I came across a very interesting article a few weeks ago that stayed in my mind for quite some time. At first I didn't pay much attention to its subject, but it kind of grew on me because, well it just makes sense, and also because lately the issue has become very prominent again. In essence, Ernest Adams, a freelance game designer, went into much detail to try and prove that the term "addictive" doesn't apply to games in that it's not really comparable to addictive substances like drugs and alcohol. He went on to say that calling a game "addictive" actually hurts the industry as a whole.

For us gamers, an addictive game actually means that it's a good one, maybe even an outstanding one. Being addicted to a game means that we can't get away from it, we keep thinking about it even after we leave it. Actually, it's very much like a good book, or even a good movie that lingers in your mind even after you saw it for the first time.

An addictive CRPG certainly is considered a very good thing. It's almost a prime requisite for a good one. An action game can almost make it just by being fun and exciting, but a good RPG has to keep you going by constantly pushing you further and further. The proverbial carrot on a stick dangling in front of the donkey is what we look for in a CRPG, even though we sometimes don't like to admit it.

So, are we really hurting the industry when we say a game is addicting?

I need more!
I think we are. But here's the catch: I'm not saying that the industry should stop making addictive games. Actually, the industry should produce more of them because it is the reason we buy them in the first place. What we should do, though, is stop saying they are addictive and be careful about our choice of words when describing a game.

In an age where politicians are trying to censor our preferred hobby, anything we say may be held against us. To politicians and anti-gaming groups, saying a game is addictive is like saying their kids are taking drugs when playing games. I know, it's far from being the same thing, but that's what they really are thinking. An addiction is a very serious thing, and I don't want politicians comparing me to a drug dealing junkie because I decided I liked Neverwinter Nights enough to tell my friends they should buy a copy... Do you?

Any and all little details about games are being scrutinized these days. Every little incident that involves a gun now is linked to a certain game that gets mentioned in the press. Now, I'm not saying that some games out there aren't gratuitously violent. In fact, there are some questionable titles (I won't mention names here…) that convey very borderline moral values. Still, I saw movies more violent than some games out there and yet they don't seem to get as much heat as the gaming industry.

Trying to be politically correct...
I don't want to mince words with politicians. I don't think I would ever win at that game anyway. Instead, I would rather adapt to their thinking and change the way I talk about games so that they can't attack them as much. Instead of saying a game is addictive, I'll say I was compelled to keep playing it, that it kept me interested enough to continuously want to see more. I know, it's just the same as saying it's addictive, but the connotations of the those expressions are not as negative as using the "A" word.

Gaming is a new medium, only approaching its 30 years. I'm part of the very first generation who grew up along with games, so it's fair to say Gaming finally came out of its infancy. Now it has to mature. I often tend to compare games with film. Cinema was very much criticized and feared in its early days by select groups of individuals that felt threatened by it. It's very much the same now, only perhaps on an even grander scale because of the media. Let's face it, everything that's bad is made even worse by the media, things get amplified to ridiculous levels sometimes.

A Maturing Industry
Games will come of age at a certain point, and will one day be recognized for what they really are by a vast majority. The kids of today, that are born and raised with video games, will be parents one day. Some of them will even be politicians. And then things will change, views will broaden. Games might then be recognized for the works of art that they really are. Yes, some games are the inspiration of some terrible tragedies. Then again so are some films, and so are some television shows, so are some books... If someone needs inspiration to do something bad, they will find it somewhere in any event, regardless of censorship.

I will play games for the rest of my life. I'm hooked. But it's not a drug. I can take a break from time to time without getting violent reactions, and I get bored with them pretty fast. And games don't bring about my financial ruin, I don't have to spend thousands of dollars every month on them. But I'll be careful about how I talk about games from now on, because some powerful people think they do.