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Parents Sue Gaming Companies Over ‘Video Game Addiction’, Because That’s Easier Than Parenting (www.techdirt.com)

submitted 11 months ago by L4s@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

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Parents Sue Gaming Companies Over ‘Video Game Addiction’, Because That’s Easier Than Parenting::Video game addiction. Sigh. Big sigh, even. Like, the biggest of sighs. We've talked about claims that video game addiction is a documentable affliction in the past, as well as the pushback that claim has received from addiction experts, who have pointed out that much of this is being done to allow doctors to get…

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[–] jozza@lemmy.world 207 points 11 months ago (3 children)

This author seems pretty comfortable mocking the concept of games being addictive.

Loot boxes need to stop for sure, but things like limited-time content are 100% designed to form habits and ultimately feed gaming addiction. Season passes or weekly achievements require you to log on and grind out challenges at regular intervals to avoid missing out on rewards that are required for competitive play.

I know plenty of people who have had to make an active choice to stop playing certain games because they found they couldn’t play the game ‘on their own terms’. It sucks as an adult, but kids without fully developed brains capable of rational thinking would stand no chance.

[–] BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago

I was quite addicted to a Facebook game back in the day. Never went more than a day without playing it and even then I had scripts to play the repetitive parts of the game while I was away. I might've spent $50 total on the game but I never really felt like I was missing out because of not spending money. When they got to the point where it was blatantly obvious I would miss rare items or other collectibles if I didn't pay then I quit altogether.

I think the system could use a change but I still prefer minimal interference. It could do a lot of good if players were notified (monthly/weekly) how much they've played the game and how much they've spent. The "micro" part is probably what gets a lot of people and they never realize what they've paid in total.

[–] Zaphod@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 11 months ago

know plenty of people who have had to make an active choice to stop playing certain games because they found they couldn't play the game 'on their own terms'.

Yep, this is me. stopped playing at least 2 or 3 games they forced stupid unnecessary grind or daily/weekly quests (that are basically all the content there is) on me. Nope, not doing that shit anymore.

[–] bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)

things like limited-time content are 100% designed to form habits and ultimately feed gaming addiction. Season passes or weekly achievements require you to log on and grind out challenges at regular intervals to avoid missing out on rewards that are required for competitive play.

Hell, even subscription-based games like MMOs. After all, if you're paying every month for something, you want to get your money's worth.

[–] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 1 points 11 months ago

That's part of why I never played WoW. I knew that I'd constantly be like "I'm paying for it I should be playing".