Sam Parker Hardware Editor	Now Playing: Freedom Force, Soldier of Fortune 2 Multiplayer Most Wanted: All the cool games we'll see next month at E3.

Addictive Games: Part II

My last column on games' addictiveness struck a nerve. I received a flood of e-mails from readers responding with their own stories of addiction, explanations of what makes games addictive, and defensive challenges to labeling games as addictive. While some seemed to have already thought a lot about EverQuest's perceived addictiveness in the wake of some recent news, many more took a wider perspective, describing how the issue applies to sports games, action games, story-based role-playing games, or even classic puzzle games. Let me share some of the dozens of responses I received from readers. I appreciate all the e-mails, but I obviously couldn't publish more than a small fraction.

Are Games Addictive?

As far as addictiveness in games goes, one needs to first weigh whether it is a positive or a negative. I think that an addictive game is usually just a good game, so a game being addictive is just a sign of its quality. To me, it seems that intentionally making games "not addictive" is intentionally making them bad.
- Matt F

"Are games addictive?" My first response was no, because an addictive substance has to be digested in the body. But then I thought about gambling addictions. That is a form of an activity similar to our perspective form of entertainment. Sure, we do not spend huge amounts toward betting our houses in the slim chance that we would get rich, but isn't Diablo in the same vein a bit? We put in hours upon hours just to save up for some shiny new armor and one more level. I hope gaming isn't addictive in the sense of it being life threatening or something. But if it is, I hope there is a GA--a Gamers Anonymous--to help us.
- S

It is self-contradictory to say a game is both addictive and that "it is up to the players to keep their gaming at a reasonable level."
- Steve K

Consequences

I have known several people over the past two years who have become addicted to gaming, myself included. In all seriousness, it cost about half of us our college careers. The two main perpetrators were EverQuest and Counter-Strike. - Loie

The most vivid descriptions of gaming addiction are associated with online RPGs, because there can be real consequences to putting in all that time.

Short Games

I've played a lot of addictive games, but since most games are fairly short, it doesn't end up being a problem. I passed ICO in one sitting, for instance--I was totally hooked and wouldn't go to bed for anything until it was over. Of course the game turned out to be only about seven hours long, so it didn't become a problem. The same goes for MGS2 and countless other games that were totally gripping but quickly over.

Now the real problem is MMORPGs like EverQuest and Asheron's Call. The problem with these games is the main goal is to level up your character, and leveling up your character takes a hellishly long time. Also, they charge you on a monthly basis, so it's not like you can put the game down for a while and then pick it up when you're not feeling as saturated.
- Nitai B

Completing Games

I don't know whether on a subconscious level it's my own desire for approval and achievement that makes me enjoy playing games so much. Because first of all, I relax when playing them, even if it's a reflexes-based game like Tony Hawk's. Then I do enjoy my characters advancing and getting the better goodies further deep into the game, but that's 'cause I find it fun to see them get better. It's partly curiosity, I think. I want to see what the new superhero will be like, what his part in the story will be, how he will talk, what his superpowers will be, etc. And based on the fact that designers keep the best bits mostly for later in the game, you keep pressing on.
- Yiannos G

Many readers said the story in Final Fantasy games sucks them in, keeping them playing for long hours until they finish the game.

Immersion

EverQuest and its ilk have never struck me as particularly addictive. What's really addictive is a great story and characters. Planescape: Torment is the most addictive game I've ever played. I'd find myself wanting to complete one more quest or unlock another dialogue option with the characters in my party because of that little thrill I got from picking out another tidbit about the Nameless One's past or the motivations of his companions. Odd that we get more interesting character interactions from the scripted characters in a single-player RPG than from the hundreds of "people" wandering around on MMO games.
- J

In my personal opinion, immersion is the absolute most important quality in a game. A game simply cannot be addictive unless you feel like you're an essential element in the process. You would think that this is a statement of the obvious; however, it seems that many game developers have lost sight of this. So many games today get lost in their presentation. On the console front, games like Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid 2 have you sitting there, passively holding a controller as you watch one cutscene after another. You don't feel as if you inhabit the game. The last time I felt this sense of immersion was when I played the Thief series--and to a lesser extent Deus Ex--on PC. These three games placed you in absorbing and interesting environments and somehow made you feel vital to the action.
- Don M

Gambling

What most people don't realize addicts them in games is the subconscious thought, "I almost made it to [blank]." It's when you come close to that goal but don't quite make it that this innate human instinct kicks in and urges us on to try again or continue. Not all games have this quality. Some people play out of sheer boredom or desire to forget about the dreariness of life's realities--in which case, any game might get played over and over, no matter how lame it might be. But the games that universally "addict" are the ones that have very carefully balanced difficulty and challenge.
- Ray B

Escape

Ever since about a few years ago, I realized that video games feel more rewarding than real-life goals. That's why I play them all hours of the week(end). It's like this; the real world has been so depressing lately, I feel as though I'm always in need of an escape. To sum it up, it's not addiction; it's just easier to handle than the truth.
- Mina A

My own experience has shown that it's important to have some moderation in playing games, especially since letting games impact work or school can make it harder to have the time and means to play games well into the future. But at the same time, it's true that we like games, we like them intensely, and this is tied to how they suck us in and make the hours pass away. Games are multifaceted and can be interactive, immersive, or competitive. In these ways, it's cool to see how games as unique among popular forms of entertainment. But in the end, games are just entertainment. Certainly, this is a big issue that I can't attempt to describe in even a couple of GameSpotting columns. Just think about it and make up your own mind.