Doctor: 40% of World of Warcraft players addicted
by Blake Snow 
{ Aug 9th 2006 at 12:15PM }
Twitch Guru talks with a clinical psychologist and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Maressa Orzack (pictured), who believes 40% of the 6 million World of Warcraft subscribers are addicted to the game. Said the doctor: "I think there needs to be warning labels on MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, similar to warning labels on cigarettes. People should know that these games are potentially harmful. I'm sure the game industry will be up in arms over it, but that's what I'd like to see happen."Any readers purposely avoid the game because of its widely believed addictive nature? Furthermore, does a game, if abnormally addictive, warrant a warning label?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Seer @ Aug 9th 2006 12:20PM
"Any readers purposely avoid the game because of its widely believed addictive nature?"
No need to purposely avoid it, its repetive and boring nature turned me off quite easily.
"Furthermore, does a game, if abnormally addictive, warrant a warning label?"
Yes, if and only if it is far far above and beyond the normal tendency for addiction.
WamBam @ Aug 9th 2006 12:23PM
Oh snap! Stephen Hawking can walk again!!!
vidGuy @ Aug 9th 2006 12:23PM
If a game is addictive, it means it is good. We need more of those games, not less. We don't need warnings, we need big bright labels that say "X number of gamers can't get enough of this!"
Gaming is addictive just like any other activity. Hell, I think I'm addicted to Joystiq because I read it so often. That doesn't mean the site needs a fricking warning label.
DCLegend @ Aug 9th 2006 12:25PM
I have dodged WoW to date largely because of its pay-to-play requirements. However, I have also avoided going over to WoW because I have personally observed so many of my firneds becoming completely absorbed by the game, to the point of complete apathy to (nearly) all other outlets of creativity or activity. I think that WoW is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the addictive properties of games, and while I am certianly not ready to endorse a required label stateing a game's addictive properties, I think there should be serious investigation of the addictive effects. Sure, we all could just live at our computers, interacting with each other in a virtual world forever. But are we not disconnecting from another world in order to join the virtual one? It is that disconnection that is most troubling to me.
Abby @ Aug 9th 2006 12:25PM
I intentionally avoid WoW and other MMORPG's for its alledged addictive nature. I really can't afford to spend 10 hours a day zoning on my computer. But a warning level? Would that really stop anyone?
Erik Novak @ Aug 9th 2006 12:27PM
Personally, I don't see how one could devote so much time to just one game unless they frequently play it with friends. I've always been turned off by MMOs because there is no narrative being carried out, and it's the same stuff over and over again.
T-Bag @ Aug 9th 2006 12:27PM
@ Wambam,
LMFAO! Give that man a star!
Gonzo @ Aug 9th 2006 12:28PM
Did I avoid it because of it's addictiveness?
Yes.
That and it seems like you have to play mmorpgs for hours BEFORE it gets interesting. THAT sounds like a rip off to me. Regular rpgs are addicting enough for me, I don't need to feel obligated to play by a monthly fee and other gamers who want to team up.
JTS @ Aug 9th 2006 12:35PM
To be clearer, when Orzack and other docs talk about the addictive nature of games, they mean they're habit forming. And in this respect, MMOs are not the only game format that falls into the category, and games are not the only diversion that can reach these levels of addiction. Gambling and sex are obvious examples. Would doctors warn us to keep gambling and sex out of our lives? I should certainly hope not.
I visited my folks house this past weekend, and learned that my mom has been playing one of those $10 solitaire games pretty hardcore, perhaps her habit could be classified as an addiction. The question is really one of a compulsion to play and the reward received, in in that respect, I'd say she's probably bordering on "addiction level." Are we going to put warning labels on every Hasboro piece of crap?
There may be elements of MMOs that prove to make gamers particularly succeptible to habit forming behaviors, I don't know because I don't play them. I did have what some might categorize as an unhealthy relationship with Red Alert 2, back in the day, but never really got into the multi-player scene. If these MMOs generate specific areas of concern, then maybe we need to explore that question further. I certainly, though, wouldn't rush out and slap a warning label on every box.
