I think this whole video game addiction and virtual world thing is quite interesting. I was trying to understand why people get addicted to these types of games. Is it because they can be a completely different person or is it to be the person they really are. I was doing some research and came across this article called 5 Creepy Ways Video Games are Trying to get you Addicted.
So its pretty much about video game companies paying behavioral scientists to make sure that customers stay addicted. You can keep the gamers playing if every once in a while you give them a stimulus or reward. For example the brain can make people feel the same enjoyment getting material items in a game as you would in the real world. If we work all this time to get an item such as a sword it gives our brain the same stimulus we would receive if you bought a new pair of shoes. Another tactic is giving small rewards through a game is supposedly as addictive as a slot machine. I think this is crazy that these companies are using these techniques to brain wash people. Although this is a pretty good marketing scheme is this wrong to do?
They do the same thing in therapy with operant conditioning. You use positive reinforcement to get the person hooked (increase the likelihood of the behavior happening again by adding an event). I think this is why some people would rahter play video games. You get a sense of accomplishment that you sometimes don't feel in the "real" world. It also poses a challenge to some players: play 50 rounds of this and that game and get an achievement. They also do the same thing with advertising, the whole "buy 3 get one free" deals. I think everything we do in life is us trying to receive an award. In school we study for 3 hours to get an A. At work we put in 40 hours to get a paycheck. In sports we practice for 5 hours a day to win the game. Everything is a reward system. And people happily comply to it.
ReplyDeleteIf there was no reward in life I really don't think we would put the time and energy into it. I don't think what gaming companies are doing is completely wrong because this is just the way the world works. People just need to learn to put the controller down for a while because if you are too busy trying to get a bunch of achievements you could end of destroying other parts of your life. Unlike a video game, there's no reset button.
That article was really interesting because it is the little things they put in the game that keeps the players coming back. Is it wrong though? No. The goal of these marketing firms is to make money and they do whatever they can, whether its morally wrong or not is up for debate but it is their job to sell the product, and I cannot fault them for doing their job.
ReplyDeleteWow, I actually never really thought of it in this way. It is a pretty simple concept yet very complex in a scientific way. It is very true that these games are rewarding for your brain and therefore they are making one addicted. Its almost like once you get to another level you get another present, or something new like a pair or shoes. It really is crazy how the industries have tricked so many gamers and how they feed their addictions. Whose to blame for this online addiction, the gamers or the industry?
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