| "When players of massive multiplayer online | | | | interest in anything that happens outside of their |
| roleplaying games (MMORPGs) talk about ""death | | | | game worlds. A successful anti-addiction strategy |
| penalties"", they refer to the resources they lose | | | | thus has to come from within.One possible |
| when the character they are playing dies. Usually | | | | solution was unintentionally described over a |
| this can be anything from invested time, items | | | | hundred years ago: ""There are only two |
| they acquired in long play sessions or their virtual | | | | tragedies in life: one is not getting what one |
| currency. Recent games, like World of Warcraft | | | | wants, and the other is getting it "" Oscar Wilde |
| (WoW) avoid that penalty in order to make the | | | | might have got it dead on for online gamers. |
| game ""more fun"". Unfortunately it's not as easy | | | | Constantly struggling in their virtual world to get |
| to remove real casualties that result from those | | | | better equipment, more money and a higher level |
| games - from suicides of addicted players to | | | | and looking for a way to advance faster, online |
| parents who neglect their children to the point | | | | gamers are usually trapped in a vicious cycle. But |
| they starve while they are playing World of | | | | what happens if those challenges become |
| Warcraft.Not all stories of excessive play end that | | | | obsolete? If they simply achieve those goals |
| bad, but the extent of the problem is being | | | | without effort? What if you can cheat?Single |
| underestimated. Those high profile cases are | | | | player games have cheat codes, allowing you to |
| certainly the saddest examples of what can result | | | | bypass any difficulties of a game with a few |
| from excessive play. But in regards to the people | | | | ""code words"". Everyone who used a cheat code |
| who are affected by serious online gaming | | | | in a game knows, that from there on the hours |
| addiction, they represent only the tip of the | | | | of entertainment are numbered. It is simply no |
| iceberg. What goes unnoticed are the thousands | | | | longer of interest to invest your time since all |
| of stories of players who get involved in an online | | | | achievements have become meaningless. |
| game to the point that they seriously neglect or | | | | Fortunately for addicted players, this also holds |
| even abandon school, work, friends and families. | | | | true for online games. Only, there are no cheat |
| There are no statistics on the depressions that | | | | codes. What there is though, are unintentional |
| result from extensive immersion in virtual worlds. | | | | flaws, glitches and bugs in the games. If you |
| There are no statistics showing how many | | | | know them, you can skip difficult parts, get |
| careers have been destroyed this way. There are | | | | rewards with ease and cut down on the time |
| no statistics showing how many divorces this has | | | | investment significantly. Swimming in virtual |
| caused.As one of the oldest MMORPGs, Everquest | | | | currency after a few mouse clicks tends to |
| is still very popular with around 450,000 | | | | remove the incentive to ever spend hours again, |
| subscribers. A google search for ""everquest | | | | trying to get it.There are sites that specifically |
| addiction"" returns 234,000 results. But it gets | | | | research those loop holes in order to outwit the |
| worse: Final Fantasy XI currently has 650,000 | | | | game companies. Depending on the game |
| players and it's still growing fast. Number of | | | | someone is addicted to, they can find help. For |
| results returned for ""final fantasy xi addiction""? | | | | Everquest, Final Fantasy XI and World of |
| 2,140,000. That's 10 pages for every single | | | | Warcraft exploits are by now freely available |
| gamer. While not all of them are directly related | | | | through a simple google search. If you want to |
| to cases of addiction, it certainly shows the | | | | help someone, compile a list of those sites. |
| importance of the issue. If for every player of a | | | | Alternatively you can use the resources provided |
| game, ten feel compelled to discuss a possible | | | | below:- |
| addiction, it's a phenomenon that has to be taken | | | | - |
| seriously.There are also signs in the offline world | | | | - |
| that this problem is existing and growing. In July | | | | - |
| 2006, the first detox center for gaming addicts in | | | | - |
| Europe opens in Amsterdam. More than 20 | | | | - |
| players have already been enlisted in the 8 weeks | | | | - |
| program. They range from 13 to 30 years of | | | | - |
| age, showing that this is not something that only | | | | - |
| happens to teenagers. In Canada and the US | | | | - addicted players to those resources - chances |
| there are already multiple clinics and even in China | | | | aren't bad that they end up curing themselves. |
| a facility has opened already.Families and friends | | | | Even if the addict won't stop playing instantly, |
| of affected players are often at a loss as to how | | | | making the game less attractive for them will help |
| they can help them. Addicted players will often | | | | you with your future efforts when you're offering |
| react disinterested or even aggressive when | | | | help.Unorthodox problems ask for unorthodox |
| confronted with their behavior. They become | | | | solutions. If you know somebody who is trapped |
| socially isolated, no longer accessible to persons | | | | in a virtual world, why not give it a try? |
| that used to be close to them and tend to loose | | | | |