Orzack has been making sweeping claims about video game addiction for a while now, but the research isn't ready to back her up yet. Anyone can run a small study and find negative consequences to games or use anecdotal evidence to make broad generalizations about the habits of online gamers. We need to demand peer-review and proper vetting before any of this effects game policy. The jury is still way out on the hard facts and what's to be done about them.
obo @ Aug 9th 2006 12:38PM
Yeah, those cigarette warning labels work really well.
Wasn't there a version of Tetris that came out that actually _had_ a warning label on it? That it was part of the game's marketing? Putting "this game is addictive! You will play it for hours every day!" on a video game package sounds like a ringing endorsement.
slybri @ Aug 9th 2006 12:38PM
WoW is like a slot machine. Everytime you kill a mob you get something, or nothing. You could get a lump of meat or an Epic item. But you have to kill a lot of mobs to get anything useful.
You ever see those old ladies in the casinos at the slot machines? That's a WoW addict.
When you hit 60, it's not a game anymore, it's a job. You become a professional Tank, Nuke, Healer, whatever. It's your job to show up online at a certain time and stay there until the job is done. If you screw up, you get fired. If you keep at it, maybe you'll get lucky and get a better item, maybe not. Thing is..there's always a better item.
WoW is perhaps the best game ever made. It's style, story, sense of humor, and playability makes it Blizzard's masterpiece among masterpieces.
It's also the worst game ever made. The commitment and time required to get the most out of the game, especially at level 60, make it more of a job than a game.
randomdouche @ Aug 9th 2006 12:39PM
Actually I started playing videogames to kick my addiction to crack. Also I read alot of books does that mean I'm addicted books?
AoE @ Aug 9th 2006 12:40PM
"Any readers purposely avoid the game because of its widely believed addictive nature?"
I must agree with Seer... I gave it a shot but could never find what others found amusing.
"Furthermore, does a game, if abnormally addictive, warrant a warning label?"
No. Since the good doctor drew comparisons to cigarettes, I will too. Cigarettes contain chemicals which are known to cause physical harm to our bodies; I do believe you'll find it's the same story with most everything with a warning label (well, except for mattresses); physical harm.
While mental addictions can be harmful in their own way, they do not represent a direct physical threat; additionally it seems to me (not that I have any training, I'm an armchair psychologist at best) that mental addiction is tied to specific personality types and backgrounds; which is to say, not everyone is susceptible to it. So no, I think warning labels are absurd...
Jose @ Aug 9th 2006 12:40PM
These are the same people who would have disclaimers on science texts which include evolutionary theory. It really isn't necessary. Sure, gaming can be addictive, but televisions aren't sold with warning labels, neither are PCs or DAPs, they aren't drugs, just consumer products. I'd say that books don't contain warning labels but nobody seems to fucking read anymore. This just seems like fearmongering, friggin' old people.
Spuky @ Aug 9th 2006 12:43PM
"Orzack has been making sweeping claims about video game addiction for a while now, but the research isn't ready to back her up yet."
her??
Deep.Grave @ Aug 9th 2006 12:43PM
Dr. Orzack hits the nail on the head. When a single game takes up 8 or more hours a day for weeks or months on end, it's not hard to make the leap into an addictive classification. Think if you went shopping for 8 hours a day, or drank at a bar 8 hours a day, or lifted weights for 8 hours a day. Every day. Umm, dude, I think you're addicted.
MMOs, with their task-reward system honed to perfection and truly endless replay value, are one genre where "addictive gameplay" goes too far.
Seth @ Aug 9th 2006 12:43PM
And then there's the issue of what makes a game addictive? What criteria would you use to define which games get this warning label? I'm sure game publishers are interested, too, so that they can make their games as addictive as possible.
