs and Quintessences. The runes do various things like increasing attack speed, additional mana, bonus health regeneration, etc.
So is League of Legends an MMORPG? I don’t really think there’s a right or wrong answer. People will have their own ideas and views of what an MMORPG. If you search for “League of Legends MMO” you will find a lot of sites that view LoL as an MMO. Even sites like SK-Gaming (a well known team of professional E-Sports players that compete in games like: World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, etc) refer to League of Legends as an MMO and points out that the game has many similarities which are found in MMOs. LoL is just one of those games that could be an MMO while at the same time it isn’t. What I can say is that it does have a lot of things that you would find and expect in an MMORPG like choosing spells, leveling up character, customizing mastery trees and buying items (runes) that increase a character’s stats/abilities.
For the record I personally don’t consider League of Legends to be an MMO/MMORPG. It does have some of the main traits that an MMORPG has but I just don’t consider interacting with nine other people (five vs five games) as a “massive” multiplayer game.
League of Legends an MMORPG?
League of Legends (LoL), is a Defense of the Ancients (DotA) game made by Riot Games. I have logged in countless numbers of hours into LoL during the past few weeks but not once did I think of it as an MMORPG until I saw this news feature on the League of Legends website. LoL was nominated for: Best MMORTS 2009 and Best New MMO 2009. After seeing this I wondered why people would consider LoL an MMO. Riot Games says that League of Legends is not technically an MMORPG but it does have a lot of similarities that these type of games offer.
So how exactly is a DotA game like League of Legends an MMORPG?
Your character in LoL is a summoner that can summon a champion of your choice onto the battlefields of Valoran. At the start of every match you can choose two utility spells out of a list of thirteen to use during the game. The spells vary from heals, extra movement speed, teleport, etc. At the end of every match you gain experience based on whether your team won/lost and your personal performance during the match. The max summoner level is 30 and for each level you gain you get a mastery point. Mastery points are spent on the three mastery trees which are: Offense, Defense and Utility. This allows you to customize your summoner to your play style. Adding in talent trees makes LoL very unique for a DotA game since everyone will have different mastery builds.
You also get influence points at the end of every match (which can be viewed as currency). Influence points can be used to buy champions you don’t currently own and also to buy runes.
Runes are items that enhance your champions traits and abilities. Summoners have a rune book where you can place certain runes in their respective slots. As you level up you get access to more rune slots in the book and higher tiers of runes. There are three tiers of runes that can be purchased with influence points and four different types of runes. The different types of runes are: Marks, Seals, Glyphs and Quintessences. The runes do various things like increasing attack speed, additional mana, bonus health regeneration, etc.
So is League of Legends an MMORPG? I don’t really think there’s a right or wrong answer. People will have their own ideas and views of what an MMORPG. If you search for “League of Legends MMO” you will find a lot of sites that view LoL as an MMO. Even sites like SK-Gaming (a well known team of professional E-Sports players that compete in games like: World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, etc) refer to League of Legends as an MMO and points out that the game has many similarities which are found in MMOs. LoL is just one of those games that could be an MMO while at the same time it isn’t. What I can say is that it does have a lot of things that you would find and expect in an MMORPG like choosing spells, leveling up character, customizing mastery trees and buying items (runes) that increase a character’s stats/abilities.
For the record I personally don’t consider League of Legends to be an MMO/MMORPG. It does have some of the main traits that an MMORPG has but I just don’t consider interacting with nine other people (five vs five games) as a “massive” multiplayer game.
Aion: Blurring the Gender Boundaries
Plenty of games on the market are geared towards females, but it’s no secret that not every female wants to play Cake Mania and Imagine: Fashion Designer. Women who aren’t just into fashion, makeup, and cooking are left with few games that speak to them personally. Until recently, women and gaming have hardly been mentioned in the same sentence, let alone acknowledged. Although women obviously have a base in the gaming community, they are generally recognized as casual players, but the recently released MMO Aion has surprisingly captured the attention of many female gamers, and I count myself among them.
An MMORPG by NCsoft, Aion combines Player vs Player and Player vs Environment gameplay, expanding a fantasy environment broken into three different worlds. I’ve been playing Aion since its release in September and since then, I have discovered that I’m not the only woman playing the game. In fact, women make up a large majority of Aion’s players, but the reason for what is special about Aion that attracts such a strong female base is a little more difficult to nail down.
