Topic: Games designed to be addictive

This is a really complicated topic, and therefore participation in the discussion is recommended only for those willing to put in a lot of time reading and a lot of brain power THINKING about it. I only hope I don't alienate everybody here with this warning.

Anyway, this article details a lot of psychological stuff about game design as it relates to human behavior. As you read, it may, as the article title suggests, creep you out. Continue further, and you may find (as I did, at least to a point) that it's not really so sinister or even unreasonable at all. This article provides condensed commentary on the issue, and is an interesting read in its own right.

My lead-up was so long, I ran out of room in one PS3-limited post!

I would like to start a discussion of the concept of game design intended to leave players addicted, and indeed the psychology of the issue in general. I can freely admit that gaming gives me a sense of accomplishment that I find lacking in other areas of my life. I can easily liken the "starts easy to get you hooked then gets harder to heighten sense of accomplishment" action detailed in the article to PSN Trophies. It now seems to me as though that system was specifically designed to do just that. Is that a bad thing? Not really...I honestly do enjoy the pursuit...most of the time. Sometimes, though, I find myself doing things I'd rather not (like playing harder difficulties than I want) just to finish a Platinum because the sense of accomplishment is so rewarding when I'm done.

How about you? Do you tend to fight through things for such rewards, or just take gaming as a (dare I use the word?) more casual endeavor for fun?

I usual play gaming casually, but for a while I was addicted to pokemon. At that time I was doing the thing they described in the "Creating Virtual Food Pellets For You To Eat" section. I spent endless hours on Bulbagarden Forums trying to collect every pokemon in the games. Luckily I'm over it, but with HeartGold and SoulSilver coming on Sunday, I might be getting a little obsessed again.

Mega Man 9

@Swiket
Oh yes. Peggle. There have been more than a few "just one more level before bed ... oops, the sun is rising now" nights from that awesome game.

Also, Tetris. Not so much now, but back in high school with the Game Boy.

On the BF Skinner comparison article, i will say that Achievements in 360 games are very well designed in that regard, at least for me and many others. I've gotten out of the obsessiveness for them that i once had earlier in the 360's lifespan, but there are plenty of games that i played far more than i ever would (or really wanted to) just to get that intangible, meaningless award. And of course that cool "ba-loop" noise pop-up. =) Now that's some clear Skinner-box training right there!

Every game I enjoy.

More like every Mario game. lol

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a game that is meant to be additively played. Animal Crossing or The Sims are two more that come to mind.

A reward system is pretty much a guaranteed way to keep me playing a game. Anything with a high score table or an achievements list, I can't help myself.

Any good DS game.

And now we all step back and see the (evil) genious behind Achievements and Trophies...kinda weird, huh? They're so "pointless," yet we seek after them to the degree where some people won't play ANYTHING that doesn't have them (I'm not THAT obsessive, but I admit I'm more likely to play something that does than something that doesn't if given the choice).

But I think the REAL kicker here is: Can you see yourself (or worse, have you in the past) ignoring more important thing in life (boy/girlfriend, family, work) to play more games? As much as I love gaming and Trophies, I can honestly say that my priorities aren't skewed THAT badly. That said, I do "compromise" by wanting to play multiplayer games when I get to gether with people.

I can honestly say that I was addicted to every Nintendo 64 game I've played. That alone makes it my favorite sytsem.

I also couldn't get my hand off of Super Smash Bros. Brawl for hundreads of hours.

Any multiplayer game is meant to be addictive, as well as RPGs. Those are the only kinds of games that are addictive for me.

Call of Duty, Battlefield, Pokemon, Knights of the Old Republic, Super Smash Bros, those games have kept me addicted for a long, long, long time. Mostly Pokemon, though.