Posted on 02/25/2003 1:46:43 AM PST by Hawkeye's Girl
Call it obsessive, compulsive, or just plain crazy. A growing number of Americans are becoming addicted to online gaming.
Video games like EverQuest and the recently-released Sims Online are turning real lives upside down.
The games allow you to take on an identity in a “virtual” world, and interact with thousands of strangers around the world doing the same thing. In a recent survey of 4000 EverQuest players, 62 percent said they considered themselves addicted. Some are calling it an “underground epidemic.” Hudson, Wisconsin native Shawn Woolley logged in, then logged out -- of life.
"He quit taking phone calls, actually unhooked the phone, wouldn't answer the door," said Shawn’s mother Liz Woolley. "He became withdrawn, anti-social, angry at us. If I would try to get between him and the game I was his enemy."
EverQuest is so addictive players call it "Evercrack.” They get hooked on creating characters, gathering treasure, and slaying monsters.
430,000 people pay a monthly subscription fee, but on any given night, about 100,000 people roam the fantasy world of Norrath together.
"He got his own computer by august of 2001,” said Liz. “Then we hardly saw him. I call that the beginning of the end.”
Shawn moved out of the house and quit his job. Thanksgiving morning of 2001, Liz found Shawn dead at his computer desk. He had a gun at his side...and EverQuest was still playing on the computer screen.
"I pounded and knocked,” said Liz. “But by then he was already dead. He had killed himself on Tuesday."
Shawn had epilepsy and the game intensified his seizures. His mom tried to get him help. A psychologist diagnosed Shawn with depression, and Schizoid: symptoms of which include lack of desire for social relationships.
Shawn had been playing Everquest 36 hours straight. That final day: he logged on at 6 a.m. Someone heard a shot a few hours later. Liz retraced Shawn's steps online.
"He had made a character called 'I love you,' which I wasn't expecting,” she said. (cries) “And it was only, he only played it for 2 hours that day and I believe it was long enough to ask someone in the game to marry him. I believe he was rebuffed so badly he decided to end his life."
Dr. David Walsh of the National Institute on Media and the Family studies the effects of online gaming. "There is no question that some people are getting addicted to these games," he says.
The problem has become so severe, some victims of online gaming addiction are calling for warning labels -- the same kind you'd find on a pack of cigarettes. The labels would read: “Warning: extensive playing could be hazardous to your health." What makes these games addictive? The game reacts to your every move. And peer pressure from the online community prevents players from exiting. The latest temptation is Sims, the online version of the wildly popular PC game. It's similar to real life. Each player creates his or her own character. Kelly Sage plays every night after work.
"On weekends I'm here from 8 o'clock in the morning until 10 o'clock at night," she says.
She spends 50 hours a week playing Sims online, more than she spends working. But, she says she's not addicted.
"I have a life. I am married. I have friends. I have other priorities, this does not rule my life. I can go out and do other things. "
How do you know if you're addicted? Psychologists recommend asking yourself two questions:
1) Is online gaming harming you? Is it harming your relationships?
2) Can you play for a certain predetermined amount of time?
Liz never knew her son was addicted. She holds on to every photo, every slice of Shawn's life. She recognizes banning the games is out of the question, so she devotes her time to awareness. Liz has a website about online gaming addiction, and she's considering suing the maker of EverQuest, Sony Online Entertainment.
WCCO-TV contacted Sony Online Entertainment and asked if it thinks EverQuest is addictive.
Sony said: "It promotes teamwork, social interaction, problem-solving and positive peer communication." Adding, "it is not our place to monitor or limit how individuals spend their free time".
(MMIII, Viacom Internet Services Inc., All Rights Reserved)
I guess the bottom line is that like anything else, moderation is the key. It's extremely important to have a well balanced life outside of the Internet so you don't play these games excessively. Or visit FR too much :-)
Phillip K. Dick predicted this phenomenom decades ago.
I think there are regular auctions on EBAY for Everquest items. Real money for digital ones and zeros in a game.
It's a time versus money issue. Do you want to level up your knight for weeks or have a level 50 guy instantly yet be out real money?
Considering all the lag, server downtime, and bugs these games can have I'm sure you're not alone :-)
We permit our children to play a variety of computer games along with educational software. We allow only so many hours a week. Our eldest (5.25) must now "earn" hours by performing some task or passing a spelling/math test. These are things above his normal responsibilities which are minimal at his age, but it's a point of control for us.
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