I’ll admit the reason I first picked up the title is purely based on aesthetics, like many other female gamers. Alynis, an in-game friend, claims that she too was “initially drawn in by Aion’s stunning visual imagery and in-depth customization.” Even Game Master Parallax admits the “intense customization aspect” attracted her but beauty can only go so far, so… what keeps us coming back? Associate Producer Lani Blazier believes Aion appeals so strongly to female gamers due to a “well thought-out and implemented game design.” Furthermore, she feels as though Aion tends to all the needs of both casual and veteran gamers. “If you love a deep, rich story, Aion has that. If you prefer PvP over PvE or you want a nice mix of both, Aion has that.”
GM Parallax is the first to attest that she plays Aion for reasons other than graphics. “I love the lore, the gameplay, and the diversity in the amount of things you can do such as questing, crafting, hunting, chatting, and running to the opposite faction’s zone for a little bit of sport.” Narrowing down one single element that sets Aion apart from its competitors, Lani Blazier believes that its “flight and all of its game implications and features” are what puts it over the top. Like most games, escapism also plays a large roll in why people play what they do. A fellow gamer, Aere, feels as though “Aion is a place to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.” I think that most people have their own getaway, whether it be exercise, watching TV, or video games. Aion works for me because it provides a challenges, friends to chat with, goals, and things to look forward to as I level up. Drawing from personal experience, I too find it as a nice vacation from the real world. Where else can you slice and dice people and have it be socially accepted?
Based on first-hand accounts we now know why women play Aion, but what defines their transition from casual to hardcore? Lani thinks the answer lies in the idea that it’s “more accessible to a casual gamer than many previous MMOs, while staying true to what veteran hardcore players love most.” Alynis is a perfect example of Lani’s theory. “Aion is actually the first MMO I’ve ever played and loved it from the first minute. The gameplay is challenging but intuitive, requiring some skill to adapt to while not alienating an MMO amateur like myself.” To further the theory, Parallax believes “it’s fair to say that we’re a bit on the hardcore side compared to a lot of MMOs. And not in the ‘you have to devote 80 hours a week to the game’ kind of way, but more in the ‘we expect you to have a basic grasp of gameplay mechanics and netiquette.” Drawing from first-hand experience, learning all the mechanics in order to be a successful MMO gamer takes a certain level of commitment. That commitment and growing drive to play as you level and meet people only attaches us more, slowly transforming the once casual gamer into a hardcore player.
All theories aside Parallax points out the fact that “the general public is coming to terms with the fact that games aren’t just for kids, and they aren’t just for boys.” As a female gamer it’s nice to see the rise in women finally blurring the boundary between casual and hardcore. Whether it be escaping from everyday life, broadening social networks, or killing monsters, everyone plays games for similar reason regardless of gender. “Most of the time, though, me being a woman online doesn’t mean anything different to the people I play with. Male or female, we’re all out to kill the boss, loot the epics, and beat the bad guys.” -Aere
Aion: Blurring the Gender Boundaries
Plenty of games on the market are geared towards females, but it’s no secret that not every female wants to play Cake Mania and Imagine: Fashion Designer. Women who aren’t just into fashion, makeup, and cooking are left with few games that speak to them personally. Until recently, women and gaming have hardly been mentioned in the same sentence, let alone acknowledged. Although women obviously have a base in the gaming community, they are generally recognized as casual players, but the recently released MMO Aion has surprisingly captured the attention of many female gamers, and I count myself among them.
An MMORPG by NCsoft, Aion combines Player vs Player and Player vs Environment gameplay, expanding a fantasy environment broken into three different worlds. I’ve been playing Aion since its release in September and since then, I have discovered that I’m not the only woman playing the game. In fact, women make up a large majority of Aion’s players, but the reason for what is special about Aion that attracts such a strong female base is a little more difficult to nail down.
I’ll admit the reason I first picked up the title is purely based on aesthetics, like many other female gamers. Alynis, an in-game friend, claims that she too was “initially drawn in by Aion’s stunning visual imagery and in-depth customization.” Even Game Master Parallax admits the “intense customization aspect” attracted her but beauty can only go so far, so… what keeps us coming back? Associate Producer Lani Blazier believes Aion appeals so strongly to female gamers due to a “well thought-out and implemented game design.” Furthermore, she feels as though Aion tends to all the needs of both casual and veteran gamers. “If you love a deep, rich story, Aion has that. If you prefer PvP over PvE or you want a nice mix of both, Aion has that.”
