Games designer who questioned development techniques in tonight’s show clarifies his views
The designer whose claims in tonight’s Panorama that some games developers are deliberately employing psychologically addictive techniques to keep users playing their games has elaborated on his argument.
Adrian Hon, the founder and CCO of Six to Start and former director of play at Moshi Monsters creators Mind Candy, points out that not all engagement with games is positive.
“Does this mean that games are addictive? In a strict sense, no,” he writes in the Telegraph. “Addiction refers to the ingestion of substances that directly alter the brain’s chemistry, and since you can’t eat videogames, they don’t qualify.
“Having said that, it’s generally accepted that gambling, eating, shopping and watching TV – under the right circumstances – can generate compulsive behaviours among a minority of people. Whether you call it addiction or not doesn’t change the harmful effects.”
Hon, who confesses to having annoyed his girlfriend by staying up all night playing Civilization V, then argues that games are indeed a special case.
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Maybe he should decide which category eating goes into before presenting himself as some kind of expert
"“Having said that, it’s generally accepted that gambling, eating, shopping and watching TV – under the right circumstances – can generate compulsive behaviours among a minority of people. Whether you call it addiction or not doesn’t change the harmful effects.”
Yes I have a nasty addition I am trying to kick but if I do you will not hear about it from my. It is something which is quite detrimental to your health as it ages your organs and can cause malfunction.
Sounds like a horrible addition right? Breathing.
Doesn't an addiction apply to something that doesn't form part of the life sustaining functions? So you can't get addicted to eating... anymore than you can get addicted to breathing, but you can get addicted to certain foods, that you can eat. You can't get addicted to drinking, but you can get addicted to things that you drink.
Addiction is nothing to do with ingestion, and that line alone, shows a complete misunderstanding of the basic foundation of addiction. Hard to take seriously, the word of someone who clearly doesn't understand what that word means.
Could it be a sub-par developer, hunting for a bit of publicity, rather than credibility... who'd have thought that could happen?!?
If you can become addicted to playing games then you become addicted to any activity.
If I enjoy it. I want to do it more.
i.e. I buy a book. I enjoy it and spend the rest of the day reading it. I then buy another hoping to get the same experience. Does this example imply that I am addicted to reading?
Games are designed to be fun and simple to use. Therefore, people play games as an easy method of obtaining pleasure.
Therefore, perhaps we should except that this is natural human behavior?
"Addiction refers to the ingestion of substances that directly alter the brain’s chemistry, and since you can’t eat videogames, they don’t qualify."
Proves he's an idiot...how come you can get addicted to gambling, sex, etc?
What an ignoramus, just the sort of spoon we don't need representing the games industry on TV.
Mat's right, I get addicted to anything really easily when I first do it; ten days later I find a new activity.
I think it's worth stopping the kneejerk reactions, and listening to what Adrian is actually saying (particularly in his thoughtful Telegraph article).
We, as an industry, are good at encouraging people to do what we want them to do, even if that sometimes means they don't do things they *ought* to do.
Lots of other industries (confectionery, drinks, gambling, tobacco) do the same. They acknowledge that some people go too far, and have programmes to help spread the message that too much of their product can be, in fact, too much.
Sure, it may be just PR fluff, but maybe, just maybe, we should consider whether the games industry has a similar social responsibility.
