Curse

Engel the Fallen · Nov 21, 2007, 12:50 PM // 12:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by free_fall

While I think the OP's intent is probably sincere, I would doubt that conducting research by seeking feedback from a fansite forum is a very scientific way of going about it.

Seeking info on a fansite can yield some data that then may be used for a pilot study to examine the effects of time based achievement awards and addiction in social online games.

For people dismissing this all together, online gaming addiction is a key topic of study now in social psychology and the psychology of virtual societies online.

Clone · Nov 21, 2007, 01:00 PM // 13:00

My only problem is the titles which offer up advantages for maxing them out. Some of the in-game bonuses on the GW:EN skillset are getting much to big for a game that heralds itself on being about skill instead of time spent.

As for addiction and whatnot, if you have a problem, uninstall.

Fried Tech · Nov 21, 2007, 01:05 PM // 13:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. G

urg, you know next to nothing about me, yet you seem to assume a lot - So if i have a high title im addicted? or if i even like titles? what the hell are you trying to achieve anyway, you cant go and force people to stop playing cause you went around talking to people

I may seem a little harsh, but i cant see any real reason for this....

Oh look, another needless flame on someone who is just trying to ask a question. I was wondering when i would see one of these for this thread.

Ctb · Nov 21, 2007, 01:11 PM // 13:11

Quote:

Titles make you cool and successful in life. I should know, I am Protector of Tyria, and that got me a raise yesterday at my job... hmmmm

That might explain the size of my paycheck... must have DP on it...

Quote:

For people dismissing this all together

It's being dismissed because it's a load of crap. He's a healthcare professional? So he has all sorts of eduction, right? Yet, at no point in his post does he manage to properly use an apostrophe. Most of the grammar is completely b0rked, the question isn't really a question, and at no point is any part of the explanation suggestive that any thought what-so-ever came into contact with this post.

He's not a healthcare professional, he's not researching anything. He's just a troll trying to pick a fight over titles.

Onarik Amrak · Nov 21, 2007, 01:13 PM // 13:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edge Martinez

Titles are easy to explain. They put them in for all the people who don't have Halo 3 so they could do something besides read Nancy Drew books. You have a degree and don't know this?

LoL, I like how you compare a mechanic introduced a year ago with a game released in September.

crazy diamond · Nov 21, 2007, 01:25 PM // 13:25

During the IWAY craze I would create new accounts, raise their rank to 10 and sell them for 500 bucks a pop.

cyberjanet · Nov 21, 2007, 01:45 PM // 13:45

Well, the OP failed to ask a question. What does s/he want to know? What to put in the Pro column of Titles to balance out the Cons?

Seems like a strange question to ask. Why should there be Pros and Cons for Titles? You may as well ask What are the Pros and Cons for Polymock? Or chest-running? There aren't any! People do it because it's fun, not because it has more Pros than Cons or vice versa.

And try taking your titles to Tarnished Coast, where that Journalist Fellow (I forget his name) shouts out your titles to everyone in the place. That's hilarious!

Dev121 · Nov 21, 2007, 01:59 PM // 13:59

Pros:
None

Cons:
Take Time

Thats all.

Cargan · Nov 21, 2007, 02:02 PM // 14:02

Titles are something I collect. I had the choice of collecting fine art, or GW titles. I looked at my bank balance and tried to decide which one would harm me more. I then thought about which would give me a better sense of accomplishment. I eventually chose to collect GW titles. Is anyone studying the effects of collecting fine art?

To be honest I don't even know what I'm replying to. The OP never gave their concerns although they said they had some. How can we give our opinion on concerns we do not know about?

Crom The Pale · Nov 21, 2007, 03:24 PM // 15:24

There are neither pros nor cons to titles. Some do grant you a bonus while playing in certain limited areas. Non really detract from your ability to play though a very small number of people seam to think a higher titles is needed to play with them.

As for addiction, there are so many worse things out in the real world to be addicted to above and beyond sitting infront of a computer and using your head to play a game.

If your going to argue carpal tunnel syndrom then maybe you just need to speak to the computer manufactures not the game players as most of us spend more time on the computer in our day to day jobs than we do playing games.

Mordakai · Nov 21, 2007, 03:55 PM // 15:55

You know what I want to know?

What are the "pros" of watching Meerkat Mansion?

Malice Black · Nov 21, 2007, 03:58 PM // 15:58

I found that show interesting :P

TwinRaven · Nov 21, 2007, 08:34 PM // 20:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by wsmcasey

Whats the question?

Rereading the OP, I suppose the question is more "implied". What I get from it is: Does the addition of titles to the game foster elitist attitudes and contribute to game addiction? My answer: probably.

Considering the chemicals produced by the brain during gameplay, such as dopamine (which effects motivation/reward behavior) and adrenaline which releases glucose to the brain (which the brain loves)...I can see how playing games in general can become an addiction. Runners often become "addicted" to running because the chemical processes in the brain are pleasing, the same can be said for weightlifters, drag racers skydivers and other "adrenaline-junkie" passtimes.

It has been shown over and over again, that higher order primates become compelled by behaviors that are pleasing...be it masturbation, games, drugs, sports or driving really fast...your brain can become chemically dependent on excessive excretions of natural chemicals produced during specific behaviors. Some might want to differentiate between addictions that there are physical addictions (characterized by physiological changes in the body, creating painful symptoms during withdrawal) and psychological addiction (characterized by behavioral changes, usually negative) but addiction, any way you slice it, is addiction. Check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction for more details.

