Assignment 9: WoW the Temptation is Too Much!

Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft, popularly known as WoW, is the world’s largest Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). The game is set in a Worldcraft universe full of adventure and lurking danger where the player has the choice of ten races and nine classes to choose from and countless quests to partake in. The interact-ability of WoW also allows for a strong sense of community and encourages “in game socialization” through adding players to your friends list, searching for people online, and creating groups. Through inventive design WoW allows its characters to express emotions through visible facial changes and bodily language which even furthers the richness of the media. Most importantly, the allure of WoW reaches beyond your typical “gamers,” and encompasses all generations, ethnicities, and professions. WoW has attracted roughly 2 million players from North America and about 8 million players worldwide. What are the social implications of WoW?

People around the world are horrified by the social isolation that MMORPGs such as WoW create. There have been countless stories of varying degrees about internet addiction via online games. Although internet addiction has not been recognized by the American Psychiatric Association there are still Internet Addiction Recovery centers opening around the world, predominately in China where instances, such as the alleged death of a child due to neglect from WoW-addicted parents, are commonplace. One could easily see the connections between World of Warcraft and Problematic Internet Use. According to Davis et. al there are four dimensions that predict problematic internet use:
1) Diminished impulse control
2) Loneliness/Depression
3) Social comfort
4) Distraction/procrastination

These four dimensions highlight the importance of individual differences in forming internet addiction. The appeal of being whoever you want and acting however you want in a fantasy world is too much for most people to give up; yet, coupled with Davis et al’s four dimensions, it can be a harmful combination. People who might not be comfortable in social situations, might find online games, such as WoW, as a more manageable place because they are able to maximize social distance and engage in impression management. Also with the stunning graphics, millions of players, and countless quests, it is easy for anyone to use WoW as a distraction mechanism or as a means of procrastination. Akridge, a reformed Warcraft addict who cut his playing down to a few hours four times a week from fifty hours a week, believes that “people can get addicted to the feeling generated by playing the game but he maintains that most people simply need to exercise self-control” (Chicago Tribune, Nov. 30, 2006). Although it is unclear which one of the dimensions drove Akridge’s initial problematic internet use, this story illustrates that although the psychological space, or WoW in this case, may be highly captivating it is instead the individual differences that causes someone to become addicted to them.

Let us take another example, this time with loneliness/depression and social comfort being the main instigator of internet addiction. In this case, Shawn Wolley became addicted to another MMORPG, Everquest, at 21 years old he was depressed and totaling about 12 hours a day of game play. Without the opportunity for psychological help (psychiatrists shunned the idea of problematic internet use), Shawn Wolley shot himself in the head not long after he had lost his job and been evicted from his apartment. What was the experience that tipped the scale for Wolley? It was speculated that his inability to cope with the real world peaked when a character that he had fallen in love with online, rejected him in real life (Chicago Tribune, Nov. 30, 2006). Doctors believe that social isolation and personality change were side effects of his “mental deterioration.” This tragic story demonstrates how individual differences are a major factor in problematic internet use, the psychological problems that Wolley was experiencing were too strong for him to overcome his internet addiction with moderate help such as Akridge.
Caplan’s Theory of Problematic Internet use and Psychosocial Well-Being can be applied to Wolley’s case and problematic internet use as it pertains to WoW. Caplan states that:
1) Individuals with psychosocial problems hold negative perceptions about their social competence
2) These individuals prefer online interactions because it is less threatening and they feel more efficacious
3) Preference for online interaction leads to excessive and compulsive online interaction, which then worsens their problems at school, home work

Professor Hancock used the diagram below to explain Caplan’s theory:

Especially with the Wolley case, it is easy to see how someone could fall into this cycle. But let us make up an example, say there is a man name Bill who is performing poorly in his new management position at his firm. After a days of ego-degrading insults about his incompetence at work, Bill begins to feel bad about himself and his social competence. One day, his friend gives him the free 30-day WoW trial. Instantly, Bill is ensnared, he creates a physically attractive human avatar with magical powers and embarks on his fantasy world where he meets new people and is constantly positively reinforced by his completed quests online. Eventually, he becomes so adept that he becomes the leader of his own adventurer group. Meanwhile his performance at work is getting worse due to his lack of sleep and motivation. His feelings of incompetence at work only strengthens his motivation to delve back into the mystical world of Warcraft. I think you get the point—it is a vicious cycle.

Now, can we attribute the problematic internet use to the unique attributes of WoW (interactive avatars in a social and competitive online psychological place) or do we look into the individual? I believe that individual psychosocial problems, such as loneliness and depression, are a stronger indicator of addiction then the online game itself. Out of millions of users, how many people are addicted? If it were the unique attributes of the psychological space that lead people to problematic internet usage then there would be 8 million people world wide that would be completely incapable of real-world social interaction, and this is not the case.