In additon, I'm not sure games or other "mental" activities should be lumped into the same group as tobacco and other addictive substances.
I would mention how TV, computers and video games are making our lives more insular, except that, you know, that's actually not true. People with spare time have always been as insular as they want to be. Before games and TV, there were hobbies and books (I still read books to excess occasionally). I think that more people than ever have leisure time to spend on stuff like this, so it gets more into the spotlight.
People like that man in Korea, who physically suffer due to "addiction" to video games, are merely showing signs of a deeper problem. The way they deal with the problem is by playing games. A warning label isn't going to dissuade these people.
A good psychological examination might help them put their finger on their problem and start to deal with it, though.
Thom @ Aug 9th 2006 12:45PM
I don't think this addictive property is limited to MMORPGs. I've observed friends call in sick from work way too often after a late night of playing Halo. I think part of it is the competitive nature of playing: the only way you can get better than the people who play Halo or WoW for ten hours straight is to yourself play it eleven hours straight.
I think Nintendo's on the right path regarding all this. Rather than stick with the "tobacco" formula--maintain a finite number of gamers and keep them addicted--they seem to want to go after would-be casual gamers (like myself) who just don't find the appeal in (1) ten hours of gaming per night, or (2) constantly getting one's ass kicked.
DarrenJ @ Aug 9th 2006 12:46PM
We put warning labels on things that are addicting? I thought it was just on the stuff that could kill you. Just because you get totally in to something, addicted of not, doesn't mean it's dangerous to your health. Most of the "addicted" WoW players are perfectly healthy, they just don't have a social life :)
quezcatol @ Aug 9th 2006 12:47PM
This guy must be retarded,ofc its addictive so is a lot of sports/hobbies also.
Wtf is wrong with him?
Why do a casino have shows and cheap food and drinks?
To try and make people stay and gamble even more money in the casino,perhaps that came as a shock to this guy.
Yes,its a mmo there is a lot to do and it takes a lot of time.
But if it would be boring no one would keep playing WOW.
I played it for 6 months and got bored by it.
Bye bye!
Sendo @ Aug 9th 2006 12:49PM
I can see a warning label doubling the sales.
This game is so addictive you will completely foget about your crappy life while playing.
Really? can I get two copies?
Thorn @ Aug 9th 2006 12:53PM
Yep. Treat the symptom rather than the cure. Get those kids (and adults) out on the streets where they can try out their aggression on real people instead of on a social game that has limits to what a person and can not do.
Besides, there is a whole lot more money in treating symptoms (just view the over the counter drug section of grocery stores) than there ever will be from curing people.
I propose we should ban food. It is clear that allowing people to eat food has resulted in shallow-thinking people living much longer than they should be allowed to live. I'm sure that the fat people of the world will protest, but it's what I'd like to see happen. :p
saboola @ Aug 9th 2006 12:56PM
Sure, because playing a video game is the same as smoking. Everyone I know that plays World of Warcraft has various health problems such as lung cancer, emphysema, and cardiovascular disease. This is the most retarded argument ever. It's also a good thing we have tackled all the worlds other problems too, now we can focus on being addicted to video games. Listen, anyone who has an "addictive" personality can become addicted to anything. Compulsive gamblers, people that work out constantly, peopel that read all the time, people that watch 10 hours of TV a day.. Do all these require warning labels too?
that guy @ Aug 9th 2006 1:00PM
People: the problem isn't with the games, it's with the people. It's up to the PERSON to stop playing the game after an hour or two or three because they have a job or a family or friends or whatever. It's not the GAME'S fault ('it's too addictive') that it's being played for hours on end, weeks upon weeks in a row. It's an inanimate object. People playing these games for 10 hours are the ones who need a warning label slapped on their forehead saying 'DON'T SELL THIS PERSON (insert anything you'd like here)'. Just like kids running around shooting up schools or running people over after playing Grand Theft Auto - don't blame the game. Blame the frickin' idiot kids who do these things.
