Is there a way to report a link for dark patterns? If not, why isn't there? Exploiting someone's fears/addicition is a deplorable way to build an email spam list.
The worst part is, after giving it a burner email so I could see the results, it just showed me them in the UI without requiring me to check the email anyway. I guess I'll monitor it to see if I get any spam.
Some of the questions seem a bit silly to me, and not really indicative of anything negative.
>"Have you lost interests in, or reduced participation in other recreational activities (hobbies, meetings with friends) due to gaming?"
Of course becoming engaged in one hobby (gaming) would cause you to become less engaged in other hobbies you may have. I don't see why this is bad.
>"Do you game to escape from or forget about personal problems, or to relieve uncomfortable feelings such as guilt, anxiety, helplessness or depression? *"
Yup, that's kinda what hobbies are for (partially). Imagine replacing gaming with say - cooking, or watching old westerns - does the scenario presented in the question still seem sinister to you?
A single yes to one question isn't necessarily indicative of a problem - it's the combination (for the DSM proposed criteria it's 5 or more of 9) that creates the pattern and may show a problem. These questions are from the Gentile Scale of Internet Gaming Disorder (published in the APA) with a few adjustments based on other research (such as King's paper on Tolerance.)
This reminds me a bit of the scammy motivational speakers that get people to buy their plans and go to their events. On one hand theres some value in there, some people really change their life. On the other hand the end of the tunnel for the speakers is money. With both of these things in mind it's hard to know is this something I need and how much do I need it since the other party is monetarily motivated for me to need it. It's possible it starts out with the goal of helping people but I'm always worried about if or when it starts to cross that line. Maybe I'm being out of line, interested in thoughts.
It's certainly a valid concern and something I think is always worth being in the discussion. Personally the way we've navigated this is making sure you don't (need) any of the paid programs to succeed - all of the help and more is available either for free on youtube or with peer support on the forums. The paid programs are only a curated version of the content with a few bonuses like extra worksheets.
As a former 'video game addict' myself, I can't overstate how important I think this project is.
I never used Game Quitters myself, but I wish I had. I wish that I had found Game Quitters when I was younger, as Video Games were essentially the only thing I was living for. Video Games prevented me from getting outside and experiencing the world when I needed it most - when I was a deeply unhealthy kid who couldn't walk and who had been hospitalised and away from people his own age for a few years. Some things, like social interaction, I still struggle with today, and I wonder if that would have been the case if I quit video games.
I'm lucky that my path in life moved me away from Video Games, but I know others aren't so lucky. This is why I think the world needs Game Quitters to raise awareness of these issues.
I met Cam two months ago, and just by my interactions with him, I realised that even after a year since I last played a video game, it still has a big effect on my lifestyle and thought patterns. I've found Cam's Game Quitters YouTube channel helpful in indentifying those problems.
I think it says a lot that when I wanted to learn web development, the first thing I made was from a video game. And even now, I still find myself watching videos and streams of gaming from time to time, and Cam's work has helped me to realise my actions are having a negative impact on my life.
The first time I ever played WoW was during the TBC expansion, the only thing is... this first experience happened from an account I had hacked at the time.
And the encounter was fairly short, maybe a few hours. I remember going to the Black Temple raid with a random group and also spending time in the area where the Sunwell raid was. Looking back, it's quite surreal to think that this little 'chance' encounter planted a seed that made me fall in love with the game.
But a few years down the line I knew I had to cut ties with the game, as I would sometimes go on a binge playing spree and not stop for many months. I say interesting because the game has been turned into an absolute garbage-can that I never want to touch again.
Playstyle became lifeless, classes got obliterated, and there are more cosmetic features being added than there are actual class improvements.
I'm kinda relieved that this is the case but I feel for the players who have literally invested their lives into their characters. Getting out of that cycle is really hard.
Fortunately, I never collected any psychologically-valuable items and simply played the game for the 'action' aspect of it.
Yes, WoW is a tough one to leave behind. Hindsight, the game is a psychological rollercoaster, with high downs and even higher ups.
I think for the most part -- other than the game turning into crap -- it was the feeling of degradation, and I think this comes with age. And it helped that during my breaks from the game I actually got to live life, and have meaningful experiences that further fueled my decision.*
*: I don't like the word decision here as it implies forms of hatred/anger, which I don't believe is the case in my situation. Since it happened naturally, I don't have feelings of guilt or regret.
I don't think decision implies hostility. It's possible and maybe even healthier to take a Marie Kondo / Ariana Grande approach to things like this. Thank Warcraft for the good times, but now you're moving on.
Hi HN! I am a former video game addict who searched for help online and found none. When I shared my story in a blog post I heard from thousands of others asking for help, and decided to create a community for all of us to support each other: Game Quitters.
We have hundreds of resources, inspiring stories, free tools to find new hobbies, and community support. 99% of the website is free with a few reasonable paid programs with structured step-by-step guides and additional bonuses.
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Holy dark UI patterns Batman.