MMORPGs How they have changed for the better? or worse?

[Alexandre_Noireau]

Which doesn't actually mean much if you have any idea how dopamine works and what role it plays in the brain.

Is exactly because how dopamine works that is such the effect.

I am going to have to disagree with this from my personal experience.

My guild back in the early days of ffxi pulled me out of a horrid depression. I was nearing the point of just giving up completely. It gave me a community of people to talk to, people hang out with on a daily basis. The guild gave me structure to focus my thoughts on. And when I became an office it gave me a feeling of purpose again. That is the thing about mmos, you are not playing 10+hrs a day without interaction or social isolation, you are spending 10hrs a day interacting with people from across the globe. There are people I call friends in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Germany, UK, Honghong, Japan, Australia, Spain, Mexico, Canada, and throughout the US. I meet my future wife in Chicago on this game for example. Alot of my ffxi guild members I still have contact with today nearly 15yrs later. I remember when we were starting college together, or in many of thier cases just Juniors in HS. Now many have kids and families. Many I have met in real life.

Who ever did the study about mmos causing social isolation... well is just wrong it is literally the opposite. (Well use to be... why mmos have changed for the worse)

MMOs provide social interaction not remove it. Are they addicting yes they are. When my account was hacked back in ffxi and it took SE, 2 weeks to unlock it and get it back. I slept horribly, didn't eat well, couldn't focus well in college, and was in a state of constant stress. So I agree it is addicting. But then again almost everything we like is not just the bad stuff.

Cool personal experience.
And no, talking with people over a screen or interface doesn't qualify as social interaction. Not at least from the perspective of a healthy biosocial development.