The Human Cost of MMORPGs

It's no big secret that MMORPGs are intensely addictive. MMORPGs have been called the 'crack cocaine of the gaming world' by report in Sweden backed by the Swedish National Institute of Public Health after a 15-year old boy collapsed and went into convulsions after playing World of Warcraft, an MMORPG, for a 24-hour stretch of time.

With regards to MMORPGs, the organization added, "There is no known medical diagnosis of conditions brought on by excessive game-playing, but it is clear they have a very powerful addictive hold over many people who use them."

MMORPGs are addictive due to their various gameplay mechanics, which more often than not, also manage to incorporate the multitude of social qualities that drive the game's community. While most MMORPGs come with a subscription fee, many do not, and it is, quite honestly, the least of what you'll be paying when you're hooked to an MMORPG.

Online games of this sort take not only a toll on your wallet over the years but also come with a significant human cost as they eat into your social life, the time you spend on work, and even the time you spend doing just about everything else, like reading books, playing other games or going for walks. When you have a character that needs leveling up, going for your daily walk is going to seem like a waste of time.

"My name is Ian, and I am a recovering MMO addict."

I speak to you as a former addict of the genre.

You don't have to play an MMORPG for a year for it to take a toll on your life, or to consider it an addiction. Even a month is far too long a period of time to spend in such a game. MMORPGs are games without an end. Where regular video games are enriching experiences not too different from reading books or watching movies, indulging in an MMORPG is akin to watching a soap opera with significantly more emotional and time investment.

The entire experience feels not too different from wasting away in front of a big screen TV for 16 hours a day with your shirt stained orange with cheetos as your body curses you for treating it so poorly.

It was never that bad for me, but in my most recent spate with MMOs, back in November, I found myself spending four to ten hours each day (and more on weekends) in Warhammer: Age of Reckoning to reach level 40 while maintaining a high PVP rank and getting the best gear. Needless to say, it took a severe toll on everything else I was doing—Hellforge included. I was constantly lethargic, not eating well—for eating took time away from the game, and the game does not wait for you.

Beyond its detriment to my physical health, logging on each time made me feel downright unpleasant as I had to deal with the personal drama that just comes with the territory of playing an MMORPG. If you think that dealing with a few people in your clan in CounterStrike or Team Fortress 2 can be bad, you will not be prepared for the burden that comes with an MMORPG.

Here is a genre whose gameplay depends entirely upon your participation within its social structure. If you want to get anywhere in the game, you'll have to be a part of a guild, or at least have a circle of friends with whom to party. Forming pick-up groups as in any other online game may work, but only for the earliest parts, but you'll have to be prepared to give much more of yourself to experience the game in full. If you weren't hooked before, you'll be hooked at this point, and find yourself unable to leave.

Overcoming The Addiction

You might wonder how I managed to overcome my last relapse. Simply put, I was lucky.

It was at some point in late November and early December that Left 4 Dead and Fallout 3 were both released, and I found my attention diverted, if only momentarily, from the addictive MMORPG at the urgings of one of my closest friends to try out something else.

The difference between these games and the MMORPG was like night and day. Playing Left 4 Dead allowed me to experience the joy I missed from playing games and it made me realize how terribly unenjoyable Warhammer actually felt. The PVP in Warhammer was undoubtedly enjoyable, but not as much as it was to frag hordes of zombies.

You could argue that I simply gave up one addiction for another, but Left 4 Dead is no addiction. Like any regular game, L4D is a game you can pick up and put down at any time. It is one that allows you to go for walks with your dog without feeling like you're missing out on a random drop or somehow spending time not leveling up.

It was a terrible realization that besides the addictive gameplay mechanics, the one other thing that was keeping me from leaving was my guild, or the fellows with whom I enjoyed playing. It was simple: I had managed to become hooked by the game's subtle and sinister social mechanics.

Being not a slave to anything or anyone but myself, I took a step back and decided there and then to stop playing. It was an easy decision to make, but it was one which took me way longer than it should have to discover.

All in all, you'd be better off doing something else than playing an MMORPG.