GM Parallax is the first to attest that she plays Aion for reasons other than graphics. “I love the lore, the gameplay, and the diversity in the amount of things you can do such as questing, crafting, hunting, chatting, and running to the opposite faction’s zone for a little bit of sport.” Narrowing down one single element that sets Aion apart from its competitors, Lani Blazier believes that its “flight and all of its game implications and features” are what puts it over the top. Like most games, escapism also plays a large roll in why people play what they do. A fellow gamer, Aere, feels as though “Aion is a place to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.” I think that most people have their own getaway, whether it be exercise, watching TV, or video games. Aion works for me because it provides a challenges, friends to chat with, goals, and things to look forward to as I level up. Drawing from personal experience, I too find it as a nice vacation from the real world. Where else can you slice and dice people and have it be socially accepted?
Based on first-hand accounts we now know why women play Aion, but what defines their transition from casual to hardcore? Lani thinks the answer lies in the idea that it’s “more accessible to a casual gamer than many previous MMOs, while staying true to what veteran hardcore players love most.” Alynis is a perfect example of Lani’s theory. “Aion is actually the first MMO I’ve ever played and loved it from the first minute. The gameplay is challenging but intuitive, requiring some skill to adapt to while not alienating an MMO amateur like myself.” To further the theory, Parallax believes “it’s fair to say that we’re a bit on the hardcore side compared to a lot of MMOs. And not in the ‘you have to devote 80 hours a week to the game’ kind of way, but more in the ‘we expect you to have a basic grasp of gameplay mechanics and netiquette.” Drawing from first-hand experience, learning all the mechanics in order to be a successful MMO gamer takes a certain level of commitment. That commitment and growing drive to play as you level and meet people only attaches us more, slowly transforming the once casual gamer into a hardcore player.
All theories aside Parallax points out the fact that “the general public is coming to terms with the fact that games aren’t just for kids, and they aren’t just for boys.” As a female gamer it’s nice to see the rise in women finally blurring the boundary between casual and hardcore. Whether it be escaping from everyday life, broadening social networks, or killing monsters, everyone plays games for similar reason regardless of gender. “Most of the time, though, me being a woman online doesn’t mean anything different to the people I play with. Male or female, we’re all out to kill the boss, loot the epics, and beat the bad guys.” -Aere
Global Agenda Has Arrived
Global Agenda doesn’t actually launch until the beginning of February, but I received a nice treat in the mail the other week, the Limited Edition. It’s not because I am some well known blogger, on a special list, or friendly with the developer. The reason I received the game nearly two weeks before the servers go live is just because Hi-Rez Studios is smart.
Hi-Rez has spearheaded a multitude of issues by delivering the game to players early – I am not the only one to have the game in hand. The most obvious is that the arrival of the game itself, and all of the extras included within, will create a bit of (hopefully positive) media buzz ahead of the official release. That’s something all video games would enjoy. The inclusion of beta access in the box only adds to this. While waiting for the live servers I’ve taken the opportunity to get a handful of hours in with each character class. Sure, I could have done that as part of the beta that’s been running, but I didn’t bother until the game was in hand for some reason.
Speaking of the beta process, I think it’s safe to assume that the developer is watching who’s in the beta, who’s a pre-orderer and who went from beta to having a purchased copy. By doing so the company could estimate how many players are signing up for the game, as opposed to being beta participants. Thus extrapolating what kind of server load can be expected on February 1, 2010. Hopefully this negates any over or underpopulated server issues that can decimate a game’s launch.
Being ready for that fateful day may be the best perk of all. By having the game already installed, patched and ready to go, everyone should be on the same playing field. No shipping delays, missed UPS delivery persons or other shenanigans to force your friends to leave you behind, never to catch up.
/me cleans his gun, readies his jetback and polishes his mines in anticipation.
It’d be nice to see other MMOG getting in our hands a few days early, don’t you think?
Global Agenda Has Arrived
Global Agenda doesn’t actually launch until the beginning of February, but I received a nice treat in the mail the other week, the Limited Edition. It’s not because I am some well known blogger, on a special list, or friendly with the developer. The reason I received the game nearly two weeks before the servers go live is just because Hi-Rez Studios is smart.
