MMORPG: The Most Addictive Video Games

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are virtual platforms that represent fantastic worlds in which the user moves and interacts with other users. Using his character or avatar his purpose is to overcome missions and live adventures.

As if they were traditional role-playing games – perhaps the most famous being Dungeons and Dragons – millions of users connect simultaneously, in real time, and create alliances between them. At the same time, they develop the abilities of their avatar, explore the world and fight between clans, other players or enemies generated by the game itself.

Why are MMORPGs played?

Studies refer to three fundamental reasons why people play these video games:

• Achievement or achievement.  Players seek to dominate the game, gain power, and achieve the highest possible achievements.
• Socialization. Players seek socialization. That is, create bonds and friendships in the game to work as a team.
• Immersion. Players seek to temporarily forget about their vital circumstances, immersing themselves in the game.

Sometimes these reasons are left behind to give way to more dangerous ones, which can end in abuse or even addiction to the video game.

In this sense, the risk factors that have been found in the abuse of video games, and specifically MMORPGs, are :

• General emotional distress and negative psychological states.

• Personality disorders.
• Low self-esteem.
• Socialization problems.
• Problems in the environment.
• Stressful life events.
• Excessive fantasy or excessive dispersion of attention.

Can MMORPGs be addictive?

The use of the term addiction to catalog those games without economic reward and that do not depend on chance is not yet accepted by the entire scientific community. In fact, it remains the subject of current debate.

For a substance to be addictive, it needs to meet two fundamental criteria: psychological dependence and the harmful effects on the person. The first criterion, in turn, is broken down into three factors: 1) craving , 2) focusing attention on addictive behavior, and 3) modification of mood and loss of control and impotence.

So, if we compare these criteria with the effects of MMORPG abuse, we see that:

• Tolerance : Each time you need to play for longer or more games, so that the initial use pattern is no longer sufficient.
• Withdrawal : general feeling of discomfort when gambling is interrupted or when gambling has not been played for a while
• Loss of control : playing more than originally intended, not being able to stop playing.
• Interference with life : By spending too much time playing the game, there are other illusions or responsibilities that end up paying the price. On many occasions the person loses control, being aware that with their behavior they are undermining their own interests.

Therefore, it can be concluded that, due to their unique characteristics, MMORPGs can create a dependency in the user that is reminiscent of the symptoms of addiction. However, and unlike traditional drugs, rather than being the same addictive object, it is the person who perceives it as such.

Why is this type of video game addictive?

The characteristics of MMORPGs that influence addiction:

• Persistence : the virtual world in which the player’s avatar moves is constantly changing, even when he is not connected. This exerts pressure and stress on the player and encourages the maintenance of the playing behavior.
• ” Physicality” : the game has physical rules more or less approximate to those that exist in reality.
• Avatar customization : the person can design the avatar as they would like it to be (abilities, physical and personality characteristics, etc.).
• Vertical game and perpetuity of the same : unlike in the traditional ones, MMORPGs do not have a last screen or a final battle. New challenges, new missions, new possibilities always arise … the game never ends.

• Social interaction : although it is not mandatory, it does help to complete the missions of the game. The social nature of the game can facilitate the establishment of friendships online, which maintains the behavior of the game. In addition, there may be social pressure from the players themselves to spend more time playing.

In conclusion, it can be said that MMORPGs have certain characteristics that make them the most addictive video games. This typology of role-playing games is designed in such a way that the behavior of the game is maintained and reinforced, even at the cost of the psychological health and well-being of the person.