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!