World of Warcraft: Addictiveness of Facebook + Pretty Graphics

I propose that World of Warcraft ought to be considered inherently addictive. Whether or not it is "a replacement for real life" is probably another issue which I would like to tentatively avoid.

There are many tenable explanations as to why World of Warcraft ought be considered addictive and for that reason, somewhat psychologically and socially dangerous. One of the more prominent reasons, I think, is simply because the game was and is designed to be addictive in a way analogous to the way other Internet services are.

Analogies of this sort abound: WoW is addictive in ways that often resemble the addictiveness of facebook, myspace, or AIM-for examples. The "social aspect"-however general and incomplete that phrase-has the potential to become primary in the user's life. The fact that the game world changes, responds, and is (to some extent) determined by the players (i.e. cognitive agents) of the world means that we need to stop thinking about WoW and other social services as mere applications. We need to start addressing them as simulations!

Thus, my first justification with regard to the inherent addictive nature of WoW is simply that it's social character guarantees its addictive quality in virtue of responsive, living, and user-determined environment. The classic sense of a video game is to think of a world highly regulated by formulaic rules. Nothing can occur outside the scope of the rules. Now, think of concepts such as "dkp" and/or "the ethics of ganking"-these are a significant part of the world of warcraft and they are not at all predicted or logically contained within the program-that is, within the developer's tool set. The social aspect and user-determinability make it unpredictable in the best way for the sake of addiction.

A second reason why we ought to think of WoW as addictive is simply because users can never really win. There are two reasons why this is the case:

(1) developers always have the possibility of introducing new content

(2) the social determination of the game makes it the case that a given individual can always improve his or her status (as determined by general reputation, honor kills, or simply his behavior)

It is almost nonsensical to speak of "winning the game of the world of warcraft". The game is not a game that can be won, ever. However, the developers did a very fine job of utilizing reward and punishment in the never-ending quest(s) to win WoW. (Notice I said "in the quest to win" and not "win" or "actually win"). The perpetual and non-ceasing ambition coupled with the fact that it's always possible to create a new "endpoint" conjointly fit into the paradigm of reward and punishment (although moreso reward than punishment)

Take something that seems to have a semblance of rules, introduce the right blend of user-generated determination, and sprinkle it with the psychology of reward and punishment amidst an end point that constantly moves and has the possibility to move ....and you've got a highly addictive simulation!