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Question for hardcore and casual gamers!
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Post by
dnguye01
My name is David. I'm 22 yrs old, a full-time student in college, and I work part-time as an assistant accountant.
I started to play WoW because I was introduced to it by my friends who were playing Vanilla at the time. I didn't start until a few months after TBC was out and I was immediately hooked.
I admit, I'm semi-addicted to WoW. LOL. But I do have control over myself that I put my work and school as priority before I begin to start playing WoW. I say I play around 10 hours a week. I would say that playing WoW gives me a release from the stressful times at work and school. It lets me relax and enjoy the rewards I get from raiding or anything else I may be doing in WoW.
Another reason would be that it is cheap compared to most other forms of entertainment such as watching a movie, which only gives you about 1-2 hours of entertainment. Being a college student, saving money is big and I would always spend money on Playstation and XBox games... but $12-$15 a month for WoW is nothing... only costs me 1.5 hours of work, lol. Then again, I still buy fighting genre games because I compete in tournaments and make money on the side for it... lol.
Hope this helps in your report and I hope you can an A. ^_^
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Post by
Ledi
Ohmygosh! I'm about to start actually writing my paper (it's due tomorrow...Ledi has earned the Procrastinator Achievement!) and I was not expecting this much feedback, or such detailed accounts! I'm totally with you guys on the escapism thing! Thank you so much! I can't include all the answers in my report, but I'll do my best!
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110644
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Post by
Arcage
Deffinately escapism, after a long day at work, or if you have had a bad day you can play WoW and have a fun time in an imaginary world :p
yup :)
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324950
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Post by
MischievousLoki
It's a fun way to spend the afternoon after work. (I'm sure a lot of people will have said this already.)
It's also a much more economical source of entertainment than buying/renting movies and/or video games on a regular basis, or going out. But you still get a good social aspect from it, less than you would if you went to a bar, but more than you would from going to a theater.
Far more mental stimulation from gaming than from watching prime-time TV too, which is probably what I'd be doing after work if I didn't play WoW. I watch a LOT less TV now than I did before WoW. MMOs nearly completely replaced that time spot in my day.
Post by
blackmarquetbaby
i don't think i'm particularly addicted, basically only being attracted by math, and not play time (which I've never clocked but it varies from week to week). I think it's worth pointing out though, that there was in interview with Chris Metzen about 2.5 years ago where he laid out the mechanics of progression in WoW. He called it "a tiered, intermittent reward system," and it could be defined by the ways in which the player is rewarded by the highs and lows of the game, based on the random drop percentage of items that helped players progress, accompanied by the slow progression in growth with things like "reputations" and token currencies. It's nearly the same approach that is used in many after school programs that make young students feel a continual sense of accomplishment through the gradual accumulation of currency and randomly rewarded behavior (that if you behave well, that even if you are not rewarded this time, then NEXT TIME you may receive the reward you were looking for).
Mr. Metzen was responding directly to a question regarding how the game keeps players engaged while the same content must be repeated by players to succeed in game.
I'm not sure how this question would be posed more specifically, but how does this addiction differ from most others? Addiction is (if I am not mistaken) related to the activation of brain chemistry to reward the user for their behavior. What in this game activates these chemicals that are not otherwise being satisfied? It seems difficult to distinguish this system from say the one used to teach School District testing standards since it seems as though this would just inherently be psychologically attractive to many people due to its system of rewards and a very basic logical path that consistent and diligent propriety will yield rewards leading to satisfaction (despite it's apparently random or externally biased rate of yields). My final question would have to be stated to satisfy the distinction between what is inherently (or culturally if you would have it that way) satisfying to a psychologically motivated person, and how does this activate addiction and supremely, does it actually activate addictive behavior?
Let me know if this makes any sense, I have not studied psychology to its fullest reaches, and am merely trying to be critical.
*edit: I think it would be useful to make the distinction between television, who's engagement does not seem to always yield rewards in the same manner that games do (think "Friends" who's characters were fixed, and never actually progressed or changed in any substantial, emotional, or measurable fashion). The same could be made of drug abuse being distinct from the acquisition of money. Drug abuse is the sustaining of one kind of event, while the accumulation of money takes the appearance of yielding growth, expansion, and reward.
Additionally, do these two activities who appear different and require different behavioral patterns, actually have different effects on one's brain chemistry, or is it actually the same?
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