Posted October 7, 2005

Game Over for some Gamers




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Game Over Addiction has Proved Deadly in Some Cases
Video Games are an Addiction?
Video Games and there addictive qualities can kill?
Many of the games that were released over the past 10 years have changed not only technology and gaming, but in many ways entertainment in general. Some of the most popular games released were Half-Life (1998), Starcraft (1998), The Sims (2000), Quake (1996), Madden NFL Football, Everquest (1999), Halo (2001), Metal Gear Solid (1998), Grand Theft Auto III (2001), The Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time (1998)
(High - Tech) South Korea Internet Cafe's are on every block
Ever since the death of a South Korean man, the video game addiction has become an issue of concern. The all consuming internet gaming may cause a health issue in some of the millions of gamers in the world's most wired country, of South Korea. Starcraft Multi-Player Game In August of 2005, a 28-year-old man died after nearly 50 straight hours of playing the online computer game, Starcraft. Starcraft (1998) Often compared to the various Warcraft and Command and Conquer titles that preceded it, Starcraft had some pretty large anticipatory shoes to fill. While the debate raged as to whether Starcraft was the best real-time strategy (RTS) title up to that time, the fact remained that with Starcraft, Blizzard did a great job of sticking to the RTS formula that was heralded in by Warcraft and Command and Conquer. Starcraft Multi-Player Video Game Starcraft's Multiplayer Mode With a great multiplayer mode, Starcraft's single player (or campaign) mode was both long and compelling. Players could choose from one of three races: the insect like Zerg, the interstellar "everymen" Terrans, and the high-tech Protoss. The gameplay itself was so addictive that players often played the game through three times just to experience it from the perspective of all three races. South Korean dies after games session of Starcraft Online gaming is treated like a sport in South Korea A South Korean man has died after reportedly playing an online computer game for 50 hours with out having enough breaks to cooperate from fatigue and lack of sleep from a non-stop gaming session. The 28-year-old man collapsed after playing the game Starcraft at an internet cafe in the city of Taegu, according to South Korean authorities. The man had not slept for three days, and had eaten and drank very little during his marathon session. Multi-player gaming in South Korea is extremely popular thanks to its fast and widespread broadband network. However, there is the downside of addiction. Gamers Make A Six Figure Income Games are televised and professional players are treated, as well as paid, like sports stars. Professional gamers player eight plus hours a day and attract huge sums in sponsorship and can make more than $100,000 a year. They are the types of real type strategy games that completely engross the player. They are not games that you can play for 20 minutes and master. The man, identified by his family name, Lee, started playing Starcraft on 3 August. He only paused playing to go to the toilet and for short periods of sleep, said the police. "We presume the cause of death was heart failure stemming from exhaustion," a Taegu provincial police official told the Reuters news agency. This is a sad day for the gaming industry. Mr. Lee was taken to hospital following his collapse, but died shortly after, according to the police. It is not known whether he suffered from any previous health conditions. He was relatively young, and nobody really saw this coming. They added that he had recently been fired from his job because of an internet gaming addiction which made him absentee at work. A Small minority of addicted players Online computer games are some of the most popular and largest growth areas in interactive entertainment. The internet cafes are on every block and are fairly cheap entertainment at one dollar an hour to be able to play the online game. MMORGS - Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games MMORGS are a massively (or massive) multiplayer online role-playing game and the MMORPG is a multiplayer computer role-playing game that enables thousands of players to play in an evolving virtual world at the same time over the Internet. MMORPGs are a specific type of massively multiplayer online game (MMOG). Players can easily get immersed and feel compelled to play for hours at a stretch, particularly in massively multiplayer online role playing games - MMORPGs - in which thousands of gamers play and interact in shared fantasy or science fiction worlds. The more you play, the more powerful you become, collecting weapons and super powers. This makes some people feel invincible in their virtual world, something that you can't have in real life. There are some Professional players who play just to gain enough power on tools to sell to others for real life money. Hundreds of dollars are spent in some cases. A business man/player who wants the power to control virtual worlds but does not have the time to play the game eight hours a day will pay for the prestige or weapons or power needed to beat his virtual world enemies. Reports of gamers spending 10 to 15 hours a day in front of video games, such as the highly popular World of Warcraft and EverQuest, are becoming more frequent. Experts say gamers should take regular screen breaks. Psychologist Professor Mark Griffiths, author of several in-depth studies into online gaming and gambling addiction, told the BBC News website that, according to his research, playing excessively was not problematic in any shape or form for the majority of gamers. He said: "It does seem to be the case that online gaming addiction for a small minority is a real phenomenon and people suffer the same symptoms as traditional addictions. MMORPGs are social and immersive so require long periods of play "But the good news is that it is a small minority." In one detailed survey of 540 gamers, Professor Griffith and his team found that there were four playing more than 80 hours a week, which is considered "excessive". Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games Professor Mark Griffiths explained many people liked to play MMORPGs for long periods of time because of the social aspect of the games. "They are the types of games that completely engross the player. "If you are going to take it seriously, you have to spend time doing it," he said. Some players play for extremely long hours, and that is when it gets unhealthy. Unlike help for traditional addictions, such as gambling, there is very little help for computer game addiction. This trend is changing as health experts are finding a quadruple case level of internet addictions. There are 15 million people, or 30% of the population, who are registered for online gaming in South Korea. The country also host the annual World Cyber Games. In extreme cases of internet addictions, the players actually stopped socializing with friends and family, in favor of Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games. The internet environment is very isolated and it takes time for an addicted player to become socialized again. No longer being hunkered down in your home or in a dark, quite internet arcade, noises and interaction with several live stimulants (People) at one time can be overwhelming. This can all be solved my short trips out and then working your way up to bigger social events. Internet Addiction Remember, "Moderation in a things", Plato Thank you!



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