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Wednesday, January 7th, 2009
| Time |
Event |
| 10:01a |
A Look Inside China's Game Addiction Treatment Centers The Christian Science Monitor recently visited Beijing's internet addiction center to talk to the docs and addicts about the issue of, among other things, gaming addiction. The center, which opened in 2004 at military base, has become the model for the nearly 300 similar centers that now dot China. The center treats the addiction with three months of military-style discipline, counseling, confidence building, sex education and for more than half of the cases, medication. Most of the patients are 15 to 21 year old men hooked on multiplayer online games, most notably World of Warcraft ( Buy wow gold ) and Counterstrike. What makes this article stand out is it's talk with the founder of the center and one of the people leading the push to have internet addiction classified as its own disorder. There are also some fascinating talks with the folks afflicted with this addiction, like teenager Jia Chunyang who calls Counterstrike his "drug" of choice. "My relations with friends weren't good; I only communicated with them online," says Jia. "I stole money from my family and skipped school. And the games also affected my personality. If I couldn't play for a while, I would feel upset." He hit bottom in 2006, when he ran away from home and went on a 15-day Counterstrike bender in an Internet cafe. He took breaks for instant noodles and half-hour catnaps, but otherwise went on an uninterrupted shoot-'em-up spree, as his parents searched for him. If internet addiction and, as an offshoot, gaming addiction ever does get it's own classification I can see it eventually leading to legal issues for developers like Blizzard. If gameplay is considered addictive and harmful, what sorts of moral obligations do developers have to not add extra hooks to their games? Strange and interesting territory. | | 10:02a |
A Difficult Topic Hardcore games tend to grow more difficult with time. Has this ongoing problem been hurting the industry?
Here at GameSpy, we've all been chatting about what we did over the holiday break. Finally away from the crush of assignments and deadlines, most of us had a chance to play games on our own terms. Gerald went after World of Warcraft with a vengeance. As for me? I unplugged... mostly.
I spent a couple of weeks at the in-laws, away from my home gaming rig. It gave me a chance to explore the analog side of gaming. I love a good board game. I even painted some wargaming miniatures (!) and wrapped up my vacation with a marathon nine-hour D&D session -- now that's old-school, baby.
But it's funny how you get the gaming equivalent of the junkie itch, and like some sort of addict, you start scraping around for your next fix. That iPhone I carry around? Yeah, I started downloading games. So far most iPhone games seem to be quick distractions. Oh, and that pirate game on Facebook? Yeah, I was all over that. I'm level 14 now. It's almost sad.
I did allow myself one gaming luxury though: My Nintendo DS came along for the ride during the extended break. Snuggled into the cartridge slot was my copy of Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, which I'd saved for just this occasion. I got the game in November and left it unopened until vacation. "THIS bad-boy is for the Holidays!" I told myself. | | 10:03a |
Warcraft Critic Resigns from FCC Early She's like Abraham Lincoln you know. Deborah Taylor Tate has resigned from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - the US government agency charged with "regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable".
Deborah who? Yes, we thought you'd ask that. Last year she stated that we might all, "find it alarming that one of the top reasons for college drop-outs in the U.S. is online gaming addiction - such as World of Warcraft ( Buy wow gold ) - which is played by 11 million individuals worldwide."
Yes, Ms Tate blamed computer game addiction for college drop-out rates. She did so in a speech with no actual facts or studies to back her up. Her resignation speech was almost as revolting as that lack of responsibility - but in more of a nausea inducing manner. Although you can read the full speech here... you might not want to based on the following extract:
"While serving at the FCC, I have tried to be a voice for children and families. I have tried to bring old-fashioned common sense and to represent the interests of Main Street, small businesses and rural America; to speak out for our songwriters and storytellers and inventors; and to try and insure our decisions keep in mind those who are most in need. As Abraham Lincoln said: 'I have just tried to do my very best each and every day.' I have tried to also act justly, show mercy and walk humbly with God."
