Ken Or Kennot?

MMORPGs...the dark side

Oh well, MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) are not branded as "evil" on first sight, they are played almost across the entire globe with titles such as World Of Warcraft (WOW), Ragnarok Online, Planeshift... It is only when the player is fully absorbed into the game that one can brand it as "evil", a life sucker.

MMORPGs allow for the players to immerse themselves in a totally new and fun world away from the mundane chores of reality. Players get to detach themselves momentarily from the society for a limited period of time as they role play as the characters they want to be in the virtual world. All that comes to an end when the computer is shut down and the user returns to the real world; very much like the matrix. However, one can be so absorbed into the game that there will be withdrawal symptoms whenever one stops playing for an extended period of time; the real world is now exchanged with the virtual one, the latter becoming more important than the former. This is when the "evil" part comes in; in a bid to earn maximum cash, companies have come up with new and fun ways to entertain their virtual customers online by creating "events" and giving away prizes to the winners. This will cause the players to be even more devoted to the cause; prolonging the hours they stay online.

When things get out of hand, they start to get really ugly. The player no longer wants to return to the real world. Everything that has anything to do with the real world will have no effects on the doings of the individual; he simply does not care anymore. The virtual world has already fully absorbed him into its realm. This was what happened to my brother in the past 30 days; he has been playing non stop, 14 to 16 hours straight everyday, nothing can make him move from his seat, not even going downstairs to get some magazines... He wakes up at 11am, starts playing at 11.10am together with brunch, continues all the way till the wee hours of the morning, say 2.30am, then goes to bed and the whole cycle begins the very next day.

There seems to be no way to break this vicious cycle; the more he plays, the more attached he is to the virtual world. His friends all become virtual friends, with the real friends becoming more of a nuisance as they call when he is playing. (It does not matter when they call, he will always be playing. It has become his way of life...) Even getting him out for lunch and dinner can be a big problem as sometimes, events that are happening online prevents him from eating; as a result he suffers from irregular mealtimes, increasing his risk of acquiring gastric problems.

Often, the affected individual can become so immersed in their games that they may actually relate game events as daily happenings to their kins; they speak of killing demons with much emphasis as a normal person would normally place on real life events; the importance and seriousness they place in their speech of their virtual endeavours is really frightening; sometimes I wonder if he is still living...

I am currently seeking a way to pull the plug on this virtual reality blackhole; the blackhole that sucks all human existance away from a player... If you know of any, do not hesitate to post it here. I would be very happy to receive the comments of the readers from this blog.

posted by Kenneth @ 12/02/2004 11:01:00 AM