The Link Between Depression, MMORPGs, and Covetousness

After reading this short post on the LATimes blog about a study showing that almost 1/3 of Everquest II gamers (MMORPG players) are depressed, I can't help but say, "duh. It took this long to get a study going?"

The last time I played a MMO seriously was in mid-high school and, while I don't know if I was depressed or not, I was definitely not all bubbly-smiley-roses-and-rainbows happy. I played my MMO (Runescape) because it was more fun than real life and I don't think other people who play MMOs have any different motives.

What are the possible motives for playing an MMO? Fun? Distraction? Companionship? Team-building? An attempt to make money? There is one thing that these things have in common - doing them online is supposed to be a better alternative than doing them in the real world.

Nobody aspires to be less online than they are in the real world - there's no point in partaking if you don't. You might as well just stay in real life if you're having a more mediocre time online.

If we aspire to be more online, then what are the goals? What is the online gamer trying to achieve? How can they get prestige, status, and "win" in their online game?

Let's look at the cycle in most, if not all, online games,

1. Kill monsters / Fulfill quest requirements
   
2. Get rewarded for: killing monsters / beating quests
   
3. Loot monsters for items and money / receive quest rewards
   
4. Sell lots of crappy items to buy expensive, better items
   
5. Use better items to: kill more powerful monsters / to do harder quests
   
6. Go to Step 2

This is an endless cycle that players refer to rather ruefully as "the grind". There are some variations to the grind, like having to take a monster down with a group of people, or having a quest that takes a week to complete, but the basics are very much the same.

So how is the success and status measured in online games? It is measured by the amount of items or money you have. He who has the most toys, wins.

If succeeding in the online realm means having the most toys, and we aspire to be more online than we are in the real world, then I can only deduce that turning to online games represents a discontent with the material possessions or status that we have in the real world. Online games are seen as a shortcut to wealth, fame and fortune. And, unlike the real world, the items and money are all that matter. You can be the most generous person online, but people will still look at your avatar and say, "Man, that guy has crappy items. He must suck at this game." Character counts for nothing in the online gaming universe. It is a facet that is hidden by the brilliant shine of digital material wealth. (This also explains the disdain that gamers have for those who spend real-world money to buy in-game items and currency.)

Does this model hold true in the real world? Do the richest "win" at life? Does money, power, fame, and status bring happiness? I think anyone who reads even a basic supermarket tabloid
can tell you that some of the wealthiest people in the world are the most screwed-up and unhappy of the lot.

So what is the secret to happiness? According to the apostle Paul and psychologist Barry Schwartz, the secret is being content with what we have. The key is not self-centeredness and making sure that our all needs are met first and foremost, but rather that those around us are living comfortably. Every psychologist will tell you that the happiest people are those with meaningful, deep, personal friendships with others. Making these kind of friendships is hard work, as any married person can attest to. In short, character counts in real life.

If character counts in real life, and we want out online lives to be better than our real lives, then why isn't altruism rewarded in online games? As it stands now, selflessness is not a desirable attribute to work towards in any online game simply because it is not rewarded. Sure, you can give away items to lower-level characters or help them beat monsters, but does it really cost you anything? No, because you weigh the risks ahead of time and are always pretty confident that you can win before you engage in any risky combat activity. Helping others doesn't cost you anything in an online universe. In Real Life is costs you time, money, work, and/or investment, but it is one of the most rewarding things in life to do.

So no wonder online roleplayers are depressed - they spend all day thinking "If only I had suchandsuch an item, then I could be really cool and people would look up to me." When success is always one item or another hundred gold pieces out of their reach, constantly failing their expectations of what will make them happy, depression is the only direction to go.





_DZ