Rask @ Aug 9th 2006 1:09PM
The thing with an addiction is that you constantly want to go back to it ad-infinium. I would qualfy MMOG's at MOST as an intense desire more than an actual addiction. Believe me, once you get sick of WoW, you'll never be back to it again.
WoW's actually cured me of any interest in playing another MMO ever again.
Risse @ Aug 9th 2006 1:10PM
40%? I would say 60-75%.
But yes, it IS very addictive. But it doesnt need any label to proof it. I remember back in the days that someone sued the makers of Ultima Online, because it was too addictive.
J B Cougar @ Aug 9th 2006 1:10PM
Shunning of family and friends? Check.
Changing of sleep/eating habits to work around playing time? Check.
Is subject agitated when not playing? Check.
Does subject bring up playing in everyday conversation? Check.
Has the subject attempted to stop playing? Check.
Has the person missed school or work (or a job interview they scheduled one month in advance) because of playing habits? Check.
Subject becomes angry when confronted about playing habits? Check.
Conducted on a friend who is now less of a friend because of this repetitive, boring little game. Now, substitute 'playing' with drinking, and you have the exact same guidelines for finding an acoholic. I think I read that we need more addictive games above... are you serious?!
Rask @ Aug 9th 2006 1:10PM
I just realised that the picture was that of a woman.
Scary.
funkeboodha @ Aug 9th 2006 1:15PM
yes. we already know. but its what we wanted. when a game comes out and is easily beaten, we say more levels and more secrets and more involved gameplay. so they do and now we have in depth games which basically means more time.
cringer8 @ Aug 9th 2006 1:26PM
Is society really missing out by not having these people around? I say keep them in their rooms. At least we don't have to see or deal with them.
Oh, and by the way, I don't consider MMORPG's to be video games at all. It's just the future of chat rooms. People *love* interacting with each other with complete anonymity. It's a great outlet for people with low self esteem. They get to create a whole new "self." Good for them.
Just keep them off my streets.
Whodaimen @ Aug 9th 2006 1:27PM
It's peoples free time we are talking about.
Let them decide what to do with it.
Not all smokers smoke to the point of death, and not all WoW players play to the point of addiction, or other bullshit symptoms. What about television? People used to bitch about spending time infront of it all the time in the 90's, but now its a common element in today's society. I'd rather learn better reading, and writing skills playing a game, then watch ten hours of mindless programming.
Dizzy the Egg @ Aug 9th 2006 1:33PM
I was absolutely hooked on WoW, I mean I was on at 6 in the morning, 5 in the evening, 3 in the morning ,etc.. Until I got to level 40 then I kinda just got bored, almost like I had achieved the final goal. 3 months worth and I was a high enough level and rich enough to buy the epic mount and I was done. As soon as the new expansion comes out im starting over as a horde guy.
AirBlock @ Aug 9th 2006 1:33PM
They should work out a system like at Casinos. If you play for too many hours, then the system will ask you, Don't you think you've played enough?
dish @ Aug 9th 2006 1:34PM
I'm sure i would play it addictively if it was free, thats the only part that turns me off about mmo's. The only MMO I ever truly played was UO on sphere servers.
Cabrill @ Aug 9th 2006 1:34PM
The game isn't nearly as addictive as EQ1. But that's entirely subjectional, isn't it? That being said, I think the experience of living an alternate, probably better life is what is addicting. People with crappy lives get sucked into a fantasy world where their avatar is far more successful than they themselves are.
As for warning labels? I hate them, they're just slowing down the evolutionary process. If people can't identify for themselves what is dangerous/hazardous and what is not then they are polluting the gene pool with their stupidity, and by sparing them whatever fate would befall their ignorance we are propogating the problem. Really, do we want people who needs labels that say "Do not insert chainsaw in any orifice" or "Do not use curling iron while sleeping" spawning more likeminded people? Yeah, letting those people survive to do what they do best, breed, drags our species down and will eventually leave us as numb prolitarians who do the bidding of the few intelligent left unsullied.
