In my previous posts I’ve discussed how Massively
Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games can be beneficial in the workforce.
However not all effects from playing these types of games are positive. MMORPGs
are mostly known for their graphic displays of violence and their controversial
representations of sexuality. Gamers who partake in excessive amounts of game
play can sometimes be so secluded from reality that they act out in dangerous
and harmful ways. Two students who were reportedly obsessed with Doom, another
famous MMORPG, conducted the Columbine shootings in Colorado, killing 12
classmates and injuring many more. These games can be very influential on it’s
players, adolescents especially. Although these acts of violence are extremely
alarming and should cause concern in the general public, what really alarms me
is the general lack of social interaction avid gamers suffer from.
A pilot study conducted by Zaheer Hussain and Mark Griffiths
examines the psychological and social effects on online gaming with particular
reference to excessive and dependent online gaming. By sampling 119 gamers
ranging from ages 18-69, Hussain and Griffiths were able to conclude that 41%
of gamers played to “escape reality”. Although this reason for game play is
reasonable it becomes a problem when gamers express they enjoy the fabricated
world of games like World of War Craft and Doom. When gamers choose fantasy
over reality they are partaking in what is called psychological immersion,
which is aided by the realistic graphics and enhanced social interaction many
MMORPGs are known for (Hussain).
Thanks to the creation of avatars players can be retain an
anonymity, which further disables their social interaction skills. I can
imagine how being someone or something other then myself can feel more natural,
but many avid gamers claim this to be true. MMORPG players state that they
enjoy the fact that they can create not only themselves but the world their
avatar lives in. Which give the player a taste of god-like power. Researchers argue
that people have an inherent need to alter their conciosuness and to experience
reality from different perspectives, and MMORPGs allow players to do just that.
Although I don’t play World of Warcraft I have played The
Sims occasionally. Like World of Warcraft, you can create your own characters
and even decorate your living quarters in the Sims. To be honest this was the
main aspect that provoked me to purchase the game. I liked that not only could
I create the characters I would play as but also control what they did in their
lives. Sometimes I would spend hours on my computer creating and constructing
different houses and creating entire families. I don’t play The Sims as often
anymore because I realized how much time I spent with the game as opposed to
going out to lunch with my own friends. When I was playing the game frequently I
was experiencing what is known as flow, an altered awareness when playing
online categorized by various feelings including enjoyment, temporary loss of
self-consciousness, and an altered sense of time. Although I didn’t play long enough to experience adverse
effects, however they do occur.
Results from research studies show that flow was correlated
with addictive inclination to MMORPGs. People gain such satisfaction from
living in the digital world that they often neglect the beauty of the world
around them. This makes me wonder how people in the future will communicate and
gaming continues to gain popularity. Some players have claimed to fall in love
with those they meet on online gaming sites, without ever seeing what the
player looks like in person. It puzzles me how people can fall in love with
fabricated avatars thrown into make believe lands but this is something that is
happening more often. The emotional and psychological attachments people have
with these games go against our natural humanistic desire to interact with
people. Or is the digital simply the new means in which human interactions will
occur? Whether it is the first or second option, it is still an alarming trend
that continues to be studied.
-Kristen C.
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