Gaming addiction, should ZOS offer help?

Rohamad_Ali · September 2018

The most unrealistic part of the Matrix movies was the machines would have to force people into the virtual world . Then human body heat somehow powering big reactors and squid robots ....

Bevik · September 2018

The MMO I used to play you got a system message in chat after couple of hours that saying "You have been playing 2 hours, it's time to take a break." Or something like this. More than enough. I think my record is like 16 hours. I was playing 8 hours every single day, sometimes even 12 hours. Mostly you sacrifice your sleep time, so there is a good chance falling ill, missig school, work but still playing.

But believe me, I still love playing. Would love playing hours if I could, but life happens. Work, changing work, moving somewhere else, getting girlfriend, getting married, having a baby and sometimes you only have 30 mins to play even if you would love to play more. That's life. Same goes with drinking, partying, drugs whatever. You grow out of it. Atleast from the 8+ hours of playing. I wish I have that time now sometimes. But I'm happy with what I have. I still love playing games at the age of 32, and I was like 7 or less when I started playing.

Actually a lot of people who never played something hardcore should understand while it's addictive makes people happy. As long as it doesn't destroy anything in anyone's life it is safe. If it does than do something about it.

I actually have very good memories of hardcore playing, honestly I wish I could share the feelings. Most of us have been there to being addictive to a game. Damn I spent so many hours thinking about a game, plans what I would do when I can log in finally. I still do, I just don't have the time now.

But it's not just games, gym, healthy lifestyle, running, reading whatever. Everything can be addictive. While gym sounds fun I had a shoulder injury because I loved going to gym so much spent 3 hours every single day there. I was exhausted, not well rested, stupidly did the whole gym thing. Hurt myself and my shoulder was bad for 2 years or so.

There is a line that you should find. Still good but not addiction. Hard to find.

DanteYoda · September 2018

I never had any issues quitting these things..
I guess i'm lucky that way, sure i like to chat an socialise etc and i enjoy fantasy gaming, but ESO as a game, i'm not that interested lore wise (its like a very poor version of AD&D or LoTR) and Bethesda/Zenimax seem to be making their games worse and worse over time..Look at Fallout 76 for example..

So as a gamer addiction isn't really a problem especially here.. for me, its like everything else in life, you gotta control yourself.

OFFL1MIT · September 2018

sadly it's not just you. Its everyone around you addicted. It's not your fault it's society problem. We're living in a tech world, it's invading our brains feeding/ stimulating them, it's hard to resist. Technology is really a bad thing, Tv's, gaming, phones ect. We're loosing connection with nature, we're becoming more depressed. We're eating garbage, just because we cant make food from natural only products, we go to watch tv, gaming, instead. Everything speeds up so fast, it's so hard for us to catch up, to build a resistance. Sometimes I wish there would be a society kinda like amish where's no tech , no electricity, but would accept outsiders that are living wrong lives.

code65536 · September 2018

Ectheliontnacil wrote: »

WrathOfInnos wrote: »

I think ZoS is offering a quitting aid. It is called “Murkmire Patch” and will be hitting live servers in a few weeks.

Haha it's that bad eh? ^^

I didn't think I'd ever see a PTS worse than Morrowind. ZOS proved me wrong.

_Salty_ · September 2018

They created a game for your enjoyment. How much you play is up to you. Todays society is always looking to blame others for their own short comings.

goldenflameslinger · September 2018

I think video game addiction is one of those things, until you want to quit, you won’t. Even if ZOS put safeguards in place, an addict would bypass them.

This is the key to video game addiction....understanding RNG. People complain about RNG all the time but RNG is what we crave. Our bodies pump out dopamine (aka a natural drug) when we anticipate getting a good drop. That’s why doing a trial 20 times over and over again to see what drops feels so good. That’s why we (at least some of us) love clown crates. We get high on the thought of what we could get. The funny thing is that once we get what we want, the dopamine drops off instantly. That’s why we need a new trial or new season of crates to get us hyped again.

Once you understand what drives you to play, you can better walk away from it. If you start to think about how many times you HAD to have something and, shortly after you got it, you wanted to chase the next Meta, then you start to see that it’s a circle that never ends. To realize that is super powerful and can help you justify walking away from a game.

Wolfpaw · September 2018

People are responsible for their own actions, choices, and life. This cultural entitlement, victimization, & finger pointing weakens the human behavior.

2c

Ohtimbar · September 2018

There are professionals and organizations who can help people with serious addictions, but it requires that the addict be willing to accept that help. That being the case it ultimately falls to the addict to acknowledge the problem and agree to work on a solution.

