World of Warcrack , Farmville, and - PowerPoint Presentation

1. World of Warcrack, Farmville, and NeverQuits: The Rise Internet Addiction and the Development of Addictive Games

2. Internet Addiction DefinedCategorized as an “impulse control disorder” and can be defined as ‘‘an individual’s inability to control their Internet use/dependence, which in turn leads to feelings of distress and functional impairment of daily activities” [Shapira, N., Lessig, M., Goldsmith, T., Szabo, S., Lazoritz, M., Gold, M. et al. (2003). Problematic Internet use: Proposed classification and diagnostic criteria. Depression and Anxiety, 17(4), 207–216]Possible basic criteria, with the underlying focus being on the fact that the addiction “significantly impairs everyday functionality”:(1) the excessive use of the Internet beyond the time allotted and/o an irresistible urge to be preoccupied with the Internet; (2) an impairment, distress or poor functioning in social settings caused from a preoccupation with the Internet; and (3) the excessive use of the Internet is not associate exclusively with periods of hypomania or mania and cannot be entirely accounted for by Axis 1 clinical disorders

3. One Evaluative MethodDo you feel preoccupied with the Internet (think about previous on-line activity or anticipate next on-line session)? Do you feel the need to use the Internet with increasing amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction? Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful attempts to control, cut back, or stop Internet use? Do you feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop Internet use? Do you stay on-line longer than originally intended? Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational, or career opportunity because of the Internet? Have you lied to family members, a therapist, or others to conceal the extent of involvement with the Internet? Do you use the Internet as a way of escaping from problems or relieving a dysphoric mood (e.g. feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, depression)? Young (1998) suggests that those who scored over 5 or more can be considered Internet addicts.

4. Is Technology an Addictive Substance?According to Griffiths (2000), technological addictions, including the Internet, are a branch of behavioral addictions which engage the six criteria for addiction: SalienceMood modificationToleranceWithdrawalConflict, and Relapse

5. Salience: refers to the importance and dominance that a particular activity has in one’s lifeMood modification: the subjective experience one has when engaging in a particular activity, and is synonymous with a coping strategyTolerance: the process of increasing amounts of an activity for the purpose of remaining satisfiedWithdrawal: and the unpleasant feelings that occur when the activity is discontinuedConflict: refers to interpersonal and intrapsychic issues an individual may experience, Relapse: the repeated reversions that may occur after one has discontinued an activityGriffiths found that, “as with most forms of behavioral addiction, Internet Addiction has a psycho-physiological affect on those afflicted with the condition. That is, disturbances in both mental processes, particularly thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and bodily actions especially in relation to withdrawal symptoms from the vice (for example, tremors) can be experienced.”

6. Profile of an Internet AddictSoule et al. (2003) identify several groups of individuals that were particularly vulnerable, such as SinglesYoung malesCollege studentsHomosexualsMiddle-aged femalesThe less educatedInterestingly, the study found no statistical difference between the total number of online hours and recreational hours that males and females spent on the Internet.

7. Video Clips: “Web Junkie”40:3545:03

8. Prevalence & ConsequencesSouth KoreaAfter 10 deaths in Internet cafes and a “game-related murder”, the South Korean government declared Internet addiction “one of its most serious public health issues”.As of 2006 the SK government estimated that approx. 210,000 (2.1% of 6-19yr olds) suffered from internet addictionChinaGovernment estimates suggest 13.7% of adolescent Internet users meet the criteria for addiction; around 10 million teenagersUSWhile reliable data is not available for the prevalent of internet addiction in the US, “Internet Gaming Disorder” is included under Section III of the DSM-V as a condition “warranting more clinical research and experience” before its official inclusion.

9. The Extreme CasesIn August 2005 a 28-year-old South Korean man died after playing Starcraft online for over 50 hours straight with very little food and minimal sleepIn Feb 2012, Chen Rong-yu, 23, was found dead in a Taiwanese Internet Café after engaging in a marathon session of League of Legends which began around 24hrs earlier; he was posed in a manner which suggests that he tried to reach his mouse and keyboard even as he suffered a suspected cardiac arrest.In July 2012 an 18-year-old Taiwanese gamer died after playing Diablo III for 40 consecutive hours

10. Internet Gaming: A Unique Beast? Many studies fail to distinguish between internet addiction generally and a category specific to online gaming; however the fact that games are particularly addictive is recognized in the DSM-V, which includes a discussion of “Internet Gaming Disorder” rather than a more general internet addiction categoryThe DSM-V “recognizes studies suggesting that when individuals play particularly addictive games, certain pathways in their brains are triggered in the same direct and intense way that a drug addict’s brain is affected by a particular substance”

11. Video Games and Neurology: cause or effect?Charité University Medicine in Berlin study (Feb 2015) has found a correlation between frequent gaming and enlarged reward centers in the brain. What is not clear is whether individuals with this trait are more likely to engage in gaming (because they may experience gaming as more rewarding in the first place), or whether this increased reward sensitivity develops through game use.Particularly notable in the study was that even when a player failed in the game, they still experienced stimulation in the reward center. This connection has also been identified in those with gambling problems and is correlated with a lowered deliberation time in betting or risk-taking.

