What's so addicting about MMOs?

[vagus]

Women : Social factor
Men : Adventure

Online friends from MMO isn't as weird meeting ppl via twitter. Fuckin #Tweetups

[quannum]

everyone: positive feedback loop for shut-ins

[Mikus]

Subscription fee is actually attractive. I quit ffxi a month ago to concentrate more on work and home life. I've bought madden 12(waste) and deus ex(win!). madden is what it is, although 12 is garbage. Deus Ex is a lot of fun, but after one month being away from XI, I want to play that more then Deus Ex

So I basically spent $100 on new games (had $20 coupon from Kmart on Deus Ex purchase) to be bored 30 days later. That's about 7 1/2 months ffxi subscription.

For as much shit as I somewhat talked in the "why you quit XI" thread, I'm considering coming back after I'm more comfortable at my new job. Cue Jake Gyllenhaal and "I can't quit you" scene.

[Mikus]

Online friends from MMO isn't as weird meeting ppl via twitter. Fuckin #Tweetups

Had a friend a few years back talk shit to me about my time spent on a video game(ffxi). My retort? "you spend just as much, if not more time on myspace and facebook".

[Plow]

dailies

create action (quest, dynamis, limbus, etc., whatever) that's virtually required to advance in the game

limit said action to once every x amount of time

creates a punishment for not logging on, and a reward for being on asap whenever you can do whatever it is you need to do


the whole system is designed to keep you addicted via forcing certain actions to achieve what you want and limiting the frequency of said actions to keep you hooked for as long as possible

[Isiolia]

Because they're designed to be (more substantial articles linked from that one).

[Lucienne]

It's a really nice way to get your mind off your duties for a while, when you need a break and just want to relax.
It gives a sense of achievement that is obtainable and ends somewhere, as opposed to the rat race that is real life.
Passive entertainment like TV etc is terribly boring in comparison.
It's easier to meet interesting people online as opposed to real life, due to numbers, common interests etc. So what that they live on the other side of earth, yet another reason to go see the world.

[Thiefami]

Is there a difference between addiction and entertainment?

An addiction, to me, is partly 'wanting' to have it, but always 'needing' to have it. I can honestly say that no mmo has ever had me 'needing' it. Once it became boring, and old I would quit.

[Plow]

Passive entertainment like TV etc is terribly boring in comparison.

gawd, this, there are so few tv shows and movies and crap I can handle watching anymore

[Xno Kappa]

Nice way to forget about dead bodies at work and just hang the fuck out, that and chilling with your boys. Hanging with your neighbors and/or co-workers is cool and all but I'd rather chill with my close friends whom all of us were spread throughout every continent at one point. MMO use to be the closest I can chill with them in a manner reminiscent of high school, getting ridiculously drunk and getting absolutely nothing accomplished while bullshitting playing dominoes.

They're all here now in the same spot so I haven't played an MMO in at least two years.

[Gulkeeva]

having gulkeeva pinch my elvaan butt with his red pitchforks

Your too afraid to even get near me last I recall, afraid I may kill you!

*Looks for that screenshot of ballista from FFXI*

[Hatedregret]

It keeps me from being bored. Though I may not want to do certain things, there is ALWAYS something to do in an MMO. There is also the whole 15$ a month thing compared to a couple games or more a month I would normally go through if they were single player offline games.

[mallister]

keeps me out of the pool halls and strip clubs, and at a fraction of the price.

[RKenshin]

I'm out of the MMO scene now, going on around a year and a half or so since I stopped. I'd probably still play if I had enough time, but I just don't anymore.

I don't regret the time I spent playing at all though, despite it admittedly being excessive. I had fun, made a lot of friends (some I'll likely have forever), and had a lot of great experiences I'll always remember.

That's what made it addicting to me. Hard to find a reason to stop doing something you're just about always having fun doing with friends, where you can keep challenging yourself, meet new people, have great experiences. You just can't take the game aspect too seriously.

The only downside is now I can't really enjoy 1-player/offline games as much at all. I just get bored so fast... MMOs spoiled me in that sense. I get bored without the social atmosphere. Before MMOs I loved a good 1-player.

oh, and that rukenshin guy

i did whatever i had in my arsenal to not only catch up to him, but pass him as time went by. but god, he made it difficult, lol. i never did, and have no regrets, but i find it cool that other players can really bring out the best in you and give you a whole new era of expectations and talent you never thought you had in yourself until you went out and did it

<3

[Mikus]

The only downside is now I can't really enjoy 1-player/offline games as much at all. I just get bored so fast... MMOs spoiled me in that sense. I get bored without the social atmosphere. Before MMOs I loved a good 1-player.

Since I've quit XI 3 times now (maybe twice, I may come back...), I find the same thing. Deus Ex is a great game. But I'm bored with it. Whenever I think of playing a game I think of doing things with friends I've made in game anymore.

Second the tv thing. Just got cable semi recently and I only seem to watch sports or if a decent movie is on. I was pumped for A&E as I used to like that channel, but they only have shit like Pawn Wars and shit on

[Omniyoji]

The environment of preferred MMO coupled with the feeling of "leetness"

[vagus]

Had a friend a few years back talk shit to me about my time spent on a video game(ffxi). My retort? "you spend just as much, if not more time on myspace and facebook".

Atleast MMO you talk to people on a daily basis. Social media is even less social since it's mostly a lines.

[Syntex]

With this economy and working a dead end job what the hell else will give me that much entertainment for 15 bucks?

Also what others said too.

[Atma]

This article was an enlightening read for me on this very subject.

http://www.cracked.com/article_18461...-addicted.html

[Ddz]

Having an easy goal and achieving it with little to no physical energy spent. In games, I'm the completionist that checks every pixel.