As I see it, it is the responsibility of society to provide help for the willing. I do not think, however, that game developers should be expected to take on the responsibilities of families, guardians or the government as it pertains to addiction.

Girl_Number8 · September 2018

WrathOfInnos wrote: »

I think ZoS is offering a quitting aid. It is called “Murkmire Patch” and will be hitting live servers in a few weeks.

Haha oml, that made me smile so very much because it's true~

LewisFernweh · September 2018

I know exactly how you feel bro. I've played almost 1000 hours in one year and fail multiple courses. The terrible thing is once you make it a habit it is very hard to stop.

Girl_Number8 · September 2018

Ectheliontnacil wrote: »

Hey everyone!

I'd like to discuss the topic of gaming addiction in this thread. Gaming had a great impact on my life and for this reason I'd really like to help anyone going through the same thing. Sadly I don't think I can help and neither can ZOS, only the person who is addicted can truly do something about it. However it is in ZOS' power to put a couple "safety nets" in place (e.g. time restrictions, temp bans, overview over your playing behaviour) AND they could offer some help to addicts in the form of counselling or by merely suggesting that one should see a professional about their gaming addiction (after your time in game exceeds say 5 hrs a day on average).

I have played the game over 5,5k hours, that's over 200 days, comes close to 2/3 of a year spent in game! Some may be shocked at the sheer amount of time I have on my eso account while others may have played the game for even longer. It's just a number, the point is however, it was enough to affect my personal life (in a very bad way of course).
There were periods of time where I spent pretty much every free minute thinking about what I'd do in eso once I got home. I was unable to focus on "real" goals in life due to my addiction and my personal life deteriorated very rapidly over the course of the last 2 years or so.

Even though I'd already been playing the game for roughly 2 years prior to the start of university, that's when eso really became a problem for me. I didn't really have a set timetable anymore, so I was free to play to my hearts content. By the end of the first semester I'd given up on my studies completely and didn't spend any time at all learning outside of lectures, some time hanging out with friends and the rest playing eso. At the start of the second semester I dropped out, because I had zero enthusiasm to further pursue law (which is what I'd studied).

Funny thing is, I felt awful the entire year. Guilty because of my endless procrastination and unhappy with pretty much every aspect of my life. I wanted to quit so badly! But I wasn't able to do it. So I carried on playing, all the while sinking deeper into a bottomless pit of despair, until I hit rock bottom. In July I spent like a week on an emperor run/decorating spree, I don't know how many hours I played a day. Anyways after getting emp, decorating my house (sth I'd always wanted to do) in a really awesome way, did I feel a sense of accomplishment? No!
I didn't feel satisfied or happy, after all I hadn't actually accomplished anything. Instead I felt exhausted, weak and utterly disappointed.

I realised then how pathetic I had become. I was a slave to the game, unable to let it go even for a second, condemned to an eternity spent in the harsh glow of my computer screen. All the time I was frantically searching the game for meaning, for a purpose, without realising that there was none...

I'd how exactly it happened, but I've since completely lost the motivation to play. Haven't been online once since the beginning of July, it seems I was finally able to let it go. I started doing sports again, started a new course at university, developed some "healthy" hobbies etc. Basically I feel a lot better now, doesn't change the fact that I lost a year of my life, but at least I can move forwards now.

The point is if I hadn't burnt out, I would still be playing the game, possibly for years to come. I'd absolutely destroy my future and Zeni would be perfectly happy to take my money from crown store items and crates while watching me squandering my life on PvP gameplay. That thought is frightening to me!
I have an addictive personality I guess and should have therefore never been let near an MMO. I know that it's my own problem and that it's not ZOS' job to help useless losers who 24/7 the game. However there's laws in place to regulate the effects of other addictive substances/practices on society (mainly by banning them in the case of drugs and gambling for example). And imo gaming/youtube etc. can be even worse than drugs. Gaming can slowly take over people's lives until they are completely lost inside a virtual world.

I think Zeni does have a certain responsibility towards their customers, they should offer help, warn and possibly take actions against severely addictive behaviour. If you play 20 hrs a day, your account should be banned (*** call the psychiatrist while you're at it), you are sick, that's just how it is! There's too few regulations in place to combat gaming addiction, mainly because people don't take it seriously. If were not careful younger generations could very well go to "waste" because they're all indoctrinated with fortnite and stuff...if Zeni and other companies don't take measures themselves, they might soon suffer the repercussions.