She was a George W Bush appointee to the FCC on January 3rd 2006. FCC commissioners are, however, "appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for 5-year terms". In fact, her biog tells us, "On June 20, 2007, Commissioner Tate was reappointed by President Bush to a full five-year term." | | 10:04a |
Setting a Learning Curve In MMOs Ten Ton Hammer has an article looking at the learning curves of modern MMOs. Many of the more popular games, such as World of Warcraft, go to great lengths to make learning the game easy for new players. Others, such as EVE Online, have had success with a less forgiving introduction. But to what extent do the most fundamental game mechanics limit the more complex end-game play? "The current trend in MMOG's appears to be make the game so easy and interest-grabbing right out of the gate that even a person with the attention span of a monkey chewing on a flyswatter will be able to keep up and get into the swing of things. Depth of game mechanics is still possible with a system like this, but it needs to be introduced not only clearly, but later in the game, after a player has played enough to be hooked and is willing to put in some extra time to learn about the more intricate game mechanics available to them." | | 10:05a |
An Evening with Thrall For as long as I've been playing World of Warcraft ( Currency: wow gold ), I've always wondered what it would be like to be given the opportunity to interview one of the most popular characters within the game. This week I had that very opportunity and found myself scratching my head in confusion. Thrall wasn't what I expected at all. Tamat : Hey Thrall! Thank you for allowing me into your private quarters to have a small chat. ....Why are you looking at the ceiling?
Thrall : Lok'tar human! As Warchief of the Horde I struggle daily to maintain a balance between our shamanistic ancestry and modern fashion trends. Do you think "Clefthide Brown" or "Zhevra Gray" would look better in here?
Tamat : Ummm, I don't know. I'm here to interview you, not answer questions about skinned hides! Anyway, what are your thoughts on the semi recent re-discovery of Northrend? Thrall : Hmm. In my communion with the elements, I've discovered some very disturbing things happening in Northrend that may well threaten all of Azeroth. Not least of all, the alliance has recently moved in and already disco dancing is spreading amongst the indigenous populations! Also, I requested that Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain hold a series of concerts in Warsong Hold. They claim they can "melt faces," but I told them, "melt everything! It’s friggen cold up there”.
Tamat : Disco dancing? Seriously?!? Why don’t you just have your legions destroy their source of music?
Thrall : Click on this golden exclamation mark to receive your answer!
Tamat : Erm... what?
Thrall : Go ahead! Click!
Tamat : Fine…..
Thrall : Warrior! The time has come for you to destroy the Disco Ball of Power! Will you accept this quest? The reward is 50 silver!
Tamat : Despite the crappy reward, this is still an interview! Can you please stick to the questions?
Thrall : Very well Human…..
Tamat : Recently you assisted Sylvanas in re-taking the Undercity. What were some of the biggest challenges that you faced?
Thrall : Challenges? In battle the Horde faces no challenges. Lok'tar ogar is the most sacred fundamental mindset of any of the Horde and literally translates to ‘victory or death’ in human tongue. However, Thrall does get lonely and there’s just something about Sylvanas that gave Thrall a hard time concentrating.
Tamat : You mean a 'difficult' time?
Thrall : I suppose either suffice human. I wonder if Sylvanas would consider going to dinner with a Warchief.
Tamat : Stop right there Thrall. I see where this is going.
Thrall : Very well.
Tamat : What’s going to happen to the Horde when you retire as Warchief? Do you have a successor in mind?
Thrall : Noob.
Tamat : What?
Thrall : Nobody can become Warchief anymore. They removed honor titles years ago!
Tamat : Um… Warchief wasn’t ever an attainable title.
Thrall : Shows how long you've been around, noob! Seriously though, I've been thinking about letting a Mag’har named Borod Arthas O'Sama succeed me. He will fight for change!
Tamat : What sort of change? Didn't you already change the Horde?
Thrall : Stop asking me inane questions I cannot answer!
Tamat : Alright Thrall, I give up. What would you like to talk about?
Thrall : Sylvanas!
Tamat : Anything but that.
Thrall : Korean Tundra!
Tamat : Korean Tundra? Isn't it Borean Tundra?
Thrall : No. I've heard all about it. Shortly after Garrosh Hellscream cheated during our 'internal disagreement', I sent him to Korean Tundra as punishment. He's overseeing our base of operations within Northrend but continues to complain about all of the junk mail he’s been receiving about something called “Gold Sale Cheap Plz”. I instructed him to keep an eye out for this indigenous vendor of sorts. They sound dangerous, not to mention annoying.
Tamat : Thrall, you really are a simple creature.
Thrall : Aka'Magosh, Human! Now I must go return to my Throne. I have need for a Warrior to accept the quest that you declined with such haste. The ‘Disco Ball of Power’ must be DESTROYED!
Tamat : Sigh. Good luck with that and thanks for the interview; if I can even call it that at this point. |
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