All that in perspective; video games are the most benign of "dangerous" tendencies so let it flourish if it will distract those who fail at life and prevent them from slowing the rest of us down.
Fandel @ Aug 9th 2006 1:35PM
I downloaded the 10 day trial of World of Warcraft. Now, I plan on filling a lawsuit against Blizzard, because the second I started to play that game, I became addicted to sleep!
To me 10 minuits of WOW, turned into 15 hours of ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
samfish @ Aug 9th 2006 1:35PM
I actually played WoW for the first time last night ever.
...
And I'm never, EVER going to play it again.
I can't believe I pissed away 90 minutes of my life on such a lame game.
I'm sorry, but I've seriously never played a game more severely over rated than WoW.
I mean, I WANTED to like the game, especially afer hearing so much about it...but it just...sucks.
NATO_Duke @ Aug 9th 2006 1:38PM
I actually avoided getting this game because many of our group's members, who competitively play fps games, vanished after getting hooked. I was so disgusted with the way they stopped talking to people that I didn't want to encourage it or be part of it. Hell, they play for 40+ hours a week! That being said, if people enjoy the game -thats what it was made for and I cant hold it against the manufacturer.
kimo @ Aug 9th 2006 1:39PM
As some have observed, putting a label on a game wouldn't necessarily prevent people from playing the game. I mean, people still smoke and drink regardless of what the Surgeon General says.
I don't think putting a label on the game would be a bad idea at all. A parent who is buying the game could be made aware of its addictive nature, or at least generate a bit of awareness. It really is NOT OK to let a game become an obsession. A lot of people find nothing wrong with their habit, and usually get quite defensive when someone mentions that they may have a problem.
A concern, as noted above, however, is that there would have to be some sort of consensus as to what makes a game fit under the addiction criteria. I'm just a plebeian, so I don't know how that would work.
Camilla @ Aug 9th 2006 1:40PM
i also never really saw the fun in MMOs. online interaction just doesn't suit me. But labeling it as potentially harmful is a bit ridiculous. i mean, what about all the foods that are potentially harmful to health? do you see labels on butter or soda? put a warning label on chocolate, that's what i say!
Marco C Jr. @ Aug 9th 2006 1:43PM
I'm afraid that I'll won't be able to control the addiction of playing these MMORPG's. So Yes I have also "intentionally avoided WoW and other MMORPG's for its alleged addictive nature".
My little brother is actually playing World Of Warcraft currently and I believe that he is addicted. I just always see him on that computer playing that game every-single-day. I just see him doing less things then usual. I don't want to go into detail because this will end up being a long post but I know that my little brother is addicted to WoW and he needs to stop playing it.
My gym teacher also told me about his son being extremely addicted to an MMORPG which further adds to this study. So yeah I think we need labels for these game's for obvious reasons.
otakucode @ Aug 9th 2006 1:44PM
I've never delved into WoW for two reasons: Number one, I am tired of the setting. Fantasy/swords/magic/etc. Give me something set in the future with robots and laser rifles and psychic powers or something and I'll give it a whirl probably (played Anarchy Online for awhile). Number two, no MMORPG has done it right yet. I grew up on a MUD. Literally. From age 12 to 18, I played a MUD called Edge of Darkness with every spare moment. No MMORPG yet can offer the things that MUD could. The community was tight-knit and players had real reputations, there was real fame and real infamy. Real limited items, 1 or 2 to the entire playerbase, gave birth to knowing even what the famous players were wearing/using. It was a very rich and fulfilling world to play in. If an MMO comes out that can do these things, THEN I might avoid it because of my possibility of being addicted... but I don't think any company is going to come out with such a thing any time soon.
