^ this yeah. It's weird to me and maybe because it's a game forum specifically, but there are so many vices and addictions in the world that it seems odd that gaming is seen as such a black sheep compared to a lot of others I've experienced that are still seen as "okay."I mean, addiction is a real thing. Some are addicted to games, some alcohol, some drugs. Why is it a surprise?
Yeah but he got Gold. Gold!Yeah I had one friend that literally skipped his first batch of uni exams just so he could reach Gold before the season ended...
He ended up failing a ton of courses that year.
I think it gets its claws into you more when you become part of group of players. Then there's peer pressure added. You feel pressure to play when your friends are playing and you don't feel like you can exit out mid match. There's definitely been times where I told myself I was going to be productive on a specific night but get a message from my friends that they're on Overwatch. I've stayed up later than I should on some week nights playing due to that.I wouldn't say it's LoL related (Though it pops up a lot because it's so popular). But I think any online MP can fall into the route of "Just one more" and "I can't quit this match". I only ever played LoL back in the day, but I would guess the match length plays a part in things as well though. As other MP fare is typically shorter and to the point unless that has changed.
I don't think that's the issue here. Most League players are solo players.I think it gets its claws into you more when you become part of group of players. Then there's peer pressure added. You feel pressure to play when your friends are playing and you don't feel like you can exit out mid match.
Ah, see I never played league so I wasn't aware of that. Still, I do think if you're part of a "team" playing these games it's definitely an additional factor making it harder to let go.I don't think that's the issue here. Most League players are solo players.
People are competitive and they like the feeling that comes with winning. Games like League and Dota 2 are more rewarding than most games when it comes to the feeling of wins and losses because the matches are so long and require so much effort. Nobody wants to exit out of a match unless they're sure losses because you're investing time, talent, and rank into it. Further, there are rank tiers that unlock exclusive rewards to further show your skill level.
Winning (or the prospect therein) is the driver of time spent, along with the games being technically sound and reasonably balanced. And as that old saying goes, "time flies when you're having fun", a few matches of League or Dota can set you back 3-4 hours without even really noticing if you're not watching the clock. They're like playing multiple Monopoly or Chess matches in rapid succession. 15 minutes in League or Dota = the match has barely started. Couple that with people perhaps not feeling empowered at home or at work and you get lost jobs and broken marriages.
If you have a friend or two that play regularly, sure. Partying up gives you more to look forward when playing, more confidence that your team will win, and an additional social outlet/sphere to enjoy. But that's true of literally any game. What game isn't better and more playable with friends? It's not any more or less different in a MOBA other than the commitment in any given match is longer.Ah, see I never played league so I wasn't aware of that. Still, I do think if you're part of a "team" playing these games it's definitely an additional factor making it harder to let go.
It's amazing what 6-24 months of concerted effort can do for your life. Good on you for doing this.Ive seen it for several games.
I myself have dealt with depression and social anxiety and almost fell into this trap myself before waking up and bettering my life by pulling a complete 180 for 2 years of my life.
I quit gaming-commited to running and weightlifting.
And now these days i know how to manage my priorities and social commitments better.
I guess my logic there was that with a team, there's added social pressures to getting on to play. Not that the problem is friends but that it amplifies the issue. Like you said, nobody wants to exit out of a match because they've invested time, talent and rank into it but with the added social element, you'd also be letting down your teammates, pissing off the group you're in because now their time, talent and rank was wasted due to you.If you have a friend or two that play regularly, sure. Partying up gives you more to look forward when playing, more confidence that your team will win, and an additional social outlet/sphere to enjoy. But that's true of literally any game. What game isn't better and more playable with friends? It's not any more or less different in a MOBA other than the commitment in any given match is longer.
That this happens isn't a surprise. What is surprising however is that OP knows 10 instances of it.I mean, addiction is a real thing. Some are addicted to games, some alcohol, some drugs. Why is it a surprise?
The first question I have is how those people found a girlfriend to begin with...
I was friends with a couple of people that lost their SO's because they played Everquest too much, one also for WoW so this doesn't surprise me although I know nothing of LoL. I play WoW quite a bit but I am not going to ignore my family for it, and if my wife called me right now and said delete that shit, it would be gone.
It's not more or less than any other game.I guess my logic there was that with a team, there's added social pressures to getting on to play. Not that the problem is friends but that it amplifies the issue. Like you said, nobody wants to exit out of a match because they've invested time, talent and rank into it but with the added social element, you'd also be letting down your teammates, pissing off the group you're in because now their time, talent and rank was wasted due to you.
I'm talking about people who really get addicted to this, not your average player if that wasn't clear.It's not more or less than any other game.
But again, the commitment to getting on and playing a MOBA is longer and requires more focus than just about any other game. But the social pressure isn't any more significant. If you're good or your friends are on they will invite you and if you want to play you play. If you have some shit to do, you have some shit to do.
