The latest game in the Elder Scrolls franchise, “Skyrim,” is incredibly popular. The game keeps players coming back to it like few other games manage to do. If you have a group of friends who are into video games, chances are there is at least one who is “addicted” to “Skyrim.”
I put the word addicted in quotes not to belittle the severity of addiction, but because I want to make a point about using that word. Plenty of people have games that they have spent literally days playing. That alone, however, does not make them addicted to a game.
Addiction is a term that gets thrown around a lot without respecting the severity of game addiction. Most fans of “Skyrim” may play the game for extended periods of time and may lose themselves in the world of the game, but all of the people I know who play the game know when to stop.
According to Video-game-addiction.org, studies estimate that 10 percent to 15 percent of gamers exhibit signs that meet the World Health Organization’s criteria for addiction.
While this number is higher than might be expected, it does mean that a majority of players who are commonly labeled as “addicted” aren’t. These people may like to lose themselves in virtual worlds, but they understand that friendships, schoolwork and jobs come first.
On the other hand, there are players who actually are addicted to games. Games such as “World of Warcraft” and “EverQuest II” have ruined lives. I have heard dozens of personal anecdotes about how these games have caused people to disregard those that care about them, instead focusing all their time and energy on their game.
There are, unfortunately, several stories about players playing for extended periods of time until their eventual death via exhaustion. One of the most notable of these stories was in 2005, when a man in South Korea died after playing 50 hours of “StarCraft.”
Don’t think, though, that everybody who picks up a video game is going to instantly become some kind of addict. It requires someone with an addictive personality to begin with to have the kind of compulsion to play games that would drive them to ruin their lives for them. Still, it’s probably easier to get addicted to video games than most other entertainment mediums.
Video games have an increased ability to suck players in and keep them enthralled. It also doesn’t help that massive multiplayer online games such as “World of Warcraft” are specifically designed to keep players coming back over and over again. These games charge players a monthly fee to continue to play online, so it’s in the companies’ best interest to design a game that will keep players wanting to come back.
Video game addiction is a very real and serious issue, and I think that throwing around the term “addiction” makes light of the problem. In the end, most self-diagnosed addicts are able to kick their habit. That doesn’t mean, however, that you shouldn’t try to get help if you or someone you know might be addicted to video games. Friends and the real world will hopefully always be there for you, even after you’ve done everything you can possibly do in “Skyrim.”
If you want to discuss video game addiction, email Overstreet at moverstreet@media.ucla.edu. “Joy Sticks” runs every Thursday.