What Makes The Game?

As a self-proclaimed MMORPG Junkie, I feel like I should post about this.


Critics of the genre will have a bit to say about the MMORPG. The games, according to some, are a blight of sorts - the worst form of video game that destroys the lives of its players. In a way, these people have been proven correct: the nigh unbelievable stories of players dying in their worn computer chairs from exhaustion, or of neglected spouses, partners and children, or of hygiene so horrific that not even loving parents can draw near - all are indicators of serious effects that the standard MMO can have on its subscriber base. While these people are the outliers - the folks who prove the exception to the rule - it is fair to say that the addictive nature of Massively Multiplayer can be dangerous.


What is the cause of this addiction? Surely, your run-of-the mill MMORPG isn't so compelling that it could ruin lives. They are, after all, games designed by the same order of people who developed Pong, and Mario, and Final Fantasy. Is it a sense of achievement? Team competition? A case of e-peen grown too large?


I'm not sure there's one singular answer, but I think it's food for thought.