Hi-Rez has spearheaded a multitude of issues by delivering the game to players early – I am not the only one to have the game in hand. The most obvious is that the arrival of the game itself, and all of the extras included within, will create a bit of (hopefully positive) media buzz ahead of the official release. That’s something all video games would enjoy. The inclusion of beta access in the box only adds to this. While waiting for the live servers I’ve taken the opportunity to get a handful of hours in with each character class. Sure, I could have done that as part of the beta that’s been running, but I didn’t bother until the game was in hand for some reason.
Speaking of the beta process, I think it’s safe to assume that the developer is watching who’s in the beta, who’s a pre-orderer and who went from beta to having a purchased copy. By doing so the company could estimate how many players are signing up for the game, as opposed to being beta participants. Thus extrapolating what kind of server load can be expected on February 1, 2010. Hopefully this negates any over or underpopulated server issues that can decimate a game’s launch.
Being ready for that fateful day may be the best perk of all. By having the game already installed, patched and ready to go, everyone should be on the same playing field. No shipping delays, missed UPS delivery persons or other shenanigans to force your friends to leave you behind, never to catch up.
/me cleans his gun, readies his jetback and polishes his mines in anticipation.
It’d be nice to see other MMOG getting in our hands a few days early, don’t you think?
Flashback Gaming: Old is The New.
I was perusing the shelves at my favorite game store and had decided I was going to finally buy a game for my Nintendo DS Lite. After much deliberation and some help from the patient staff at MicroCenter I found Chrono Trigger on sale for 19.99. I bought that and a Nerf case for it because I have big clumsy hands, I have dropped my iPod at least 5 times and I don’t think the DS can take that kind of abuse.
I played Chrono Trigger on the Super Nintendo many, many moons ago and I read good things about the handheld port of this console classic. It brought back fond memories and I feel that Chrono Trigger can stand alongside some of the most recent RPG releases. Chrono is a fun game that simplifies the Japanese RPG without giving up depth or breadth of the storyline. It might not have snazzy graphics but it has enough content to keep even the hardcore RPG player busy. After an hour or so of playing I was content with my purchase and thoutht to myself, “why I didn’t buy it sooner?” One reason is that I often get caught up in the Hype-O-Rama of the new game on the block syndrome that some of you can identify with. It is very easy to get caught up in the “new release” hysteria as you can see from some recent stories surrounding Aion and Champions Online.
There was a Time Machine hiding my storage facility. 
Last week I had to stop in storage in search for some old paperwork. After thirty minutes of searching I opened some random box in desperation only two find not one but two Playstation 2’s inside. I was ecstatic because I thought I had sold them to Funcoland (life before gamestop) for new games. After further rummaging I discovered some games that were the most popular titles for that period; Socom 2 and 3, Final Fantasy 7, X, XI and the original Grand Theft Auto III. They are not worth much selling on Ebay or back to G-stop and that is when it struck me, “If these are cheap then so are a lot of older PS2 titles!” This opened up a whole new avenue of gaming to me, for years I have been strictly MMORPG and PC game only; totally ignoring the console market has saved me from the red ring of death but I have also missed out on many good games. You can say I am trying to catch up with lost time.
Lease or own?
After spending a few hours on Final Fantasy X I found myself exhibiting the same habits as I would play an MMORPG. It was like soloing just without the chat box in the corner; I was micro managing equipment, looking up quest hints and even some grinding for exp. It was then that I was convinced it was time to stop looking forward to the next new, NEW thing that all the game studios are trying to cram down our throat. Instead I am looking for deals, classics and pure enjoyment all while keeping my gaming budget under control. I am still a poor college student that feels it makes better economics to own versus rent. For the same $15.00 that I pay for one month of “renting” time on a game, I can pay the same amount and OWN IT forever.
Doing some simple math, it would take 5 hours a day 7 days a week to finish Final Fantasy X in one month. In MMO terms that are usually deemed as “casual” playing, while “hardcore” players can rack up at least 40 hours or more in one week. I have read reports that FFX has over 100 hours of playtime built in without trying to get all the party members ultimate weapons. Now what dedicated MMO player would not try to get the best of the best equipment in the game? World of Warcraft was built on these standards. Yet I won’t be able to strut around the main city in my gear but there is still a challenge and the feeling of accomplishment that goes with it. That’s why we play MMORPG’s am I right? Don’t all agree at once.
I do miss the social aspect though. But I could always make a phone call.
Strut your stuff.