I know it's not in their immediate financial interest to discourage addicts from playing. But it's morally despicable and very dangerous in the long run.

Anyways sorry for rambling on, it's late... xD
. Share your stories if you like and let me know what you think.

If someone plays the game 20hrs a day they need to hire them to fix it~°·

Glad you are doing better and that you have sorted out your priorities~ good luck

Salvas_Aren · September 2018

There is only little difference between passion and obsession.

Learn to deal with it, then it's not the worst of all possible addictions.

One could turn such a passion into an asset and maybe become a lawyer specialized in modern media topics.

MilwaukeeScott · September 2018

Ectheliontnacil wrote: »

Gaming addiction, should ZOS offer help?

Yes. They should pay my mortgage.

idk · September 2018

Ectheliontnacil wrote: »

However it is in ZOS' power to put a couple "safety nets" in place (e.g. time restrictions, temp bans, overview over your playing behaviour)

This is where I stopped reading. Restricting how much time we play just because some have an issue is a poor idea.

In this game we have serious players. Players that raid seriously in PvP and PvE. It would be in bad form to tell them they cannot play as much. That they cannot spend so much time improving their game play so they are stronger players.

SydneyGrey · September 2018

I play literally every day and rarely skip a day, so I guess I'm "addicted," too. But of course it isn't a physical addition. It's just a matter of having some self-control.

lagrue · September 2018

As somebody who studied to be an addiction counselor (ended up taking better paying work) I can assure you that ZOS bears no responsibility here my friend.

Addiction is a beast to wrestle with, but the reality it that it's you who has the malformed behavior. It's your responsibility to SEEK help - not ZOS to offer it.

Generally speaking, if an addict doesn't seek and then follow through on their own, then they're gonna stay that way. You know those TV shows where they force people to go to rehab and stuff or encourage them to get "help?" Well in the real world that's considered by professionals to be ridiculously ineffective and increases the chances for relapse drastically. Social Workers, and counselor in general, are taught not to poke and prod addicts in any direction. They need to make the choice themselves, and THEN be supported.

An addict's only hope to get out of it is to save themselves. Others can support - but nobody should be bearing that responsibility or pushing you in any direction... if they do you will inevitably relapse.

A big part of overcoming addiction, probably the part many addicts struggle with the most - is that they shouldn't diffuse responsibility onto others, they need to own their behavior. ZOS doesn't force you to cause detrement to your real life. The same way cigarette and alcohol companies don't. At the end of the day many of us know addiction is a disease - but just because it's a disease does not in any way shape or form excuse your responsibility in managing it.

I say this both from a professional standpoint - and somebody who is a severe alcoholic and drug abuser (nearly a decade clean now). You never stop being an addict - but you have to OWN that behavior. If you lack self control, it's up to you to find ways to cope and or develop that ability.

So the answer, should ZOS offer help? I would say no, it's not their responsibility. The REAL Question, should you seek help from many of the places that offer exactly what you need???

That's your decision to make.
.

Juju_beans · September 2018

OFFL1MIT wrote: »

sadly it's not just you. Its everyone around you addicted. It's not your fault it's society problem. We're living in a tech world, it's invading our brains feeding/ stimulating them, it's hard to resist. Technology is really a bad thing, Tv's, gaming, phones ect. We're loosing connection with nature, we're becoming more depressed. We're eating garbage, just because we cant make food from natural only products, we go to watch tv, gaming, instead. Everything speeds up so fast, it's so hard for us to catch up, to build a resistance. Sometimes I wish there would be a society kinda like amish where's no tech , no electricity, but would accept outsiders that are living wrong lives.

Working in technology was my career. Technology is a great thing when used as a tool.
The internet alone opened the world to so many people when it went public with a user interface.
Games, movies but also books, encyclopedias, archives you'd never be able to physically access, convenience (bill paying & banking).

The question you always need to ask yourself though...tool or crutch ?

_Salty_ · September 2018

I play every day unless my jobsite is out of town. I work 5 to 6 days a week, Im a husband and a father a little guy who has my undivided attention till he goes to bed. I clean the kitchen every night take out the garbage and do whatever else is needed around the house before I turn on my PlayStation.

ESO is my hobby. It will never be my life.

Im not judging anyone who can't find the balance between real life and gaming. Just saying that you can have both.

A fruitfull, meaninfull life outside and inside Tamriel is easy to achieve. Just takes you making the right decisions.

