WoW Junkies

An addiction counselor points out that World of Warcraft is addictive.

...Blizzard, which structures the games like World of Warcraft to be addictive. They design these MMORPGs to keep people in the game. I do think the problem is tied in with other things like family issues, but the games themselves are inherently addictive. That's ultimately the cause of the problem.

As an addiction counselor she has nothing to gain by saying this. Really. As for the observation that a game company would actually design their game to be addictive, that receives a great big, "Well DUH!" I taught game development at a college. One of my lectures each term was on the elements for creating rewarding game play. Games need to trigger the reward center in the brain so the player gets a rush, a high. Otherwise nobody buys the game and you're out of a job. "Addiction" is the goal of every game made.

The word goes in quotes there because I get sick of the addiction label getting attached to just about every recreational activity from drugs to gambling to sex. Heroin is addictive. A heroin addict's body NEEDS the drug in order to function properly. A gambler may have a severe compulsion, but he won't die if he quits cold turkey. Same goes for sex and video games.

And all the really cool addiction music, literature, and film is still about heroin. I personally prefer acid art, but even the DEA knows LSD isn't addictive.