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The economy is troubled. The US Fed has cut interest rate by another 25bp to 2%. Markets worldwide are worried by this trend. Prices of food and gas are rising. But a growing population is almost oblivious to these realities.

They are looking forward to the release of “Grand Theft Auto IV”, a fourth generation videogame release of ‘Grand Theft Auto’ series, known to have sold 70 million copies since its launch in 1997! And GTA 4 is expected to be the biggest videogame debuts ever. I know this is news to many of us! But the videogame market is excited, as it has countered the general negative economic trend of the US and infact the industry has registered a 63% growth in softwares and 46% in equipments! I mean, salary or not, increment or not, let’s game!

Chinese government is however not very happy about the growth of this industry segment. In fact, in April 2007, the Chinese government instituted a new regulation that required “anti-addiction software” to be installed on the country’s massively multiplayer online games to limit online play by under-18s. Games that did not embed the system by a certain cutoff date were to be shut down.

Chinese government was concerned about chinese kids playing hooky and turning to crime as a result of addiction to online gaming. According to newspapers, there were roughly 3 million under-18s playing online games, which made of 10 percent of the staggering 31.12 million online gamers in China of all ages! 

The new system required that gamers register their real names and identity card numbers to prove their age when signing up for an MMO (Massively-multiplayer online) game, and young users would be allowed to play just three hours per day, which China considers a “healthy” limit. The time limit is tied directly to points one can earn while playing games. So if one lands in the 3 hour mark, he gets full points while playing. Between three and five hours, gamers will be docked half their points, and after five hours, warnings will pop-up in 15 minutes intervals letting gamers know that they are risking their health and that their points will be reset to zero if they press on!

Just think about it! A government has stood up and made a legislation against videogames? Does Chinese government think of it as a threat to its security and future? Pounded in the press regularly for its anti-freedom stands, this is one area where I believe, they have really hit the bull’s eye. Read on.

Several thousands miles south, in Chennai, India, where no such legislation has still set in, 22 year old Vijay, after working shifts at a call centre in south Chennai, stops over at his favourite gaming parlour in Adyar — an upmarket suburb, to fight terrorism. No, he is not joined the army on the Short Services Commission, but he is part of a team of cyber counter-terrorists who stake out old buildings with sniper guns and other weapons to take on their enemies. The name of the game is Counter Strike and Vijay and his team are just a part of a growing tribe who are getting hooked to cyber games!

Now if you thought that only teens and youth are into this, read on.

In Ludhiana, Punjab, 8 year old Khushi Sood, considers playing on computer as one of the coolest relaxing activities after a tiring day at school. She accesses the internet and goes online to play cards, sports and puzzle games.”Many of my friends in Ludhiana play online games like chess, billiards and cards,” Khushi said. A student of class three, Khusi of Ludhiana has many friends with whom she plays online games. Seems that Khusi’s involvements are only helping her improve her skill set! Hmmm….. Actually, in Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Jalandhar and even Amritsar, one finds the young trying their hand at games of skill against unknown masterminds across the globe! They are all not playing chess, billiards and cards. Dead or Alive 4, NFS or Need for Speed, Age of Empires and House of Dead are some of the names of the games popular among youngsters. “It’s very exciting. I have been playing online games for the last-one-and-a-half-years. Everyday win-lose situations keep happening. We play games with unknown partners and win brings joy,” said Mandeep Singh, online player.

Gaming is the new passion that is taking urban youth by storm. And it finds new enthusiasts by the hour. Gaming and the businesses that run it are still at a nascent stage in India, with the market size estimated to be just about Rs 50 crore.

We are now talking about Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) and Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) and not about the ones that are available for under hundred rupees at even the convenience stores. Basically these are video games that create an alternate universe where human beings play as fictional characters in real-time along with and against other people around the world.

One of the biggest reasons for the instant popularity of multi-player games is the interactive nature of the games. “There’s a lot of anonymity, they can vent out their frustrations, their anger and whatever feelings they have which are not socially acceptable, they can vent it out on net.” said Namrata Mohan, a Psychologist.

“Online gaming is not just enjoyment but is gradually developing to a profession. There are many groups abroad who have perfected online gaming and they participate in national and international championships. It is more like a World Cup Cricket tournament,” says Vinay Sharma, a service provider, online gaming.

However, as exciting as the makers and enthusiasts may sound, the MMORPGs, as China feared, are becoming a social concern. As the sophistication of this technology increases, more people are sucked into this virtual world and begin to develop real psychological problems such as social isolation, depression, difficulty in work and relationships, and being disconnected from reality. This type of behavior is perhaps more of an impulse control disorder like pathological gambling not an “addiction” per se. For some people MMORPGs may provide a valuable style of social interaction, but it can become problematic when more time is spent with this depersonalized interaction than real interaction with other people. The youngsters are exploring newer innovations, technologies and trends and perhaps even imbibing new skill sets, but the danger lies in the young minds becoming couch potatoes by becoming addicted to these games.

Dennis Bennett was failing his college classes, his marriage was in trouble, and he wasn’t being much of a father to his 1-year-old son. But he had progressed to Level 58 as Madrid, the Great Shaman of the North, his character in the online role-playing game “EverQuest,” and that was all that mattered at the time. Bennett, whose family life and grades in school have recovered nicely since he stopped playing the game about a year ago, considers himself a recovered “EverQuest” addict, now able to control his desire to immerse himself in the game’s rich fantasy world. “The game almost ruined my life,” said the network engineer in southern Indiana. “It was my life. I ceased being me; I became Madrid, the Great Shaman of the North. Thinking of it now, I almost cringe; it’s so sad.”

“I have a friend who’s in the process of getting a divorce because of ‘EverQuest,’” said Lea, a regular player of the game. “A guy I talk to has been through three girlfriends and even more jobs because of the game.” Like other players, Lea declined to provide a last name. “I think of quitting all the time,” she said. “I’m sure there are a lot of departments I’m lacking in now, like I don’t pay as much attention to my kids as I should.”

Most online games include copious amounts of chats, allowing players to interact with each other in the guise of the characters they represent. Dr. Maressa Hecht Orzack, director of Computer Addiction Services at Harvard University-affiliated McLean Hospital, said the social aspect is a primary factor in many game addictions. “Many of these people are lonely, have never felt like they belonged,” she said. “People get a sense of belonging in the game. In some cases, it provides the only friends they interact with.”

Such games also lure players with complex systems of goals and achievements. “EverQuest” players engage in activities to develop their characters from one level to the next and compete to find valuable in-game elements such as armor and weapons. Players can find themselves wrapped up in the game for hours as they struggle to gain one more skill or weapon.

“I’d say the most addictive part for me was definitely the gain of power and status,” said Dennis Bennett. “The way in which as you progressively gain power you become more (of) an object of awe (to) the other players…each new skill isn’t enough.”

Miller, the Stockton psychologist, saw just how compelling such in-game goals can be when he tried playing “Diablo II,” to see what the game was about. Before long, he found himself in all-night sessions with the game, a habit he broke by deleting the game from his PC and giving away the CD it came on. “Each goal leads to another goal, and there are critical choices you make along the way,” he said. “You invest a lot of time and thought into developing a character. You feel like you’ve wasted your time unless you reach the next goal.”
 
Inability to control, stop or diminish the activity, persistent thoughts of the activity or performance of the activity, need for increased time spent on the activity to achieve satisfaction or diminished reward for the same amount of time spent on the activity, restlessness or irritability when prevented from partaking in the activity, neglect of family and friends, lying to employers and family about activities, problems with school or job, committing illegal acts to sustain activity, dry eyes, failure to attend to personal hygiene, Relying on others to finance activity, sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns, headaches, backaches and the list goes on and on. 

I know this has been a big post, but then so is the threat to the upcoming future generation. Maybe they will grow out of these games at the right time and become normal and I too hope they would, but worldwide reports show a distrubing trend. Its really a concern, what in the name of technology and entertainment, we are getting for ourselves.

Has animation and software technology managed a “Grand Theft” of mankind’s needs, relationships, interactions and identity itself?

Tags: Age of Empires, Counter Strike, Dead or Alive, Diablo, DoA, EverQuest, Grand Theft Auto IV, GTA, House of Dead, MMORPG, need for speed, NFS, online addiction, online games, Orzack, regulation, Shaman, videogame, warcraft

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 1st, 2008 at 10:51 am and is filed under Addictions, Articles, Economy, Geo, Internet, Modern Science, New Findings, Purpose of Life, Relationships, Society, Sports, Video Games, Youth Issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.