So, addressing the issue: Video games in general are shown to create a psychological dependency in many of us, to one degree or another, some in the extreme. Chasing after achievable goals (no matter how time-consuming) and being rewarded for them over time is a key factor in keeping players playing AND is a key factor in the formation of psychological addiction to gaming.

On top of this, the monitors we look at while playing have the same effect on the brain as television. That is to say, the imperceptible flashing of the screen creates alpha wave in the brain...a sort of pre-sleep/semi-hypnotic state. Not only does this make our brains more open to suggestion, but creates an effect that allows the brain to reach into the subconscious and act on impulses that might be harmful in "real" life. Acting on these impulses in our fantasy lives, once again, creates chemicals to release into the brain making it pleasurable...

Many games rely on long-term leveling grind to keep players engaged...the reward: greater power/prestige over other players. GW has a low level cap, so that grind has been eliminated...the substitute: title acquisition. Titles provide the same/similar rewards as other games with higher level caps in the form of more power/prestige...Addressing PvP vs. PvE balance, most of the added "power" is PvE only, though still exists. The brain's reward for achieving titles (feel-good chems) keep you coming back for more. Social and psychological factors combine to keep players playing and often show their achievements in sometimes less than appropriate ways...hence attitudes.

Being a "Have" vs. a "have not" has always contributed, socially, to hierarchical structures...from bees to wolves to chimps and of course humans...Alphas through Omegas, we have social structures based on classes. Classes are typically based on ability to control resources. The more titles you have, the more resources you must have...these resources may be time, social network, skills or material based, but still...it is the title that demonstrates your ability to use/acquire resources and therefor show your higher standing in the game's social order. Of course, "elitism" will often rear its head...has always been this way IRL, so of course, why would it not follow into virtual societies?

Based on what I've observed, read and experienced...I honestly can say that I believe that title acquisition effects players who are predisposed to game addiction and those predisposed to becoming assholes...just my two cents.

daky · Nov 21, 2007, 10:06 PM // 22:06

He's talking about addiction to a game and now he chats with his doctor buddies about the game. Can't even keep the game limited to his own computer/personal time. Now he takes it to the workplace. I love it

Pyrea · Nov 21, 2007, 11:38 PM // 23:38

I've been playing GW since just after initial release of Prophecies. In the first two years of playing GW, I did nothing else in my life except work and play GW. Now, I still play but not as much as I used to. I've taken breaks away from playing GW where I played other games such as Battlefield 2, Oblivion, Bioshock, and also breaks where I havent touched games but instead been obsessed with information.

Apart from work and seeing friends every once in a while I enjoy spending my time in a virtual world. In one way the GW world is every bit as real as the so called "real world".

I say that I am happy with my life and have been for the most part. I still have a lot to do in real life and lots to do in virtual life and probably lots to do as well in the other realms such as the dreamworld etc. (lol)

As long as there is some kind of balance in your life and you are happy, there isn't really any problem. We, as individuals are well capable of defining our own existance.

There is little difference between vanquishing a difficult area in GW to winning an award for your poetry. The outcomes are the same. That /roar is as real anywhere.

May your Dreams find Reality

Lhim · Nov 22, 2007, 12:20 AM // 00:20

I love it when some people start spouting their 'pseudo' psychological theories.

Somewhere someone must be laughing very much..

Parson Brown · Nov 22, 2007, 02:22 AM // 02:22

Ummm, I don't actively go after any titles.

I did go for L. Survivor once, but that was it.

Personette · Nov 22, 2007, 03:01 AM // 03:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cargan

Titles are something I collect. I had the choice of collecting fine art, or GW titles. I looked at my bank balance and tried to decide which one would harm me more. I then thought about which would give me a better sense of accomplishment. I eventually chose to collect GW titles. Is anyone studying the effects of collecting fine art?

To be honest I don't even know what I'm replying to. The OP never gave their concerns although they said they had some. How can we give our opinion on concerns we do not know about?

Um...yes, lots of people study the effects of collecting fine art. Studying art collectors has been a kind of hot topic among art historians lately. The primary effect appears to be...oh yeah...developing better taste over time and being able to make fine distinctions among sets of similar objects.

Plus, although it's an expensive hobby most art collectors collect because it's a profitable one, developing their aesthetic sensibilities is just frosting on the cake. Art objects are like stocks: buy the right ones and you can sell them down the road for a huge profit.

Zeek Aran · Nov 22, 2007, 03:09 AM // 03:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ctb

It's being dismissed because it's a load of crap. He's a healthcare professional? So he has all sorts of eduction, right? Yet, at no point in his post does he manage to properly use an apostrophe. Most of the grammar is completely b0rked, the question isn't really a question, and at no point is any part of the explanation suggestive that any thought what-so-ever came into contact with this post.

Excuse me?! His typing doesn't resemble Bork at all. *goes back to the Crimson Knights of Bork hall and cries*

Biostem · Nov 22, 2007, 03:12 AM // 03:12

Other than titles that actually affect related skills, I see going after them like stamp collecting - it's something to pass the time.

As time goes on, we're seeing more and more "virtual" hobbies coming about - virtual pets, sims, MMOs, etc. I don't think they're any less valid than collecting stamps or coins, yet they're still mocked and criticized.

One personal pet peeve is when people make the assumption that you have no life if you play online games a lot - if I play 3 hours a day, how is that any different than the person that comes home and watches sitcoms 3 hrs a day, or the person that knits 3 hrs a day? I don't put off social things in favor of playing, but I do prefer to play as opposed to getting drunk or high.