The Most Addictive Types of Video and Computer Games

All drugs are not created equally. Some drugs can give a momentary buzz, while others will provide a euphoric high of which one can hardly ever get enough. The latter is usually the more addictive substance. So it can be said that not all video games are equally addictive.

With the advent of new and better technologies, videogame companies have become endowed with greater abilities to create deeper, more epic, more socially interactive, and thus more addicting games. Whereas the first-generation games previously consisted of a one block bouncing back and forth between two other blocks, modern videogames have become massive productions on the visual scale of most action movies. Many video games released today have better box office openings than even the biggest Hollywood blockbusters. Videogames are surely a new media force with which to be reckoned.

Unfortunately, videogames seem to get almost entirely negative media coverage. Most articles or news stories that are speaking of videogames are telling another woeful tale of a child having bought a videogame with a hidden sex scene, or a teenager having shot someone after playing a violent game. More recently, videogames have been getting attention as another “addictive” substance to entangle our children.

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However, this addictive nature of video-games does not hold true for every type of video game. Very rarely will a teenager that comes in to a treatment facility for excessive videogame use be there because he just can’t get enough of a puzzle videogame. They may have spent some time on the game, and maybe even an above average amount of time on a puzzle game. But, rarely will they have reached the level of “addiction” usage. This is because puzzle games do not lend themselves to those types of gaming habits. Thus, it becomes necessary for parents to become familiar with the different types of games available to their children, and most importantly, those games that have the most potential to become addictive. The following is a list of the current types of video games available to children today. The game types are listed in order of least (1) addictive to most (7) addictive types.

1) Educational - Games that are found only on the systems built specifically for learning. Unfortunately these systems are currently all designed for younger children. Examples of these educational systems are Leapster and Pixter.

2) Party Games are games designed to get people together playing lots of fast-paced mini-games one after another. Each party game can contain up to 150 mini-games in which everyone in the same room has a controller and plays the mini-game at the same time. Each mini-game lasts about 2 minutes. Games in this category would include Mario Party, and Shrek Party Blast.

3) Physical - The latest addition to videogames is the advent of the physical games in which the player’s physical movements move the character on the screen. In a baseball game, the player swings the remote. When this happens, the character on the screen swings the bat. These games currently are the newest and hottest thing around, hopefully pointing toward greater physical health of gamers in the long run. Games in this category include Wii Sports and the Bigs.

4) Puzzle – These games are typically abstract games of logic with no theme or characters. They can be games in which you must line up blocks or games in which you solve math problems. These games are simple to learn, and simple to play. They usually hit the broadest age demographics. Examples of puzzle games include Tetris, Brain Age, and Bejeweled.

5) Racing – These are simply games in which one player races one or more other racers to the finish line. They come in a variety of race types and courses, but in general it is always a race to the finish. The draw in these types of games is making your car better every time you win, or unlocking new cars and tracks as you win. Examples of this type of game are Need for Speed and Mario Kart.

6) Sports games are any game that is a sport in real life. There are even professional (NBA) and college (NCAA) level games of some of the major American Sports (basketball and football). Some people play this for a one-time fun game, and other people like to create a player or team and take them through an entire season, improving their player along the way.

7) Fighting - The vast majority of these games are one fighter versus another fighter. The draw here is the brutality of the fighting, and the learning of fighting moves. These games often take a lot of playing in order to master all of the moves of a given fighter. Yet again, an argument could be made for saying it takes strategy and planning to know which moves to use when.

8) Platformer - These games are action oriented logic games with a main character. They usually involve a simple story line in which the hero of the story must complete each level by jumping from platform to platform, jumping on or shooting the bad guy. These games are rarely violent or gory. Most of the time, the main character and levels are more akin to a cartoonish, Looney Toons look and feel. Some levels are tricky to get to the end and take some trial and error to complete, thus the logic comes into play. Examples of these types of games are Super Mario and Crash Bandicoot.

9) Third person action - These games are similar to the platformer in almost every way, accept they have a more mature theme. Whereas in the platformer, the hero is a cartoon, in the third-person action game, the hero is an realistic looking action star. These games are usually in realistic settings, with more realistic violence, and much harder logic puzzles. Examples of this type of game include Splinter Cell and Tomb Raider.

10) Role-Playing Games (RPG’s) - These games are very similar to the MMORPG’s listed below accept these games are usually designed for only one player, and they have an ending. Depending on how you play the game, the ending is often different. The more you play, the deeper you get into the story, and the more powers your character gains. Examples of this type of game are Final Fantasy and Knights of the Old Republic.

11) Real-time strategy - Games that are basically a fast paced chess game without the turn-taking component. In these games, you are responsible for controlling and commanding an army you have built from scratch. You must face off with whomever you opponent is and try to be the last man standing. Examples of these games include Starcraft and Command and Conquer.

12) First Person Shooters (FPS) - These are games where you are the hero. All you can see on the screen is your gun directly in front of you. bad guys attack you, and you must shoot them. These games are all about the guns. Throughout the games, you get bigger and better guns and must kill bigger and “badder” enemies, adding a very addicting macho (power) factor to the games. Recently, a lot of these games have taken more historical spins, allowing you to be a soldier in Vietnam or WWII. Examples of these games include Halo and Call of Duty.

13) Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG). These are epic games with an everlasting storyline. These games do not have an ending. They are designed to play forever. MMORPG’s are usually played with thousands of other players online at the same time, adding a highly addictive social component to the game. Lastly, these games are designed so that the more you play, the more powerful and well respected you are by everyone playing. Examples of this type of game are Everquest, and the infamous World of Warcraft.

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Both parents and professionals can find exceptional programs for troubled children, teenagers, and young adults at Aspen Education Group.

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