Internet addiction. Did you even know that Internet addiction was formally recognized? There is even a “Center for Internet Addiction”, founded by Dr. Kimberly Young! Kimberly Young is “an internationally known expert on Internet addiction” according to her bio at the Center for Internet Addiction website.
Well now PhD candidate Jeffrey Parsons has done his doctoral thesis on whether online gamers tend to suffer from Internet addiction. In fact, for his definition of “Internet addiction” he refers specifically to the work of Kimberly Young. For his research project, entitled “An Examination of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games as Facilitators of Internet Addiction”, the Unversity of Iowa student looked at the habits of approximately 500 Internet gamers, male and female, adolescent and adult.
The findings of the Internet gamers and Internet addiction study are very interesting.
Says the study, in summarizing their findings:
“The study found that about 15% of gamers meet the criteria for Internet addiction as provided by Kimberly Young, a leader researcher in Internet addiction. Using more strict criteria, a minimum of at least 10% of gamers met criteria for Internet addiction. Compared to national studies of Internet addiction, this numbers are somewhat elevated. However, given the sheer number of hours MMORPG gamers spend online (in comparison to the general population), even a 15% addiction rate is somewhat low. To illustrate the point, the college student spends 10 hours on the Internet per week. The average MMORPG gamer (addicted or not) spends 20-25 hours per week just playing MMORPGs, and an additional 10-15 hours per week in other Internet use. In other words, MMORPG players are spending 4x as much time online as non-gamers.”
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My gosh. Twenty-five hours a week! Do you think that you could get those teenagers to work at a job for twenty-five hours per week?
If you find this interesting, the full results of the study are available at [Page no longer available – we have linked to the archive.org version instead].
The Internet Patrol is completely free, and reader-supported. Your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP.
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Meh, everything in moderation, most gamers have a brain which can be used for more than grinding exp.
yeah, you should read here to see about mmorpg addiction…they even killed for in game items…. mmorpg list
Here you go again, with a rant about people who spend a lot of time online. So here I go again.
Of COURSE non-gamers are going to spend less time than a gamer! I WORK 35-40 hours a week, before you say anything regarding that. I work hard. I also have a dog and two birds, I cook and clean occassionally. I also…pay all my bills online, do a lot of shopping online, read the news online and many other daily tasks that people do outside of their computer.
Why? Because it’s easier. I have everything right at my fingertips.
1. I just moved cross-country, so instead of writing real letters and taking weeks to send them, or talking long-distance on the phone…I pay one simple monthly bill to talk to all my friends whenever I need to, instantly.
2. Hello? GAS PRICES?? If I can do all my banking and bills online, they are done instantly without me having to drive and waste precious gas (and thusly precious money) to go get the items. Then I can have them delivered right to my door- how convenient is THAT?
3. Price differences. If you see a movie at the mall, and I don’t know the prices where YOU are, but up here they run about 20-30 dollars per movie…you can easily find online (gotta love amazon.com!, or eBay!) the same movie, possibly in new and unused condition, even, for half or even less than the “original” cost.
4. Online gaming is just another step towards the future. It’s also a way of having a social life for people who have trouble getting out and meeting others for various reasons (distance, no one of same interests, aren’t going to school, etc). It’s just a different medium of use. Instead of playing X-Box or Playstation or Gamecube (etc, etc) by yourself or by a friend who can come over to visit…you are using the internet to connect with hundreds or thousands of players.
Instead of having a linear game (aka Pac Man) you have a chance to develop a character who can use magic, or hunt, or even be a different creature with a background personality different from anyone else’s.
Story-telling has been passed down through the ages, as well as games. Except, instead of sitting around the living room playing “Monopoly”, we are online meeting people, making friends, and creating a diverse and interesting…interactive environment.
Let your imagination soar.