Addictive Games?

The new on-line games, played on the Internet with people around the globe, let each player choose to play the role of a certain character, which can advance through various challenges, making the player feel increasingly successful. The time that a player spends on his character becomes an investment and gives the player a sense of reward that draws him back for more. For some, playing can seem almost addictive​—perhaps this is one reason why an on-line game can continue for months or even years.

Time magazine reported that lately in South Korea there has been great interest in the on-line game called Lineage. In this game the participants fight for victory in a medieval environment. The player progresses through various levels, seeking to achieve special rank. Some youths play all night long and have trouble staying awake during school the next day. Parents worry but do not always know how to handle the problem. One young player explained in an interview: “When people meet me online they think I’m sharp, but when they meet me off-line, they advise me to lose weight.”

The Korean psychologist Joonmo Kwon offers his explanation of why Lineage has won such popularity: “In the real world, in Korea, you have to repress your drives and hidden desires. In the game they come out.” Young people thus flee from reality into a fantasy world. One astute commentator describes game players this way: “For the gamer, the game world is much more attractive than reality. Reality is only a space in which he makes a small amount of necessary money for continuing the game.”

[Box/Picture on page 8]

One Way of Kicking the Habit

Thomas, a 23-year-old Christian, recalls: “When I was a schoolboy, my homework suffered a lot because of my game playing. Later in life it affected other things. I continued playing, even after I became a full-time volunteer minister. I finally realized that it was taking up too much of my time and energy. Sometimes when I had played before going out in the ministry or to a Christian meeting, I found it very difficult to concentrate. I was almost always thinking about how I would solve a certain game problem after getting home. My personal study and regular Bible reading suffered. My joy in serving God began to decline.

“Late one night when in bed, I felt that I just couldn’t go on like that. I got up, turned on my computer, selected all the games, and pushed the delete button. Gone in a second! That was really tough. I realized that I was more attached to games than I had thought. But I also experienced a great feeling of victory because I knew that I had done it for my own good. I admit that I have bought a few games since then. But now I am far stricter with myself. As soon as I find it difficult to keep my playing at a balanced level, I just push the delete button again.”