Some thoughts about online role-playing games (and players). Identity and addiction.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33898/rdp.v19i73.796Keywords:
Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, MMORPG, addiction, identity, motivation, Internet Addiction Disorder, IADAbstract
The number of online role-playing users, especially those engaging in the so-called Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) increases from year to year. The scientific literature has not yet overseen all the factors and varieties related to this phenomenon. In the present article the main characteristics of this type of games are described, as well as some questions related to the identity of these gamers and to possible phenomena of addiction. There are different motivations for the users to engage in this type of games, one of them being the possibility to represent themselves with a new identity in a virtual environment. The possibility of developing addictive behavior is low, but it is not necessary to suffer from a previous mental or personality disorder in order to become addicted. The degree of the individual’s vulnerability is crucial, and the addiction can appear especially in those players who are neither aware of the time they spend engaged nor of the consequences of their behavior.
Downloads
References
Ackerman, N. W. (1958). The psychodynamics of family life. Oxford England: Basic Books.
Bartle, R. (1996). Hearts, clubs, diamonds, spades: players who suit MUDs. Journal of Virtual Environments.Disponible en http://www.brandeis.edu/pubs/jove/HTML/v1/bartle.html. consultado el 23 de enero de2008.
Bauman, Z. (2005). Liquid life. [Traducción castellana: Vida líquida. Barcelona: Paidós, 2006]. London: PolityPress.
Bessière, K., Seay, A. F. y Kiesler, S. (2007). The ideal elf: Identity exploration in world of warcraft.CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10(4), 530-535.
Castells, M. (2001). La galaxia internet. Barcelona: Areté.
Cole, H. y Griffiths, M. D. (2007). Social interactions in massively multiplayer online role-playing gamers.CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10(4), 575-583.
Domjan, M. (2004). Principios de aprendizaje y conducta. Madrid: Thomson.
Douse, N. A. y McManus, I. C. (1993). The personality of fantasy game players. British Journal of Psychology,84(4), 505-509.
Erikson, E. H. (1950). Childhood and society. Oxford England: Norton & Co.
Freud, S. (1979). El yo y el ello (1923). En S. Freud, Obras completas (Vol. XIX): El yo y el ello y otras obras (1923-1925) (pp. 1-66). Buenos Aires: Amorrortu.
Gergen, K. J. (1991). The saturated self: Dilemmas of identity in contemporary life. New York, NY US: BasicBooks.
Giddens, A. (1999). Runaway world [Traducción castellana: Un mundo desbocado. Madrid: Taurus, 2000].London: Profile.
Griffiths, M.D., Davies, M.N.O. y Chappell, D. (2003). Breaking the stereotype: The case of online gambling.CyberPsychology & Behavior, 6, 81-91.
Griffiths, M. D., Davies, M. N. O. y Chappell, D. (2004). Demographic Factors and Playing Variables in OnlineComputer Gaming. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7(4), 479-487.
Hernández, V. (2008). Las psicosis. Sufrimiento mental y comprensión psicodinámica.. Barcelona: Paidós.
Kelly, R. V. (2004). Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games. Jefferson: McFarland & Co.
Lagache, D. (1958). La psychanalyse. París: P.U.F.
Lawson, K. D. (2000). Beyond corporeality: The virtual self in postmodern times. Journal of PsychologicalPractice, 6(1), 35-43.
Linares, J. L. (1996). Identidad y narrativa. La terapia familiar en la práctica clínica. Barcelona: Paidós.
Lipovetsky, G. (2006). Le bonheur paradoxal [Traducción castellana: La felicidad paradójica. Ensayo sobre lasociedad de hiperconsumo.Barcelona: Anagrama, 2007]. Paris: Gallimard.
McKenna, K. Y. A. y Bargh, J. A. (2000). Plan 9 from cyberspace: The implications of the Internet for personalityand social psychology. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4(1), 57-75.
Ng, B. D. y Wiemer-Hastings, P. (2005). Addiction to the Internet and Online Gaming. CyberPsychology &Behavior, 8(2), 110-113.
Reid, E. (1998). The self and the Internet: Variations on the illusion of one self. En J. Gackenbach y J. Gackenbach(Eds.), Psychology and the Internet: Intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal implications. (p. 29-42). San Diego, CA US: Academic Press.
Rosenzweig, M. y Leiman, A.L. (1992). Psicología fisiológica. Madrid: McGraw-Hill.
Sánchez Carbonell, X., Beranuy, M., Castellana, M., Chamarro, A. y Oberst, U. (2008). La adicción a internet yal móvil: ¿Moda o trastorno? Adicciones, 20(2), 149-159.
Sánchez-Carbonell, X. y Beranuy, M. (2007). La adicción a internet como sobreadaptación social. En A. Talarn(Ed.), Globalización y salud mental (p. 341-368). Barcelona: Herder.
Shapira, N. A., Goldsmith, T. D., Keck Jr, P. E., Khosla, U. M. y McElroy, S. L. (2000). Psychiatrics features ofindividuals with problematics Internet. Journal of Affective Disorders, 57(1-3), 267-272.
Shapira, N. A., Lessig, M. G., Goldsmith, T. D., Szabo, S. T., Lazoritz, M., Gold, M. S., et al. (2003). ProblematicInternet Use: Proposed classification and diagnostic criteria. Depression and Anxiety, 17, 207-216.
Suler, J. (2004). The Online Disinhibition Effect. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7(3), 321-326.
Tarpy, R. M. (1999). Aprendizaje: Teoría e Investigación Contemporáneas. Madrid: McGraw-Hill.
Turkle, S. (1997). Multiple subjectivity and virtual community at the end of the end of the freudian century.Sociological Inquiry, 67, 72-84.
Utz, S. (2000). Social information processing in MUDs: The development of friendships in virtual worlds. Journalof Online Behavior, 1(1). Disponible en: http://www.behavior.net/JOB/v1n1/utz.html, consultado el 23 deenero de 2008.
Wang, C. K. J., Khoo, A., Liu, W. C. y Divaharan, S. (2008). Passion and intrinsic motivation in digital gaming.CyberPsychology & Behavior, 11(1), 39-45.
Wood, R. T. A., Griffiths, M.D. y Parke, A. (2007). Experiences of time loss among videogame players: anempirical study. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10, 38-44.
Wood, R. T. A., Gupta, R., Derevensky, J. L. y Griffiths, M. (2004). Video Game Playing and Gambling inAdolescents: Common Risk Factors. Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, 14(1), 77-100.
Yee, N. (2002). Ariadne. Understanding MMORPG addiction. Disponible en: www.nickyee.com/hub/addiction/home.html. Consultado el Noviembre de 2008.
Yee, N. (2006). Motivations for Play in Online Games. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 9(6), 772-774.