Sylvermynx · September 2018

Juju_beans wrote: »

OFFL1MIT wrote: »

sadly it's not just you. Its everyone around you addicted. It's not your fault it's society problem. We're living in a tech world, it's invading our brains feeding/ stimulating them, it's hard to resist. Technology is really a bad thing, Tv's, gaming, phones ect. We're loosing connection with nature, we're becoming more depressed. We're eating garbage, just because we cant make food from natural only products, we go to watch tv, gaming, instead. Everything speeds up so fast, it's so hard for us to catch up, to build a resistance. Sometimes I wish there would be a society kinda like amish where's no tech , no electricity, but would accept outsiders that are living wrong lives.

Working in technology was my career. Technology is a great thing when used as a tool.
The internet alone opened the world to so many people when it went public with a user interface.
Games, movies but also books, encyclopedias, archives you'd never be able to physically access, convenience (bill paying & banking).

The question you always need to ask yourself though...tool or crutch ?

Tool. I'm going to be 71 shortly. I live in the back of beyond (80 mile or 140 mile round trip to groceries, bank, medical etc) and thank the goddesses for the 'net. I can of course do everything the "manual" way. But why would I? The tool in this case makes my life so much easier. Just driving that 80 miles is a crap shoot - we have a small town 20 miles north of us where it seems like every driver is a stupid teenager who thinks s/he will never die.... Scary....

I'd really love to be able to just order my food delivered same day - but hell.... back of beyond.... that ain't hap'nin'. Or at least not in my lifetime. I'm not even going to get "real broadband" in my lifetime. I have satband because we have 65 year old analog copper phone lines. And CenturyLink is like.... you want us to RUN FIBER into a market with less than a hundred full time phones?????

*sigh* Yeah, actually I love where I live. No crime, cleanest air and water in the lower 48 and only summer is a problem for people. But the lack of "real" broadband.... well.... I'm old, so I remember when I only had dialup. Wildblue is a definite upgrade from that, if it's not "real" broadband. And it's not.

Davor · September 2018

DanteYoda wrote: »

I never had any issues quitting these things..

For 30 days do not use electricity. No games, no cell phones, no TV, no radio. Can you do that? If so then I am impressed. Most people couldn't do it.

Mr_Walker · September 2018

The person responsible for your choices is... you. It's not an obligation of zos or anyone else to "help" you, though, of course, they may choose to.

Sylvermynx · September 2018

Davor wrote: »

DanteYoda wrote: »

I never had any issues quitting these things..

For 30 days do not use electricity. No games, no cell phones, no TV, no radio. Can you do that? If so then I am impressed. Most people couldn't do it.

Um. Electricity? Like no lights, no hot water, no cooking? Seriously.... I don't do cell phones (eh - no connection here at the house, besides I hate the damn things), and I could certainly live without tv (though husband couldn't - don't get me started....) Radio? We don't get radio here.

We have occasional 36 hour outages (like a year ago, when a human-started fire took out our power lines). You know what I worry about? The food in the freezers and refrigerators. We lost about $1k food during that fire - because some *** didn't bother to think before he lighted a fire in a "NO FIRE" zone. Yep, the SOB is in jail now.... but I still had to replace all that food y'know?

Games. Right. In the middle of a major power outage, I'm worrying about games. No. Not. Never. Sheesh. Before that power outage in the summer? The previous one was in the middle of February, it was nearly 60 hours, it was below zero most nights, we had no heat other than the fireplace, we COOKED over the fireplace, and no I was NOT thinking about not being able to play a damn game!

Jeezus.

Maryal · September 2018

People can stagnate for hours in front of the television or youtube without being stigmatized;
but, spend that much time playing a game, and people wonder if you're addicted.

If a person is prone to addictive behavior patterns, they will likely have more than one 'addiction' (over-eating, sex, gambling, pornography, shopping, drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, etc.,). The 'things' an addictive person gets addicted to are outlets for their addiction, the 'things' themselves are not the problem.

If anyone thinks or suspects they may be prone to addictive behavior patterns, they should seek professional help from a qualified medical professional. Gaming developers should not get involved in addiction diagnoses or treatment.

Davor · September 2018

Sylvermynx wrote: »

Davor wrote: »

DanteYoda wrote: »

I never had any issues quitting these things..

For 30 days do not use electricity. No games, no cell phones, no TV, no radio. Can you do that? If so then I am impressed. Most people couldn't do it.

Um. Electricity? Like no lights, no hot water, no cooking? Seriously.... I don't do cell phones (eh - no connection here at the house, besides I hate the damn things), and I could certainly live without tv (though husband couldn't - don't get me started....) Radio? We don't get radio here.

