Addicted.

When I signed up for the course the first thing that came to mind was videogame addiction or overuse. I've read newspaper articles, watched documentaries and heard discussions on this issue. We haven't really talked about it yet but I want to just spill my thoughts about it.

Last night I was awake far past my bedtime trying to max out level 5 on Bejewelled Blitz, a Flash game on Facebook. I'm not sure if Flash games count as videogames on this course, but I am unashamed to say that I am fairly addicted. The aim of the game is to make as many combinations of the same colour jewels in one minute. The jewels blow up and more fall down from the top of the screen. When I first started playing I would see jewels when I closed my eyes. It was pretty bad.

I don't know how you can come up with a plausible measure of videogame addiction. I read somewhere that if you play a game for over 2 hours per day, you are classified as addicted. Under this system I think that many people would be videogame addicts, especially if the time spent on the game is averaged over a week. In a week which a new game is purchased, the player could spend hours at a time trying to clock it.

I certainly would be classified as addicted to Bejewelled Blitz. Looking at my scoreboard is a tad depressing because I can see how many games I have played. I can add up the minutes of my life I have spent clicking on colourful jewels.

I think that Bejewelled Blitz is addicting for many different reasons. The following are just a few.
1. Time Limit: The one minute timne limit heightens the urgency and cuts the game off at a point when you are usually doing the best. This makes you want to play another game, and then another, and then another.

2. The competitive nature: The leaderboard can be seen at all times during the game, allowing you to see your friend's scores and try to beat them. You can even send "smacktalk" to your friends. This encourages competition and rivalry.

3. The appearance: The background screen changes from a drab, brown landscape to a glittering garden as the player increases their score. The previous posts about videogames as art have addressed the issue. I believe that appearance is very important to a game. The fact that the makers have put so much effort into the appearance of Bejewelled Blitz is testimony to this.

My experience with Bejewelled Blitz is only a personal account of the addictiveness of games. I'm sure many of you have or have had a game which had you hooked for a period of time.

Katherine Ward