Topic > The Real Matrix - 1034

Online games can literally kill people. Games like MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role-playing games) can be so addictive that there are actually cases where people have played them for more than two days at a time with little or no rest and died of exhaustion. Some gaming companies even hire psychologists and other mental health professionals to help them build in-game strategies to attract their players. I was mostly addicted to online games. Due to some negative influences, especially the addictive nature of MMORPGs, I believe the government should establish stricter regulations on the gaming industry, starting with time limits for the most vulnerable players, those under the age of eighteen . While I admit playing online can be fun, one of the most negative effects of MMORPGs is their addictive nature. I was addicted to an MMORPG called RuneScape. RuneScape is a third-person, medieval-themed game where players interact with each other. Players also complete many activities such as quests, tasks, and killing monsters. Players also level up in skills: mining, smithing, fishing, magic, building, crafting, and farming. In RuneScape, there is a reward for players who complete all quests and reach the maximum level for each skill, a goal that every player desires. The reward is a special cloak that gives the player the status of fame and power. It may take months or even years of play to reach this level! As a result, players spend more time playing, trying to reach that elusive goal. Competition is another factor; players will spend time trying to be the best player in the game. I spent most of my time playing RuneScape. On weekdays, usually… mid-newspaper… I am more likely to be addicted to video games. Once the time runs out, the game is temporarily blocked from the player's IP address until the next day. To ensure that a player under the age of 18 does not attempt to register their age as over 18 to circumvent the time limit, the game may request information about the player's age as determined by government databases. An alternative may be that a player with identification such as a driving license or birth certificate can be sent to the gaming company. I believe that, from my personal experience, addiction to video games like MMORPGs is real and scary. We cannot completely eradicate gambling addiction, but we can significantly reduce it. The solution to fixing inappropriate language is to require all MMORPGs to have filters that detect words or phrases related to inappropriate content and replace them with asterisks.