12. What makes games addictive?Game designer Andrea Phillips argues that different types of games produce different compulsive symptoms by design:MMORPGS and First-Person Shooters tend to “maximize length of play session” through techniques such as providing infrequent save opportunities or running in a 24/7 online format that rewards constant attention.Zynga-style social and casual games (Farmville, Bejeweled) “maximize number of sessions” through what are more focused, simplistic formats that are “very close to compulsion loops and nothing else” (no meaningful community, competition, narrative)

13. Creating Addictive GamesCompulsion loop: A habitual, designed chain of activities that will be repeated to gain a neurochemical reward: a feeling of pleasure and/or a relief from pain.Basically, each action taken by the player feeds into the next and provides enough reward and/or anticipation to motivate the player to follow the chain. Compulsion loops are made most effective in games by carefully scheduling the release of rewards with a perceived increase in difficulty, so that the sense of challenge and accomplishment is maintained evenly throughout gameplay. The player is constantly engaged in a state of motivation to seek reward and then given enough reward to continually renew her motivation to seek it.Basic compulsion loop(Source: Stephanie Morgan)

14. Exploitation of the Compulsion Loop: “Freemium” Games and Pay-for-PlayThese games are offered for free or at a very low rate (e.g. 99c app) and begin with gameplay that constitutes an ideal compulsion loop, creating a sense of reward in the player and ideally motivating him to continue playing.The inherent balance between challenge and accomplishment or effort and feedback is slowly disrupted in order to frustrate the player into buying her way back into the loop. Source: Escapist Magazine Online

15. Methods for Exploiting the Compulsion LoopDelay: the game introduces delays in the time it takes to complete an action and access a reward (e.g. increased production times for new products/skills; higher and higher point requirements for advancement, upgrade, new content access; timers before accessing next level)Player can pay to reduce or eliminate delay time, access upgrades more quickly or automatically access new content without delayDisproportionate challenge: the game introduces challenges or require the player to achieve additional actions which are subjectively too difficult and begin to damage the player’s sense of accomplishment and lead to frustrationPlayer can pay for an instant upgrade, such as level up or better items, skills, etc. thus temporarily restoring the balance between challenge and accomplishment and thus the enjoyment of the gameDisproportionate Repetition: game requires player to repeat mundane, pointless, or boring tasks (“grinding”) – repetitious levellingPlayer can pay to skip tasks or for a method to complete them more quickly or easily, or to access new content or features that make gameplay more interesting

16. Additional Components of Addictive Games“Fun Failure”: player receives reinforcement through “almost wins” (e.g. through randomized prize drops from enemies which are occasionally very valuable), maintaining a feeling of “close but not quite” and that a “big win” is just around the corner. This mimics gameplay in the gambling industry. In both, the player feels intense satisfaction upon achieving the aim, and a sense of “fun failure” when the aim is nearly achieved (you kill the enemy but the prize drop is poor; you come close to winning a hand of blackjack or get almost all of the right images on the slot machine).

17. Additional Components of Addictive GamesExploitation of the Sunk Costs Fallacy: people have stronger emotional ties to things they have lost (including intangibles such as time or effort) than things they have gained. In other words, the more you invest in something the harder it becomes to abandon it, regardless of rational cost vs benefits. The psychological drive to avoid losses or reclaim lost things can thus result in irrational decision-making. For example:Infrequent savepoints can drive a gamer to play longer than intended/desired in order to avoid losing the progress madeA player may be willing to pay or sacrifice in order to gain back something perceived as lost (e.g. expired crops in Farmville) in order to avoid the loss of time and effort Pay-for-play games encourage a player to continue to pay once an initial investment has been made, particularly if failure to pay again may result in losing the advantage gained by the first payment.

18. Additional Components of Addictive GamesAvoidance: instead of relying on positive feedback and achievements, the player is instead punished for not playing enough (e.g. withering of crops in Farmville, or an online game where you can suffer losses or miss out on wins when not actively participating)

19. Creating Addictive Games: Formula Proposal for App Games

20. Creating Addictive Games: Formula Proposal for MMORPG/FPS Games

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22. The Future of Addictive Gaming: Data Mining and Behavioural Game DesignAs data mining and game design become more sophisticated, we can expect that games will incorporate more and more effective and personally tailored addictive elementsFor example, games developed to perfectly balance the reward cycle or the “disruptive aspects” of the gameplay (delay, etc.) based on data about exactly how much a user will tolerate without quitting the gameGames could also incorporate personalized modifications which are triggered by data collected about your own gameplay style and what you will personally tolerate“There’s this huge irony going on, that the companies that are making these social games that have no gameplay value in them, are actually playing a much more interesting game than the game they are making for you to play” – Jonathan Blow (video)

23. Regulations on Online Gaming ChinaRegulation introduced in 2007 ordering online game operators to install “anti-addiction” software on their games with the goal of discouraging players under 18 from playing more than 3hrs per dayThe software allows players to earn full points for the first 3 hours of play, at which point they are cut down to ½ points for 2 hours; after this point they receive no points in the gameIn addition, after 5hrs a warning will appear every 15 minutes reading “You have entered unhealthy game time, please go offline immediately to rest. If you do not, your health will be damaged and your points will be cut to zero”The ultimate impact of this software has been minimal as only around 10% of China’s gamers are under 18

24. Regulations on Online Gaming South KoreaHas already passed legislation prohibiting gaming from 12pm-6amBill with additional restrictions proposed in December 2013 (doesn’t seem to have passed yet)Classifies online gaming as one of the “four major addictions” alongside gambling, alcohol, and drugsWould increase the “blackout” period to 10pm-7am, as well as imposing a 1% tax on the gaming industry’s revenue, with the money going into a fund to help addicts

25. Addictive Games: Good or Evil?[Jonathan Blow at 50:00]Is it ethical to create games that have the sole purpose of keeping users playing and spending for as long or as much as possible?What are the dangers of allowing firms to combine data mining with addictive game features and, potentially, personalized gaming experiences? Or is this just the ultimate end result of modern gaming developments (e.g. fully individualized virtual reality games)What are the harms (economic vs societal vs personal)?Should we introduce regulations, and if so, how?Is this a parallel situation to Irwin Toy, or distinguishable?