Second hand games is what made Gamestop what is today, building an empire on the phrase, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Games like Gran Turismo are a joke at $3.00 but that is still a lot less than you will pay for a new title. I’ve got my eye on a copy of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES, I have been meaning to test the Free to play MMO and Persona is one of a long line of JRPG games that was the predecessors of the online MMORPG.
I spoke to some of my scattered gaming group and the attitude was split, “why do I want to play old games when I can play something state of the art.” Some just want to play the new stuff like Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 and some don’t mind hopping on the time machine to revisit some old favorites. I’ve grown tired of all the bashing, gnashing and trashing of newly released games. I am tired of being someone’s guinea pig, it is time to look towards something tried and tested, time to try out something old yet new.
What might be old to one person is still new to someone that has yet to experience the content. Take into consideration the latest announcement of Ultima Online’s new campaign: “Return to Brittania” as free to play until October 16th for returning members. I was just thinking about playing an older online game; Dark Age of Camelot came to mind but Ultima Online is the grandfather of MMORPG’s. This is a great time to give UO a try, there is a chance many of the old players will return which will mean a spike in server population. Empty servers is what has been holding me back from going back to my roots in Final Fantasy Online.
No, this doesn’t mean I am going to leave EVE, which has also been labeled an “old” game by some. I decided to try EVE because it has a long history, ambitious developers and a dedicated fan base. This is what most mmo players really look for but are afraid to admit it.
Would anyone else like to join me?
Play safe,
Frank
Flashback Gaming: Old is The New.
I was perusing the shelves at my favorite game store and had decided I was going to finally buy a game for my Nintendo DS Lite. After much deliberation and some help from the patient staff at MicroCenter I found Chrono Trigger on sale for 19.99. I bought that and a Nerf case for it because I have big clumsy hands, I have dropped my iPod at least 5 times and I don’t think the DS can take that kind of abuse.
I played Chrono Trigger on the Super Nintendo many, many moons ago and I read good things about the handheld port of this console classic. It brought back fond memories and I feel that Chrono Trigger can stand alongside some of the most recent RPG releases. Chrono is a fun game that simplifies the Japanese RPG without giving up depth or breadth of the storyline. It might not have snazzy graphics but it has enough content to keep even the hardcore RPG player busy. After an hour or so of playing I was content with my purchase and thoutht to myself, “why I didn’t buy it sooner?” One reason is that I often get caught up in the Hype-O-Rama of the new game on the block syndrome that some of you can identify with. It is very easy to get caught up in the “new release” hysteria as you can see from some recent stories surrounding Aion and Champions Online.
There was a Time Machine hiding my storage facility. 
Last week I had to stop in storage in search for some old paperwork. After thirty minutes of searching I opened some random box in desperation only two find not one but two Playstation 2’s inside. I was ecstatic because I thought I had sold them to Funcoland (life before gamestop) for new games. After further rummaging I discovered some games that were the most popular titles for that period; Socom 2 and 3, Final Fantasy 7, X, XI and the original Grand Theft Auto III. They are not worth much selling on Ebay or back to G-stop and that is when it struck me, “If these are cheap then so are a lot of older PS2 titles!” This opened up a whole new avenue of gaming to me, for years I have been strictly MMORPG and PC game only; totally ignoring the console market has saved me from the red ring of death but I have also missed out on many good games. You can say I am trying to catch up with lost time.
Lease or own?
After spending a few hours on Final Fantasy X I found myself exhibiting the same habits as I would play an MMORPG. It was like soloing just without the chat box in the corner; I was micro managing equipment, looking up quest hints and even some grinding for exp. It was then that I was convinced it was time to stop looking forward to the next new, NEW thing that all the game studios are trying to cram down our throat. Instead I am looking for deals, classics and pure enjoyment all while keeping my gaming budget under control. I am still a poor college student that feels it makes better economics to own versus rent. For the same $15.00 that I pay for one month of “renting” time on a game, I can pay the same amount and OWN IT forever.
Doing some simple math, it would take 5 hours a day 7 days a week to finish Final Fantasy X in one month. In MMO terms that are usually deemed as “casual” playing, while “hardcore” players can rack up at least 40 hours or more in one week. I have read reports that FFX has over 100 hours of playtime built in without trying to get all the party members ultimate weapons. Now what dedicated MMO player would not try to get the best of the best equipment in the game? World of Warcraft was built on these standards. Yet I won’t be able to strut around the main city in my gear but there is still a challenge and the feeling of accomplishment that goes with it. That’s why we play MMORPG’s am I right? Don’t all agree at once.
