addictive gaming

[Arcott Ramathorn]

http://www.cracked.com/article_18461_5- ... icted.html

Thought some people might get a kick outa this.

[Van Raily]

Y'know, we can blast people for playing WoW because the game sucks or it's boring, but really the sad part is they're hamsters in a treadmill. The "treadmill" analogy has been there since Year One for WoW, but with an increase is socio-psycho analysis of WoW (and other MMOs and gaming in general, from consoles to online to Facebook apps) we're starting to see there's more to that comparison.

And it's rather frightening how easily herded these people are into their wheels.

The "addiction", I feel, to UO is its social dynamic. The game is simple, and really it's pretty damn boring. No real story, gameplay is "meh", graphics suck, and the list goes on. It's the players. No story? Role-players step in. Gameplay becomes stale? Using traps and items ingeniously and knowing the mechanics to exploit them or bend them to make funny or twisted things occur. Graphics suck? Imagination and creativity takes the reins.

WoW and UO are boxes, true, but UO is a sandbox, and our addiction is to control, passion, and diligence (brownie points if you catch the reference) in our own personal playstyles, not to levers or desperate efforts for our next "high".

[Kordavox]

Good analysis. Like Dungeons & Dragons, UO gives a rule set and a world to play in however you can come up with; it is open.
WoW, and I have played WoW since its inception and have 10 80's (No, I am not ashamed to admit it) is a Skinner box, and thusly is contained and closed and has very specific goals and rewards. I feel like I must mention that a very small population of WoW create opportunities for creativity and invention with RP, although it is far more limited in WoW than in UO, and exploration, a bannable offense possibly, and the creation of videos that use game mechanics, see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o53c4cieWY.

[DrFaustus]

WoW was a good game....

[Karik Verlee]

I see myself as a hamster.... Ive been at lichs, kept killing looking for magic weapons and it ended being, just another for 5 or so.

Long term goal, get good enough to be able to pk, get a castle.

Yup it fits me perfect.

[Eulogy]

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/13 ... latestnews

[Karik Verlee]

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/13 ... latestnews

I understand giving the keyboard back to settle him down, but jesus, wait a few hours to call anyone? Then the first person you call is family? How about the police.

[Kordavox]

WoW was a good game....

Eh, I've played since vanilla and I still raid occasionally. People have this fantastic view of vanilla WoW like it was somehow better, more enjoyable, more rewarding; I remember vanilla just being more time consuming and irritating. I feel that WoW has gotten better with each expansion, but the game is a grind; less so than vanilla, but still a grind. Of course, the same can be said for our Second Age delusions here, imaging that the past was superior, except that I think the UO game concept, being more open, ages better than WoW ever will.