Games

Games, design to addict?!

        Games are sure fun to play, but many people are getting addicted to it. It’s not like the concept of the game is good or anything. As someone who is also kind of addicted to a game in which characters auto battle, I started to question myself, Why? Just why am I obsessed with such a simple game? Well, thankfully, there is an explanation to it.

Dopamine

            To understand the little trick the developers use (yes, they are actually playing a psychological game with you), we first need to understand the dopamine pathway (dopamine is a specialized little molecule that is basically your body's happy hormone). If you are to feel a sudden burst of happiness after finally completing homework or defeat a video game boss. All of that is caused by your brain being tickled by thousands of dopamine molecules.

            Dopamine is a Neurotransmitter (travels between neurons and your brain). When you accomplished something, your brain jumps to celebrates, neurons get flooded with ion, creating a tiny electric current, when the electrical potential hits the end of the neuron, the ions poured in and the dopamine get shot out and land in the dopamine receptors next door.

        HOWEVER!!! You can indeed get bored of your favorite game even if dopamine makes you happy, "Why?" You may ask, one of the reason is desensitization. For example, in any kind of addiction, the addict ends up having more and more as time goes by. The first time you perform the addictive behavior you feel awesome, so you start doing it regularly. Your brain still releases a bunch of dopamine but over time it goes," Umm... hey there... aren't you doing a little too much of it lately? Maybe do something else." and it tells you this by deactivating some of the dopamine receptors, literally putting them out of business. 

The fun began

        With fewer dopamine receptors, the happiness signal gets weaker. Sure, you will get the same dopamine intake as before, but it takes a lot longer and you have to do the addictive activity more. After that there are even fewer dopamine receptors, so the cycle get worse and worse. Until basically you have to be doing what u are addicted to around the clock to get the amount of dopamine you used to get after doing it once or twice, until you get bored of it. 

        Unlike things in real life, which you can get whenever you want, mobile games have ability to regulate how much you play, thus preventing you from getting desensitized. They do that in multiple ways: first they give you the tutorial, right after that you are receiving rewards, achievements and other stuffs like that.

        I am literally unstoppable at the start of a game. I was swimming in dopamine. As it got harder in upper levels, the rewards are not constant anymore, and there are times that I fail a level a ton of times... never knowing when I will win, but instead of discouraging me I feel more excited to beat a level because the victory and rewards felt earned.

        This is known as Variable-Ratio Schedule of Reinforcement ( what a long name), its the same method that is used in a slot machine. You will never know when you will win, but when you did win, it felt incredible. There are also games that limit the amount of games you play, you play a little too many matches; lost too many lives; or even spent too much time ( there are games with a time limit), the game forces you to wait some hours to continue paying. This means they are cutting you off when you are literally swimming in dopamine.

        Since you are always left wanting for more, and the game not letting you play, the game actually felt more rewarding when you are allowed to return. This is all related to what's known as "Hedonic Treadmill" (which means as a person situation changes, their expectation for happiness changes as well.

        For example people who won the lottery or people who are paralyzed both show a similar happiness level both before and after they have won the lottery or being paralyzed. This is because they have gone back to their happiness equilibrium, their situation had changed and are sustained at that level, so their happiness change accordingly. 

        BUT! With mobile games with their built-in breaks you never stayed in that elevated happiness state long enough to grow a custom to it. Basically, the developers make the game perfectly program to trigger some psychological stuffs; also making it free to play; and lastly, putting them in a console that's available in your pocket, but that's not it...

You are also the one to blame

        Study shows that there are 10 to 15 percent of the population has addictive personality. They are easier to be hooked on something, video games are no exception, and within that 10 to 15 percent though... there are higher than average portion of gamers. 

        BUT! Don't worry, it's not all bad. People with addictive personality also tends to be highly driven motivated risk takers; with a higher IQ; and strong leadership potential. So sit back and relax 'cuz hey, you may be an addict, but there are a lot worse things out there to be addicted to than staring at a screen.