I do miss the social aspect though. But I could always make a phone call.
Strut your stuff.
Second hand games is what made Gamestop what is today, building an empire on the phrase, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Games like Gran Turismo are a joke at $3.00 but that is still a lot less than you will pay for a new title. I’ve got my eye on a copy of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES, I have been meaning to test the Free to play MMO and Persona is one of a long line of JRPG games that was the predecessors of the online MMORPG.
I spoke to some of my scattered gaming group and the attitude was split, “why do I want to play old games when I can play something state of the art.” Some just want to play the new stuff like Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 and some don’t mind hopping on the time machine to revisit some old favorites. I’ve grown tired of all the bashing, gnashing and trashing of newly released games. I am tired of being someone’s guinea pig, it is time to look towards something tried and tested, time to try out something old yet new.
What might be old to one person is still new to someone that has yet to experience the content. Take into consideration the latest announcement of Ultima Online’s new campaign: “Return to Brittania” as free to play until October 16th for returning members. I was just thinking about playing an older online game; Dark Age of Camelot came to mind but Ultima Online is the grandfather of MMORPG’s. This is a great time to give UO a try, there is a chance many of the old players will return which will mean a spike in server population. Empty servers is what has been holding me back from going back to my roots in Final Fantasy Online.
No, this doesn’t mean I am going to leave EVE, which has also been labeled an “old” game by some. I decided to try EVE because it has a long history, ambitious developers and a dedicated fan base. This is what most mmo players really look for but are afraid to admit it.
Would anyone else like to join me?
Play safe,
Frank
Virtual Denial: The Reality of Video Game Addiction.
Exactly what is addiction?
Some non-profit self-help fellowships feel that addiction is a disease. Either spiritual, mental or in the form of a physical allergy. It comes down to the simple explanation of lack of control of oneself. One example I’ve read: “Addiction”, when a single behavior starts to transform from business-as-usual to out-of-order. – (clark,scott 2009)
The medical nuts and bolts of addiction can be summed up as: the ability to impact neurochemical changes in brain chemistry. The chief neurotransmitters responsible for this brain “high” are most likely dopamine and norepinephrine. – (Greenfield, 1999)
It’s at that point when a simple action or process starts to become a habit and create certain unmanageability in your life. Unmanageable to me is not taking care of life’s responsibilities in order to continue said action or process and feeling unpleasant repurcussions. In this case we will choose video games as our medium of choice. It doesn’t matter what game, genre or brand name; simply a software game run by either a computer or video game console.
I choose ambivalence because I don’t want to waste my time on defending this game or that, just take the whole ball of wax at face value. Just keep it simple.
Recently the movie ’Second Skin‘ a documentary about players of mmorpgs from different walks of life. You are shown gamers out of game and how they run their lives while playing their video games. There was a scene where a trusty band of four brothers, who lkive and game together are waiting on a long line in order to buy the latest expansion for the “game of choice”. After they buy their games you see them discussing “how long will it take until I pass out”. That sends off bells and whistles in my head where there might be some type of unmanageability in their lives due to their gaming “hobby”. I fail to see where doing ANYTHING until I pass out is healthy, it takes me back to certain memories of “who can drink the most until we pass out”. It is that type of Fraternity-esque behavior that has made plenty of headlines of death by alcohol poisoning.
Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that gaming is a hobby and a healthy one as well. Andrew, writer for Of teeth and claws recently posted asking if gaming was either a hobby or entertainment. For me and many other players it starts out simply as entertainment, more interactive than television and more longevity than movies. Slowly developing into a hobby, where you make it part of your gaming hobby to write about it, forge long lasting friendships and possibly make it into a career. “Games can even help us stay emotionally healthy but gamers need to understand how to balance their play.” – (Allison, 2006)
Where does a healthy hobby turn the corner and turn nice people into “raging nerds and meth-heads” as some were depicted in ‘Second Skin’? Let’s take a look at Ivan Petrivich Pavlov and his wonderful dogs. Through his experiments on dogs to test the digestive systems of mammals he discovered how his dogs were “conditioned” by certain stimulus. Very simple, the dogs were conditioned to associate being fed inadvertently by lab coats, then by a bell. When the bell rang, the dogs responded as salivating and became please that they were being fed. It was a reflexive function to the stimulus upon conditioning. Just like we are conditioned by the games we play.