Anthriel @ Aug 9th 2006 1:51PM
The problem with MMORPGs is that they, more than any other kind of game, are tailor-made to addict people.
Companies don't care how long you play a Single-Player game, as long as you are willing to buy another one afterwards. With MMORPGs however, it is essential that you play them as long as possible.
So while Bioware is happy if you quit KotOR after completing it, Blizzard wants you to play WoW forever.
And naturally, they design it so that you do.
MMORPGs ruin lives, just like drugs or gambling do.
Does that mean there should be warnings on the boxes?
Hell no. Games often were and sometimes still are advertised as addicting. People wouldn't take that negatively. And besides, there are many things in our society which can ruin people. Don't even get me started on how many people mentally die thanks to television.
But what can and should be done is to warn parents against these games. Excessive violence in games can probably have negative effects on kids, nudity might possibly (though most likely not) have, but even if, it doesn't even compare to the effect an addicting game like WoW does have in many cases.
When I was younger, I ruined a part of my life with games that didn't try anywhere near as hard to addict me as WoW does now. God knows where I would be now if there would have been WoW when I was younger. Probably working in a McDonalds or a WalMart instead of going to university.
Papa @ Aug 9th 2006 1:51PM
I guess the doctor didn't read the part in the WoW EULA where it said something along the lines of "Don't forget about your family and friends."
DG @ Aug 9th 2006 1:52PM
In it's literal definition, addiction is characterized by and actual physiological change within the body. That is, if someone were to actually be addicted to WoW, they would actually be unable to function comfortably without it, removing it would cause symptoms of withdrawal, and so on.
Being dependent, on the other hand, represents a psychological attachment to the game versus a physiological. I'm sure more of the hardcore WoW users are simply dependent instead. They prefer to have WoW in their lives but would be able to function properly without it. At least I hope so.
I've never been into the MMORPG scene. I don't have that concentration level and I certainly don't want to pay $10 a month for a video game.
MMurdock @ Aug 9th 2006 1:59PM
Yes its very addictive. Since Nov. 2004 a majroity of the people that I work with play WoW on a constant basis. Because it has totally engrossed thier lives they talk of nothing else, they do nothing else. Every conversation with any of these people is about WoW and WoW related conquests. Being in close quarters with these people is like being in my own personal hell. Every conversation is "Hey in WoW we killed X, I did Y, it dropped Z, it was awesome." Imagine yourself in a 2 year circular conversation and the same inane BS and you will know my plight.
Someone needs to kill this game before those who are forced to endure its rath start climbing clocktowers.
BigBlue @ Aug 9th 2006 2:04PM
"...does a game, if abnormally addictive, warrant a warning label?"
If this isn't a joke question, then no, it doesn't. At least not as long as watching tv doesn't warrant a warning label. I haven't conducted a survey, but I'm willing to bet close to 99.99% of people who have watched tv at least once, watch it regularly, ie: are addicted. Same with Joystiq. Does Joystiq.com warrant a warning label? Hmmmm....
[-Z-] @ Aug 9th 2006 2:13PM
Addicted is for the weak. I grew sick of it after few weeks of grinding and raiding. I'm only play when i ever i feel like it now.
BFCrap @ Aug 9th 2006 2:14PM
@ MMurdock - How is that kind of inane converstation any different from the conversation your coworkers would be having if they were all interested in sports? "Hey in the X game last night, did you see Team Y beat Team Z? Player Q did that thing that was awesome." Same exact thing. Everyone everywhere is going to have pointless conversations about something. Instead of getting so annoyed, maybe ask them why it is so interesting, or try changing the subject to something you are all interested in.
Pharlain @ Aug 9th 2006 2:16PM
I've purposefully avoided it. In high school I was highly addicted to a text mud and my grades suffered for it. Knowing that I have an addicted personality and that I'm a law student who can't afford that sort of time suck I've avoided it. And yes, I do think there should be a warning just so people who are prone to that sort of addiction know what to expect.