nevertheless, this new kind of addiction is on the rise and its potential consequences cannot be estimated at this time. however, we can ask why online gamers “keep pushing that button”, that is seemingly voluntarily keep doing the same things over and over again in online games also known as mmorpgs. a rise in level, loads of ingame money, rare armour pieces or weapons can be listed as valid reasons. all mmorpgs are designed to be addictive in nature: there is always something to achieve ingame. let me try to illustrate this with an example:

popular mmorpgs like World of Warcraft or Lord of the Rings Online all have armour sets players can collect. each set consists of six to eight pieces and not easy to obtain. typically you need anything between 12 to 25 other players to defeat the bosses that drop pieces of armour sets. so this simple game design ensures that the player that wants to own the entire set will keep participating in events to kill those bosses in order to get the set complete. this can take depending on loot distribution rules and luck months or even years. a simple reason to keep pushing that button.

one valid argument is that nobody forces players to collect the entire armour set. but like in real life (RL) mmorpgs are about achievements and accomplishments and you want to be successful in the virtual world. part of being successful is showing off your items, parading your character around in heavy populated areas just for the sake of being seen and being recognized as successful player.

to sum things up, yes, internet addiction should be included in the upcoming DSM-V and health care professionals should be aware that excessive gaming is a disorder and needs to be addressed with appropriate therapeutic measure and – even more important – prevention.