Tobold wrote a stellar series recently on “Why we play”, covering aspects as rewards, gameplay, challenge and character development. These four factors really have no bearing on one another in forms of addiction; they all are derived from the same type of conditioning. How many times in your gaming career did you say ,” Ding!” or “____ boss is down!” or “We won!”, only to be rewarded by congratulations from fellow gamers or teammates that ensued to a feel good feeling. Accomplishments in gaming is what fires off all those pesky neurotransmitters and chemicals in your brain to keep you focused on “getting the next one” and “keeping you there”. Liz Liz Woolley who runs On-Line Gamers Anonymous said in Second Skin, “You are part of their corporate strategy.”
Tobold from what I read is a brilliant writer and very intelligent; I am sure that every time his posts get a good comment, “kudos Tobold!” a certain chemical in his brain goes off and he feels good. He should, because he puts forth the effort to research and actually sit down and write his columns. Just like gamers do put forth the effort to achieve and strive for the next accomplishment. Whatever it may be, the new sword of “holysmackdownness” or the blinky new spaceship (that is my guilty pleasure right now) we all have one driving force to play these games, it makes us happy.
In ‘Second Skin’ we see some extreme cases, such as Dan Bustard. A gamer who ruined his life in order to play his “game of choice” he lost his business, girlfriend and his friendships in order to play one game. He was stuck in the cycle of that feel good feeling that we all get as we play games. On the right is a flowchart I have found from psychcentral.com which serves as a model for internet addiction. Dr. Grohol who created this chart says “Some people simply get caught in Stage I and never move beyond it. They may need some help to get to Stage III.”
Stage I is where a lot of gamers get stuck, and I say the word a lot with confidence. Studies have shown that 4 out of every 10 online gamers think are addicted to the video games they play. But separate studies have discerned that really 1 in 10 or 10% really show definite signs of a compulsive disorder. And that is what the medical community calls internet addiction: a compulsive disorder.
So we have millions of players worldwide and of every 100 million, 10 million play video games compulsively. Now in sociological terms that breaches the difference from the term of “private trouble” to “public issue”, which shows signs of a much larger problem. Now those gamers depicted aren’t as unique and uncommon as you would like them to be, am I right?
Dan Bustard, who was profiled in “Second Skin” is one that just let every responsibility fall to the wayside in order to play a game. He sought out that “Dr. Feelgood von Feeling” that most addicts pursue while chasing theirdrugs of choice. At one point in his gaming, whether it was his first boss, his first level or when he hit max level.
He transcended the point of what I call “healthy play” to the realm of “unhealthy play”; it was there he pierced the veil of gaming addiction and let his addiction (compulsion) run his life. Dan Bustard was no longer in control of his life, and many gamers fall in the same dilemma. But at the end of the movie, we see him rebelling and rebuilding his life without video games; there is hope. One is not completely hopeless and dismal. Once we pierce that veil, there a way back to the land of healthy play.
Play safe,
Frank
Virtual Denial: The Reality of Video Game Addiction.
Exactly what is addiction?
Some non-profit self-help fellowships feel that addiction is a disease. Either spiritual, mental or in the form of a physical allergy. It comes down to the simple explanation of lack of control of oneself. One example I’ve read: “Addiction”, when a single behavior starts to transform from business-as-usual to out-of-order. – (clark,scott 2009)
The medical nuts and bolts of addiction can be summed up as: the ability to impact neurochemical changes in brain chemistry. The chief neurotransmitters responsible for this brain “high” are most likely dopamine and norepinephrine. – (Greenfield, 1999)
It’s at that point when a simple action or process starts to become a habit and create certain unmanageability in your life. Unmanageable to me is not taking care of life’s responsibilities in order to continue said action or process and feeling unpleasant repurcussions. In this case we will choose video games as our medium of choice. It doesn’t matter what game, genre or brand name; simply a software game run by either a computer or video game console.
I choose ambivalence because I don’t want to waste my time on defending this game or that, just take the whole ball of wax at face value. Just keep it simple.
Recently the movie ’Second Skin‘ a documentary about players of mmorpgs from different walks of life. You are shown gamers out of game and how they run their lives while playing their video games. There was a scene where a trusty band of four brothers, who lkive and game together are waiting on a long line in order to buy the latest expansion for the “game of choice”. After they buy their games you see them discussing “how long will it take until I pass out”. That sends off bells and whistles in my head where there might be some type of unmanageability in their lives due to their gaming “hobby”. I fail to see where doing ANYTHING until I pass out is healthy, it takes me back to certain memories of “who can drink the most until we pass out”. It is that type of Fraternity-esque behavior that has made plenty of headlines of death by alcohol poisoning.
Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that gaming is a hobby and a healthy one as well. Andrew, writer for Of teeth and claws recently posted asking if gaming was either a hobby or entertainment. For me and many other players it starts out simply as entertainment, more interactive than television and more longevity than movies. Slowly developing into a hobby, where you make it part of your gaming hobby to write about it, forge long lasting friendships and possibly make it into a career. “Games can even help us stay emotionally healthy but gamers need to understand how to balance their play.” – (Allison, 2006)
Where does a healthy hobby turn the corner and turn nice people into “raging nerds and meth-heads” as some were depicted in ‘Second Skin’? Let’s take a look at Ivan Petrivich Pavlov and his wonderful dogs. Through his experiments on dogs to test the digestive systems of mammals he discovered how his dogs were “conditioned” by certain stimulus. Very simple, the dogs were conditioned to associate being fed inadvertently by lab coats, then by a bell. When the bell rang, the dogs responded as salivating and became please that they were being fed. It was a reflexive function to the stimulus upon conditioning. Just like we are conditioned by the games we play.
Tobold wrote a stellar series recently on “Why we play”, covering aspects as rewards, gameplay, challenge and character development. These four factors really have no bearing on one another in forms of addiction; they all are derived from the same type of conditioning. How many times in your gaming career did you say ,” Ding!” or “____ boss is down!” or “We won!”, only to be rewarded by congratulations from fellow gamers or teammates that ensued to a feel good feeling. Accomplishments in gaming is what fires off all those pesky neurotransmitters and chemicals in your brain to keep you focused on “getting the next one” and “keeping you there”. Liz Liz Woolley who runs On-Line Gamers Anonymous said in Second Skin, “You are part of their corporate strategy.”
Tobold from what I read is a brilliant writer and very intelligent; I am sure that every time his posts get a good comment, “kudos Tobold!” a certain chemical in his brain goes off and he feels good. He should, because he puts forth the effort to research and actually sit down and write his columns. Just like gamers do put forth the effort to achieve and strive for the next accomplishment. Whatever it may be, the new sword of “holysmackdownness” or the blinky new spaceship (that is my guilty pleasure right now) we all have one driving force to play these games, it makes us happy.
In ‘Second Skin’ we see some extreme cases, such as Dan Bustard. A gamer who ruined his life in order to play his “game of choice” he lost his business, girlfriend and his friendships in order to play one game. He was stuck in the cycle of that feel good feeling that we all get as we play games. On the right is a flowchart I have found from psychcentral.com which serves as a model for internet addiction. Dr. Grohol who created this chart says “Some people simply get caught in Stage I and never move beyond it. They may need some help to get to Stage III.”
Stage I is where a lot of gamers get stuck, and I say the word a lot with confidence. Studies have shown that 4 out of every 10 online gamers think are addicted to the video games they play. But separate studies have discerned that really 1 in 10 or 10% really show definite signs of a compulsive disorder. And that is what the medical community calls internet addiction: a compulsive disorder.
So we have millions of players worldwide and of every 100 million, 10 million play video games compulsively. Now in sociological terms that breaches the difference from the term of “private trouble” to “public issue”, which shows signs of a much larger problem. Now those gamers depicted aren’t as unique and uncommon as you would like them to be, am I right?
Dan Bustard, who was profiled in “Second Skin” is one that just let every responsibility fall to the wayside in order to play a game. He sought out that “Dr. Feelgood von Feeling” that most addicts pursue while chasing theirdrugs of choice. At one point in his gaming, whether it was his first boss, his first level or when he hit max level.
He transcended the point of what I call “healthy play” to the realm of “unhealthy play”; it was there he pierced the veil of gaming addiction and let his addiction (compulsion) run his life. Dan Bustard was no longer in control of his life, and many gamers fall in the same dilemma. But at the end of the movie, we see him rebelling and rebuilding his life without video games; there is hope. One is not completely hopeless and dismal. Once we pierce that veil, there a way back to the land of healthy play.
Play safe,
Frank
