[MUD-Dev] Dopamine and addiction

[Lars Duening]

On Nov 27, 2003, at 6:07 AM, Ola Fosheim Grøstad wrote:

> I believe there is earlier research showing release of dopamine
> when playing MUDs. So bascially, longterm addiction to MUDs is
> most likely not only psycho-social, but also playing on chemical
> mechanisms and should most likely be classified as an illness.

> What are the implications for ethical MUD design, and will
> "addictive" become more of a negative term rather than a marketing
> term?

Hmm... - the problem I have with studies of this kind is that they
tend to be used to scapegoat certain activities, implicitely
painting the others harmless.

For example I would be surprised if exercise addiction did not have
a connection to a dopamine imbalance, but when was the last time you
heard a demand for an 'ethical Gym' to prevent exercise addiction?

People can become addicted to any activity they consider exciting,
and the only way to prevent that is to make the activity so boring
that nobody participates in the first place. The only thing I can
see activity organizers do is to keep an eye on their customers and
approach potential addiction victims.

--
Lars Duening; lars at bearnip.com
GPG Key: http://www.bearnip.com/lars/lars-duening.gpgkey
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