We have occasional 36 hour outages (like a year ago, when a human-started fire took out our power lines). You know what I worry about? The food in the freezers and refrigerators. We lost about $1k food during that fire - because some *** didn't bother to think before he lighted a fire in a "NO FIRE" zone. Yep, the SOB is in jail now.... but I still had to replace all that food y'know?

Games. Right. In the middle of a major power outage, I'm worrying about games. No. Not. Never. Sheesh. Before that power outage in the summer? The previous one was in the middle of February, it was nearly 60 hours, it was below zero most nights, we had no heat other than the fireplace, we COOKED over the fireplace, and no I was NOT thinking about not being able to play a damn game!

Jeezus.

Sorry for that. I know I can't do anything to help but I feel for you. What I was thinking was when I tried this with my kids. Just no tv, internet. Even wife said no because she couldn't have her Facebook. Even I couldn't do it and needed to just surf the net blindly. I can't go without TV and always need the lights on. I tried but at least I outlasted the kids.

Salvas_Aren · September 2018

Davor wrote: »

DanteYoda wrote: »

I never had any issues quitting these things..

For 30 days do not use electricity. No games, no cell phones, no TV, no radio. Can you do that? If so then I am impressed. Most people couldn't do it.

I threw away my TV. Got the new one in package here, took me 9 months to open it.

I didn't miss it at all. Finally, I decided to put it up and connect it to my devices but the cable TV receiver.

Genomic · September 2018

On the contrary. ZOS is absolutely counting on addicts. It's their primary business model. What do you think the gambling crates are all about?

Face it people. Gaming companies aren't your friend and they are as predatory and manipulative as any casino these days.

Davor · September 2018

As a side thing, while I don't smoke, I think I believe I know what smokers go through when they try to quit. I tried quitting pop, and after three days I was jonsing for my Pepsi. Now I have type 2 diabetes. I have know one to blame but myself there. Tried to quit and couldn't.

I hate to imagine what smokers, alcoholics or any type of substance abuse or any other type of addiction have to go through. While nobody has to do anything, I think the proper thing to do is though if producing a product morally a company should warn of the signs of what can happen and if people so choose to ignore them then it's up to them.

For me, I can say we never got that knowledge about drinking juices and pop and all the fast food. That is why a lot of us are like we are now. In most cases we would have ignored the warnings anyways. Thing is maybe knowing before it happens can help people before they fall in the pit/dark hole/problem.

So I can't understand why people would say "it's your fault" or "not the companies problem". So it's ok for companies to prey on children with "legal not gambling"? Is it ok for prey on people who "can't help it" because it's an addiction? So instead of making a great product you have to rely on sleazy way of doing business?

Like it or not. Agree or not. It's a shady thing to do. Especially when we are playing VIDEO GAMES, gambling shouldn't be part of it in a game. Once you start adding in loot boxes and gambling for money, all that means is you can't make video games and trying to do something "legal" when morally it's wrong.

Add in video game addiction, the gambling addiction makes for a really bad case for those people. It's a double whammy that will be really hard to break.

Sylvermynx · September 2018

Well.... I know you weren't pointing it at me specifically. But damn.... I have been in love with computers and the 'net since the late 80s, and it's really painful when people tar everyone with a brush that's.... um.... suspect.

Addictive personalities are going to find their way to a low point no matter what that personality keys on. My father was (probably) an alcoholic - I say "probably" because he really was never out of control, though we all thought he.... needed help. He had smoked since he was a child - and while I was growing up, he smoked 4 packs of unfiltered Lucky Strikes a day, not to mention drinking a liter or more of hard liquor. Well.... he died at 85... of advanced Parkinson's - with the heart, lungs, and other organs (including liver) of a 30 year old who had never drunk or smoked. *shrug* It IS a crap shoot. However - as addictive personalities go, he was benign. He and I got along okay, though his "vision" of a woman's place wasn't where I wanted to be - but he never let that get in the way of loving me, and I never let his attitudes get in my way of loving him. You have to.... compromise.... I'm almost 71, so I've seen a lot of changes in my life - and he saw more in his, some of which were.... hard for him to deal with.

I encourage anyone who has feelings of being lost or out of control to talk to someone you respect. Only you can decide if you need help. Others can suggest that maybe you ought to get help - but only you can say "I need help". And at that point, please.... get that help.

ItsNebula · September 2018

5.5k hours? LOL! Those are rookie numbers! Im pushing 10k!