Eye-Candy

A few saturdays ago, me and a few friends went to an internet cafe for a couple of hours of killing zombies then leaving to a friends party we were supposed to go to later on. Across from us were a group of WOW enthusiasts we see everytime we go there. World of Warcraft has celebrations and parties inside the game with fireworks and festivities etc. I was listening into their conversation and apparently their plans for the night involved getting really drunk and attending a much anticipated party INSIDE the videogame. I thought it was really interesting but I wasnt surprised seeing as these guys are there ALL-THE-TIME, even in the middle of the night and during most working days. These guys are addicts. Its not everyday you'll see someone in a dark alleyway shadily paying for their videogame fix, but in many ways videogames can mimic the appealing qualities of addictive drugs. Apparently games satisfy a list of psychological needs including REWARD, confidence, freedom and connection; These exact needs can also be satisfied by a fat bowl of crack. Even the most antisocial personality types can be inflated as long as they are known as a skilled level 999999 Paladin. The incredibly-psychologically addicting nature of games can lead to deviation from the players normal life. I saw a documentary the other day about people who are heavy players of MMORPG's and the cases were in quite disturbing. There was one case of two brothers where one who had reached the age of 30 and had achieved nothing in his life because of his long term involvement with Everquest and so had to start his life over again. Another followed a couple who consistently rejected their kids because of their WOW involvement, and another was about a boy who played so often that he ended up defecating himself on his computer chair and later committed suicide. The point of view of the players was simply that they like who they are in the game more than they do in real life. I dont know whether to think its really sad or if its a useful outlet and sort of euphemizing mirror for themselves. Probably both.