Addictive Gaming

[J T]

I often see the word "addictive" used to describe games. It appears in gaming marketing, in reviews, and in ordinary conversations amongst gamers. In the gaming world "addictive" is used to describe something supposedly positive about games.

Addiciton is usually not fun though. Addiction to drugs has traditionally had to do with the development of a physical and psychological dependence on the drug. As psychology has expanded to include things like gambling addiction, internet addiction, and yes, gaming addiction; the term has come to refer more to repeatedly partaking of a substance or activity despite the negative consequences that come with it.

Yet, gamers seem to want something that will grab hold of them and not let them go. So when a game is described as addictive, it is meant as a selling point rather than as a warning. Am I the only one that finds this strange?

[Frizz.Meister]

I see where your coming from but i must disagree. Games which are addictive suck, and pretty much everyone i know stays away from them. Addictive games such as WoW litterally damage lives. I am about to turn 20 and not 3 months ago did a mate of mine get WoW as a christmas present, he thought it was lame but gave it a go. Now its all he does, he lost his job, lost his social life and is damn near close to loosing his mates. Addictive games are becoming more and more common and personally i cant stand it as it reinforces the 'gamer in basement all night' stereotype which i am so far from. Even FPS such as call of duty get some people addicted for months and its not healthy.

The reasons above are why i play very non-addictive games such as shmups and platformers. I can play Mushihimesa Futari 1.5 all night, but im more likely to play it for an hour then go out. Sure i like anyone love to be sucked into a fantasy world but only if its one i can leave. I was once addicted to a game called Runescape when i was 13, looking back i see how stupid and damaging that was especially to my parents as i would always put it before them.

In short, games should draw you in to creat an immersive feel just like any form of media (movies, novels ect). BUT they should not be addictive in the sense that you they take over important elements of your life.

EDIT: A great example of a non addictive but immersive game i thought of is Guild Wars. I was bought this for christmas and actually really like it. It's an RPG online and everything but has effectivly no leveling up, grinding, farming ect. Instead the fun comes from running around the massive world with a friend or two slaying massive monsters to achieve some story driven task.

[Anayo]

I think they call it addictive the same way a brand of candy would be advertised. Games are mostly regarded as a guilty pleasure, so a somewhat negative, maybe self-deprecating word is used.

[SpaceBooger]

I think "addicting" games are just that. They are games that people latch onto to escape from reality. Everyone that is addicted to other substances or media does so for a different reason with similar results, but some take it too far.
This is why the term addicting can be appealing to those who want to loose time from the real world. Also the term addicting is associated with being damaging like the WOW story mentioned.
Games that are marketed as addicting target audience is the responsible ones who need an escape - similar to having a, meaning ONE, glass of wine or whiskey after a hard day. Those who loose jobs and friends took it to far and is using the game as a total escape.

[Erik_Twice]

It's the same kind of methapor that "IA game to kill for!". Of course, a game that makes you kill people is bad but it's an hyperbole.

[Inazuma]

If a game is so good that it can cause one to become addicted to it, I think that's a good thing. It's up to each individual gamer to be strong enough not to let the game completely ruin their life. It's not the game creator's fault for making the game too good. People need to take more responsibility for allowing themselves to get addicted to something.

[Gunstar Green]

There's a difference between games with addictive gameplay like say, Tetris, and a game that people truly become addicted to like WoW.

When you say "This game is really addicting!" You're basically just saying you don't want to stop playing because it's so fun (usually because of some unique gameplay mechanic), so yes it's being used as a positive compliment. When you're talking about MMORPGs these are games specifically designed with work-reward systems to addict you in the bad way. That's not the kind of addiction people are talking about when they're using the term in a complimentary way.

[Ivo]

As mentioned above, I think it is important to differentiate games that make you want to keep playing it because it is good and enjoyable, from game that make you want to keep playing because they are by design intentionally exploiting psychological "flaws" of the human brain (to which some people are more vulnerable than others). I think Farmville is a better example than WoW for the latter.

Game designer David Sirlin sometimes writes about this topic. You can read this relatively short one:
http://www.sirlin.net/blog/2010/2/22/ex ... cture.html
where he comments about someone else's lecture on External Rewards.

Ivo.

[sonix]

It's one of those words you don't take literally, in this case it's just a way to express that a certain game will keep you glued to the screen. It doesn't mean you'll sit at the game for 24/7 (more like hour a day for a month), just that it'll have your attention for as long as it needs to be completed, playing it will never feel like a chore or a second job, as it does with some titles. For me it's just an antonym for "boring".

[saturnfan]

Addiction is usually not fun though.

How is addiction not fun? If it wasn't fun or pleasant, then how would the person becoming addicted in the first place? When I am sharing heroin needles or smoking a brick of crack I am very very happy and I am having the time of my life.