The Addiction to Online Gaming Essay Example for Free

The Addiction to Online Gaming Essay Tragedy struck on November 20, 2001, when avid online gamer Shawn Woolley was found dead in his room. Found near his body was a . 22 caliber rifle, with his favorite game, EverQuest ® running in his computer. This instantly created the notion for Shawns mother, Elizabeth, that the reason behind her sons act of suicide was his addiction to the said game (Spain Vega, 2004). EverQuest ® has been one of the most popular â€Å"3D Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG)† since its creation in 1998. Originally created by Sony Entertainment, the games popularity has broken boundaries, as it has spread not only in the United States, but all over the world as well. MMORPG is a kind of game wherein there is interaction among gamers through a virtual world (Spain Vega, 2004, p. 82). In the case of EverQuest ®, that virtual world is called â€Å"Norrath† (Spain Vega, 2004, p. 82). First, a player chooses a character, then develops its role in this said world. No one really wins in this game, as the character of the player progresses through time as it is played (Spain Vega, 2004). Jay Parker concluded that EverQuest ® is a highly addictive game. For Parker, â€Å"a chemical dependency counselor and co-founder of the Internet/Computer Addiction Services† in Washington, the game has this powerful effect on its gamers that it distorts their way of thinking, and players are somewhat pressured to play for extensive hours to be able to further develop their respective characters (Spain Vega, 2004, p. 83). However, researcher Sara Kiesler contradicted this claim and said that the gamers have their own issues, and the personality of the players themselves is the one that puts them at risk as he or she uses this as an â€Å"escape from reality† (Spain Vega, 2004, p. 83). Personally, I would go for Kieslers claim. If a gamer is diagnosed with or is likely to develop a personality disorder, a game like this may just aggravate the said disorder. Kwei-Fen Shei and Ming-Sung Cheng (2007) conducted a study that focuses on online gaming and its impact on fulfillment among adolescents. They concluded that, since gaming is highly suitable for the younger people, developers should also take into account not only the marketability of their product, but also the significance of the social aspects of psychological satisfaction that gamers can gain from the game, such as recognition and the desire for self-esteem (Kwei-Fen Ming-Sung, 2007). References Kwei-Fen, S. Ming-Sung, C. (2007). An empirical study on experiential value and lifestyles and their effects on satisfaction in adolescents: An example using online gaming. Adolescence, 42, 199-215. Spain, J. , Vega, G. (2004). Everquest ®: Entertainment or Addiction? In A. Gini A. M. Marcoux (Eds. ), Case Studies In Business Ethics, sixth Edition (pp. 81- 84). New Jersey: Pearsnon Education, Inc.