If you know you don't have at least an hour that you can safely block off (because matches can last that long or even longer), people will be upset that you joined the group at all, as joining and having to leave early means wasting the time of 4-9 other people. People are happy to play without you or wait until you do have time to play. In my years of playing both League and Dota, I've never seen anyone pressured to play a match if they didn't want to play or have time to play.
YepThat this happens isn't a surprise. What is surprising however is that OP knows 10 instances of it.
Yeah. A good game of Dota 2 (and I presume LoL is no different) is something well, well beyond what any singleplayer game could ever provide for me if I'm being honest. Unless you've experienced it yourself, you would probably never understand. Which makes all the "Valve makes no games" threads all the more bizarre, because good Dota games aren't that rare, and virtually all of them are better and more intense than any singleplayer experience you will ever have. MOBAs are terrifyingly addictive.So true, it basically becomes an abusive cycle of stress and anger until you get a good game that pumps you up with all that dopamine for the addiction to continue. Shit is crazy.
It can happen to any game. Not just games. It can be gambling, alcohol, drugs, etc.
I still play LoL occasionally.
I feel like another thing is that for me, it can be a sort of lose-lose when I finish a match.I don't think that's the issue here. Most League players are solo players.
People are competitive and they like the feeling that comes with winning. Games like League and Dota 2 are more rewarding than most games when it comes to the feeling of wins and losses because the matches are so long and require so much effort. Nobody wants to exit out of a match unless they're sure losses because you're investing time, talent, and rank into it. Further, there are rank tiers that unlock exclusive rewards to further show your skill level.
Winning (or the prospect therein) is the driver of time spent, along with the games being technically sound and reasonably balanced. And as that old saying goes, "time flies when you're having fun", a few matches of League or Dota can set you back 3-4 hours without even really noticing if you're not watching the clock. They're like playing multiple Monopoly or Chess matches in rapid succession. 15 minutes in League or Dota = the match has barely started. Couple that with people perhaps not feeling empowered at home or at work and you get lost jobs and broken marriages.
I feel like another thing is that for me, it can be a sort of lose-lose when I finish a match.
- If I win a match, I get happy and I have this sort of "high" that makes me want to play another match to win it.
- If I lose a match, I don't like the prospect of my last match for the night being a lost and try to play another match to get a victory.
If you acknowledge this it is probably time to stop playing at all.I feel like another thing is that for me, it can be a sort of lose-lose when I finish a match.
- If I win a match, I get happy and I have this sort of "high" that makes me want to play another match to win it.
- If I lose a match, I don't like the prospect of my last match for the night being a lost and try to play another match to get a victory.
Believe me, I've been DOTA 2-Free for a long time, but hearing AngriestPat talk about League of Legends on Castle Super Beast almost tempted me, but I'm holding strong.If you acknowledge this it is probably time to stop playing at all.
Gamers, rise up!
Begin to set limits on your play time and/or match count. "2 matches, no matter what happens." for example.I feel like another thing is that for me, it can be a sort of lose-lose when I finish a match.
- If I win a match, I get happy and I have this sort of "high" that makes me want to play another match to win it.
- If I lose a match, I don't like the prospect of my last match for the night being a lost and try to play another match to get a victory.
Gambling (specifically casinos) is its own can of worms in regards to how it screws your life over. Lootboxes are just digital gambling, so it makes sense that they ideally should be regulated in the same way that casinos are (which changes based on country).If governments are putting regulations on loot boxes because of addictive destructive effects on people. Should the government also regulate amount of gaming time? Arent both things just as damaging to people?
Excellent postI've been through this, first with Team Fortress 2 through 2007-2010 and then with Dota2 from 2011-15.
In that gap between 2010-11 I lost 35kg, started studying and made lots of close friends. When dota2 took over I drifted away from my social circles, stopped sleeping properly and put on about 45kg, which I'm only just now losing again.
The worst part about the whole experience is that a lot of the time I wasn't even really enjoying what I was doing. I'd get angry, punch my desk when things went poorly, and hurl some pretty vitriolic shit at my teammates if they weren't performing up to my standards at the time. The highs of winning felt just good enough that I'd keep re-queuing just trying to get another 'hit', but I recognize now that I was displaying the same patterns of behavior as any other addict.
The biggest issue with the MOBA/MMO genres is that when you start a session, you're essentially locked in for a period of time. You're not supposed to leave a MOBA match after it starts so once you click that matchmaking button you're agreeing to give up an hour of your time. If things are going poorly and you're getting frustrated you're essentially trapped in that situation until it ends and ending the game requires the tacit permission of your team of strangers (in games with a forfeit function), or the enemy team of strangers (in games without one) who can delay the game and drag things out while leaving you essentially zero chance of turning things around. Once you've started playing, your sense of control over that hour of your life is greatly diminished, and it can be the most upsetting experience in the world.
These days I scratch my competitive gaming itch with Rocket League, since games are 5 minutes long and if you're not playing ranked you can just drop out at any time with zero penalty.
She would drive 4hrs every weekend to spend it with me, but I would essentially ignore her for the rest of the day after having sex.