Why play an on-line game?

Last night someone in-game kept asking me why I play the Avakin Life MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game.)  I woke up with this list of why I play.

REWARDS OF PLAYING AN ON-LINE GAME

Dopamine.  * see footnote below.

Affordability.  MMORPGs can be played for free.   If you follow the game's expectations, it will reward you with the things that you need and want to play.  And a few surprises!  Free is a very pleasant quality in our sharp-edged world of finance.  It is very satisfying when you game the system and have fun for free!

Accessibility.  Even if you buy a subscription to enhance your on-line experience, on-line games are much cheaper than other types of activities irl (in real life), making MMORPGs financially accessible to almost anyone in the world who has internet access.  And it is endlessly enchanting to have interactions with other players who may literally be playing the game on the other side of the Earth.  Wow!

Playing Paper Dolls.  The game can be as simple as playing paper dolls, where you dress and redress your sleek and slim or maybe your muscly avatar without the effort of showering or exercising.  You can effortlessly change the clothing of your avatar each and every day, or all day long.  Simply tap at your avatar, and off with one lovely costume and on with another even more lovely costume, just like a fashion model or the elites (just ignoring the delusions.)  This makes one feel very attractive, glorious even.  Male or female your avatar is more beautiful than any mortal human being.  Or you can make it extraordinarily, devastatingly ugly if that is your thing.  This control over one's self-presentation is massively empowering.

Collecting.  You can collect stuff in-game (delightful clothing, vehicles, houses, furnishings, pets, friends, play money), acquiring all of it much more easily than irl.  The game money flows in return for the simple game tasks as you complete them.  Even more money comes from the endless, silly little ads that you are forced to watch, but which you can easily avoid by multitasking with multiple devices.  This evasion makes one feel clever and the in-flow of game money feels oddly real.

Personalization.  You can present the world with as many versions of your avatar as you care to create:  male, female, or creatures, all with different attributes such as skin color, eye color, fingernails, or hair style.

Surprises.  Most people like but seldom receive happy surprises.  In-game you will receive rewards and gifts from the game on a regular basis, and randomly: money, objects, poses and actions, even houses and cars.  This is quite pleasant.  The game is full of other delights such as the beautiful, complicated venues through which you can move your avatar, walking, running, sitting, swimming, interacting with things around you.  Or you can simply stay and enjoy the view, watching the other gamers cavorting around.  Join them and see how your avatar is received.  Recovery from failure is as easy as tapping your way to another, more satisfying venue with a new set of players.  You would have to try very hard to be bored in-game.  Go to beaches, parks, assorted seedy bars, up-scale dance clubs, or venues sited in other countries like Egypt and Arabia.  Visit other gamers' homes. It's an adventure.

Interactions.  Interactions are as superficial or as deep as you make it. Some conversations seem surprisingly real, the feelings are real. You keep your friends and block the hind ends. Strangers occasionally give you gifts, wanting to message you and join you (and more if you are willing to be invited.)  These interactions are, of course, much easier and cheaper than irl.  And novel.

Life Is Easy.  Everything is sooo much easier in-game than irl.

Something Pleasant To Do.  Gaming is a fulfilling hobby for many, providing a way to express creativity, connection, and enjoyment, without risks.

_________________

"Dopamine is strongly linked to pleasure, often called the "feel-good" chemical, triggering feelings of reward and satisfaction, but its primary role is more about motivation and "wanting" a reward, rather than the actual feeling of "liking" or enjoying it. It drives the pursuit of enjoyable things like food or sex, creating a powerful "wanting" sensation that makes you repeat the behavior, even if the actual pleasure experienced is separate, according to research by scientists like Kent Berridge and Terry Robinson."

Customizing my avatar is just the beginning.

Annmarie Throckmorton 01-15-26