|
Brunei Darussalam566 Posts
I want you to create a custom lobby. No bots, just you and the creeps.
Pick your favorite hero, choose whatever lane you feel like.
Once the creeps meet at the middle, go for the first last hit. No pressure, you're the only one here.
Notice how satisfying that hit feels, the sound of the coins dropping, that little yellow plus marker popping up, bringing you closer to whatever item you feel like buying.
You level up. A music bit plays, a light flashes; you're better, stronger, more powerful.
Now suicide to the enemy tower. Tragedy, sure, but you're quick to respawn; another music bit plays, louder and longer this time, and you're back in it in no time.
Call it polish if you desire, sure, but all of this is by design. You're brain is hooked; you want to kill more, level up more, win even more.
Defeat feels awful, but the allure of victory is even stronger. You think about your last and next game all day, what went wrong, what will go better next time.
Play Dota, and love it, but don't let it take over your life (like it wants to).
|
That imaginary situation sounds extremely boring, I think dota addictions comes from other type of interactions than the sound and effect of leveling up and things like this, this could apply to old school mmos easier
|
Well i dont play customs, but i am probably addicted.
|
Not sure if people will get what you're saying (judging by the two responses above me) but I liked this, thanks.
|
I actually agree with him. I get some weird satisfaction from hearing the sound effect I get when I get a last hit.
I sometimes just go in a lobby with no bots, pick am, and just last hit. Especially when I'm hungover. It's strangely therapeutic... :O
|
I think these overlap by a lot. It's just perceived as a passion when you're a progamer and an addictition when is isnt' getting you anywhere.
|
Sommmeeeebody was watching a certain game theorist, methinks.
Otherwise yeah, games are getting progressively more designed towards keeping you hooked, and it's effective.
|
United Kingdom14103 Posts
this sounds like that extra credits video
|
passion is nothing without foresight and calculation
|
This is the problem with the free to play model. If you only pay once they can just make a good game. If it's free to play they also have to do this dumb carrot and stick stuff so you invest a lot of time and money in their game.
|
Brunei Darussalam566 Posts
Thank you all for the feedback.
This post was inspired by my own experience, and as a reminder to leave the days of complete obsession with the game behind me indefinitely.
If anyone is struggling, feel free to PM me and I'll help you in any way I can.
On September 25 2014 12:31 Alpino wrote:
That imaginary situation sounds extremely boring, I think dota addictions comes from other type of interactions than the sound and effect of leveling up and things like this, this could apply to old school mmos easier
The game itself is very rewarding and addicting, no doubt about that. But I feel that it's these little things, especifically designed to "hook" your brain, that keep you going despite feeling completely exhausted with the game.
There are many articles that detail how mobile game developers are using psychologists and marketing experts to develop increasingly sophisticated monetization strategies (i.e. getting people hooked and persuading them to spend money) for their apps. I'm pretty sure this is not limited to small app developers.
On September 26 2014 00:00 Targe wrote:
this sounds like that extra credits video
I'm familiar with the series, but not this particular video. Could you link it for me, please?
|
United Kingdom14103 Posts
i cant remember but it talks about mmo games, levelling up and 'rewards' in games
|
Passion is not that different from addiction, it's just a matter of who you ask. Is love a passion or an addiction? For a lot of people it's both...
|
I think the primary difference between a passion and an addiction is the degree of dependence on it.
I could be passionate about sailing and sail often. But I wouldn't have many issues if I stopped sailing for an extended period of time. On the other hand, it's very difficult for me to stop doing things related to dota for more than a few days. I'll always be tempted to play a game for some inane reason or another.
If an activity causes you to enjoy other things in life less, if it's consistently on your mind even when you're doing other things, if you feel restless and distracted when you aren't participating in the activity, if it's by far your primary source of distraction and entertainment in life, or if it's a major challenge to go cold turkey (not playing/walking streams/reading forms related to dota) for more than a week, you probably are addicted.
I think love is definitely an addiction. Does that mean you avoid falling in love? Not necessarily. That decision depends on what you want your life to be like.
I don't want to center my life around this game, that's why I'm trying to distance myself from it. If you are happier when playing dota than when doing other things (not true for me, I'm often unhappy and upset when playing), and if playing dota doesn't inhibit you from doing what you want to do with your life (my grades suffer to some extent because of this game), then by all means keep playing. I know for me it's a problem I do need to address.
I'm not sure how to, though, because playing dota together is the main way I keep in contact with friends who aren't attending my college. Does anyone have any suggestions? Maybe limiting myself to one game per day with no twitch/youtube/forum dota-related use would work.
|
|
|
I had a roommate once who, whenever he was stressed, would open a separate window and play Super Mario Bros pretty much automatically. It got to the point that he wasn't even paying attention to it, and he'd do course reading or go through emails with the game in the other window. He must have gone through the game (mostly just the first few levels) a thousand times or more. I kinda thought it was crazy.
But then I caught the habit of, when I want to relax for whatever reason and don't want a real game (internet is spotty maybe, or had flaming teammates in my last game) I fire up a solo game vs bots, most of the time as Tinker. It keeps the fingers going pretty steady, keeps the mind occupied, and unless you really fuck up and your teammate bots feed, you're gonna win with like a 25-0, so it's a bit of a ego massage too. It was also nice practice for the Tinker-heavy meta of last patch; either as him or knowing his habits and shutting him down. (Good god there were so many shitty Tinkers...) Anyway, it was pretty addicting, and they go so quickly, there's always time for another...
I dunno if it messed me up psychologically, but it did weird things to my Dota. When I started playing ranked again, I dropped 100 points in short order, then rose almost 500 just as quickly. I used to play only support, now I prefer hard carry.
|
On September 27 2014 09:55 bludragen88 wrote:
Passion is not that different from addiction, it's just a matter of who you ask. Is love a passion or an addiction? For a lot of people it's both...
My high school psychology education tells me addiction is defined as continuing a pattern of behavior despite negative consequences.
OP is spot on, games are designed like this more and more now. I was first introduced to the idea in an analysis of Peggle and why it was so easy to get hooked on.
Because players we enjoy actually make a living from Dota it is easy to get the two things confused. Do they enjoy these same things as well? Of course. Are many of them addicted to Dota? Certainly. Is it a net benefit to them in their lives? For many, yes. For the rest of us, as with any game or hobby or habit, keeping these things square in our minds is important.
|
video gaming addiction is a beautiful thing. embrace it and it will love you
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
