My dear daughter,
I have been playing smartphone games every now and then as a type of methadone treatment.
While it appears to have kept me away from Playstation 4 and computer games (I have never played them again, with one exception which I’ll explain below), these games can’t simply be regarded as a lesser drug.
Up until now I had only played fast mini-games with little options for leveling or advancing characters. Mostly after lunch, during coffee break or between tasks at work, as a form of mind relaxing.
It’s too dangerous though. I really have the brain of an addict. I started with beat-em-up arcade games, went through a few RPGs and sci-fi games from the Play Store, and ended up installing a new version of Ragnarök, the first MMO I have ever played, for mobile devices.
Now, the people who make these games and advertise them are like drug dealers. This version of the MMO is very similar to the first one released in the early 2000’s. They call it Ragnarök M(obile) – Eternal Love. It’s the eternal hookup, that’s what it is. Eternal dopamine system hijack.
Everything from the old game is back and more, like an adventurer album you use to collect pictures of monsters and places, to tease a player’s OCD. There’s a whole new achievements system. It’s a cruel attempt to trap the player’s souls.
I started playing on Friday and have done little more than play the damn thing since then. I keep telling myself I’ll stop when I reach a prestige class, but I know it’s a lie. I feel all the symptoms, I get agitated when not playing, I keep thinking about when I’ll get the time to play, I postpone other important tasks, I even feel goosebumps in my arms. My eyes are tired of playing on this damn small smartphone screen. I kept thinking about the game when I went to bed and even woke up in the middle of the night craving it. At least last night I resisted it and went back to sleep.
I’ll never let this damn thing keep me away from you and all the important tasks I must complete to ensure we have a safe future. I know what I have to do, I have to delete this thing right away and remember I have an addict brain next time I think of playing it.
The other game I was playing was EVE Online, but I started it as research in order to apply for a job with the Icelandic company responsible for it. The good thing is I really didn’t get hooked on it. It’s a very nice and complex sci-fi game, but I have been able to keep it under control. I guess I was just lucky.
Love,
Dad
Aspergers Dad 