Does playing Eve Online make you prone to social dysfunction IRL? What about WOW, Skyrim, ESO, or SW:TOR? Some recent scientific studies suggest that massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) may be associated with “life interference and psychopathology when played frequently and intensely”. The video game genre of MMOs, of which MMORPGs is a subset, was estimated in 2012 to have as many as 400 million players world wide. Spoiler TL;DR, you’re perchance for hoarding in Skyrim is problematic but it probably won’t lead you to the life of a psychopath. Let us know what you think in the comments section below; I think I learned an awful lot about Excel spreadsheets from managing production schedules in Eve.
News Article:
Somewhat Old School YouTube Video Top 10 MMORPGs:
Scientific Article:
Berle_et_al-2015-Australian_Journal_of_Psychology
Bonus Scientific Article that examines the social identity constructs of guild membership in MMORPGs!
Guegan_et_al-2015-European_Journal_of_Social_Psychology
Bonus, “Skyrim Hoarders” courtesy of College Humor:
