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Everquest is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) released in 1999 by Sony Online Entertainment. The game is based on a subscription fee, with numerous expansions, spin off products and sequels offered to players.
The game is based on a fantasy world, where the player fights monsters and enemies to gain treasure, though the primary aim is to interact with others to gain abilities, power and move through to higher levels.
Wikipedia identifies three ethical issues pertaining to Everquest; objects from the game are for sale for real currency, the extensive exploitation, hacking and cheating of the game and the highly addictive qualities of the game. Addiction is seen as a major issue with MMORPG and is the most significant issue surrounding Everquest.
The most extreme case of addiction witnessed in relation to Everquest was the suicide of Shawn Wooley in 2001. The suicide highlighted the possible effects of gameplay and brought media attention to the game (Spain and Vega, 2005).
Studies stemming from the incident found that the average Everquest player spends 20 hours per week online, with one out of five players indicating that they would spend all their time online if they could (Keighly; Yee in Hartman and Pava, 2005). Further results indicate that one third of players that are over 18 years of age spend more time on Everquest than their jobs, with two-thirds Everquest players admitting that they are probably addicted to the game (Yee in Hartman and Pava, 2005).
Addiction to the game is also reinforced with three qualities of the game; continuous play, incentives and anonymity. The Everquest player initially is a part of a team of fellow online players, as players are in various time zones across the globe, the game is never-ending. Thus, continuous pressure is on those who are addicted to continue to play – to log off could possibly be fatal or at least hinder a players’ character in some way. As characters play to earn rewards and money, this contributes to the pressure a player may feel to stay online longer and play.
The anonymity of the player is also influential in addictive play. Players, although form teams in order to progress through the game, are not playing as themselves, rather they take on the persona of their character. Thus, while they are interacting with many people, they are interacting as a form of escaping from their real world and every day life.
Hartman, L. P., & Pava, M. L. (2005). Sony Online Entertainment: Everquest or EverCrack: Oxford Style Debate Presented at Tenth Annual International Conference Promoting Business Ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 58(17-26).
McCabe, S. (2004). Computer Games - Addiction. Retrieved October 26, 2005, from http://wiki.media-culture.org.au/index.php/Computer_Games_-_Addiction
Vega, J. W. S. a. G. (2005). Sony Online Entertainment: Everquest or EverCrack. Journal of Business Ethics, 158, 3-6.
Wikipedia. (2005a). Everquest. Retrieved October 26, 2005, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everquest
Wikipedia. (2005b). MMORPG. Retrieved October 26, 2005, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMORPG
