Gaming Addiction

Beyond Game AddictionBeyond Game Addiction

Neils ClarkNeils Clark

Games for Health 2008Games for Health 2008

Baltimore, MDBaltimore, MD

1. Thirteen years and counting1. Thirteen years and counting

Hoax Sub-Criteria:Hoax Sub-Criteria: Obsessive thinking about Obsessive thinking about what is happening on the Internetwhat is happening on the Internet

IAD Question:IAD Question: Are you preoccupied with Are you preoccupied with gaming (thinking about it when offline, gaming (thinking about it when offline, anticipating your next online session)?anticipating your next online session)?

Hoax Criteria:Hoax Criteria: There is a persistent desire or There is a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control Internet useInternet use

IAD Question:IAD Question: Have you made repeated Have you made repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop online gaming?stop online gaming?

1. Thirteen years and counting1. Thirteen years and counting

2. Games aren’t without problems, 2. Games aren’t without problems, but we’re in an ‘interim’but we’re in an ‘interim’

3. Immersion is the first key to 3. Immersion is the first key to understanding excessive useunderstanding excessive use

4. You get to the second key by 4. You get to the second key by looking at how the game workslooking at how the game works

TolkienTolkien

Primary and Secondary WorldsPrimary and Secondary Worlds

Looking at Culture and Structure in Both Looking at Culture and Structure in Both Kinds of WorldsKinds of Worlds

4. You get to the second key by 4. You get to the second key by looking at how the game workslooking at how the game works

CultureCulture Primary (Wang Tta in Korea)Primary (Wang Tta in Korea) Secondary (Binge cultures in raid guilds)Secondary (Binge cultures in raid guilds)

StructureStructure Primary (Work, school, the kids, etc.)Primary (Work, school, the kids, etc.) Secondary (Raiding, farming, exploring, Secondary (Raiding, farming, exploring,

traveling)traveling)

5. The third and final key: how we 5. The third and final key: how we interactinteract

Is gaming pathological, or regular Is gaming pathological, or regular interaction?interaction?

6. What IAD defines as addiction 6. What IAD defines as addiction isn’t necessarily pathological isn’t necessarily pathological

excessexcess

6. What IAD defines as addiction 6. What IAD defines as addiction isn’t necessarily pathological isn’t necessarily pathological

excessexcessRemember that one IAD question, ‘Are you Remember that one IAD question, ‘Are you preoccupied with what’s happening in a game?’ In a preoccupied with what’s happening in a game?’ In a robust secondary world like World of Warcraft, is it robust secondary world like World of Warcraft, is it really pathologic to be thinking, anticipating or even really pathologic to be thinking, anticipating or even preoccupied with game events? preoccupied with game events?

In the other question presented earlier - there are non-In the other question presented earlier - there are non-pathological reasons that somebody might be pathological reasons that somebody might be unsuccessful in plans to cut back gaming. Some might unsuccessful in plans to cut back gaming. Some might be in-game friendships with living people, real-world be in-game friendships with living people, real-world cultural pressure and relationships with potentially cultural pressure and relationships with potentially healthy online activities. healthy online activities.

Functional SqueezeFunctional Squeeze

Functional Shrink/ReplacementFunctional Shrink/Replacement

7. Physical and physiological 7. Physical and physiological addiction takes timeaddiction takes time

8. Game devs could provide 8. Game devs could provide functional tools right nowfunctional tools right now

9. The long term game dev solution 9. The long term game dev solution is a critical design discussionis a critical design discussion

10. Researchers need to connect10. Researchers need to connect

Questions/ClosingQuestions/Closingneilsclark@gmail.com neilsclark@gmail.com

`̀ Selected Reading:Selected Reading:

Secondary worldsSecondary worlds: J.R.R. Tolkien's ': J.R.R. Tolkien's 'On Faerie StoriesOn Faerie Stories,' located in the ,' located in the Tolkien Reader. Published by Del Ray.Tolkien Reader. Published by Del Ray.The texture of game worldsThe texture of game worlds: Dr. Thomas Malaby's ': Dr. Thomas Malaby's 'Beyond PlayBeyond Play,' published ,' published in Games and Culture but freely downloadable from ssrn.com. in Games and Culture but freely downloadable from ssrn.com. Physical immersionPhysical immersion: Anne Marie Barry's chapter from the Handbook of : Anne Marie Barry's chapter from the Handbook of Visual Communication. Published by Routledge. Visual Communication. Published by Routledge. Game-influenced pathologiesGame-influenced pathologies: Dr. Jerald Block's : Dr. Jerald Block's Pathological Computer Pathological Computer Game UseGame Use, available at jeraldjblock.medem.com. Note: , available at jeraldjblock.medem.com. Note: Pathologic Pathologic Computer GamingComputer Gaming is a similarly titled but different piece of research on that is a similarly titled but different piece of research on that website. website. Real-world cultureReal-world culture: Florence Chee’s “: Florence Chee’s “The Games We Play Online and The Games We Play Online and Offline: Making Wang-tta in KoreaOffline: Making Wang-tta in Korea.” Published in Popular Communication 4 .” Published in Popular Communication 4 (3), 225-239, 2006. (3), 225-239, 2006.