I swear that graphic looks like a picture of a close friend of mine. He was a well-know admin in World of Warcraft, until he died of a heart attack over a year ago. I never understood the game, despite him trying to show me. That world was his life. After his retirement he told me he just wore his shorts sitting at his computer and would eat and sleep there, playing for days and days. A neighbor called the police when he didn’t come out for days and they found him dead at his computer. The game is addictive and dangerous!
I’m sorry to hear about your friend. The pic is a snapshot from a South Park episode about World of Warcraft...funny episode.
The game has had up to 11 million subscribers at one point. Given that we haven’t had a sudden influx of millions of dead geeks I’d say the issue has less to do with the game and more to do with an addictive personality combined with poor health.
How old was he when he died?
when you have no real life, virtual life must look pretty good, to some. others just go and work harder and make a life for themselves in the real world. actually interact and do things for actual other people that could use a little help or companionship.
My BiL is a “white-hat” hacker and attends conventions, including gaming ones. The games are designed to be addictive.
These games, pretty much ALL computer games are designed as “Skinner boxes” which reward the players based on variable input - sort of like a rat hitting a lever. The payout has to be variable - if it becomes predictable, or is too low, the rat, er, player will eventually lose interest.