Stress from Multiplayer Online Games

One of the stress issues linked to Multiplayer Online Games, (MMOGs) is romantic relationships aspect of playing the games. Part of the fun of a MMOG can be the romantic relationship that you create between your character in the game and another character in the game. However, with the use of private messages within the MMOG and other Internet messengers, some people cross over from characters to real life. While their game characters are busy away obtaining skills, the people behind the character are chatting away about anything and everything in private messengers such as AIM, Yahoo and MSN. Eventually, the conversation between the pair can turn to a romantic nature if one or both of the people are lonely. Before you know it, people are getting together for an on line affair while telling the rest of the family that they are simply signing on to play their MMOG. There is a danger and the stress from crossing the line from the MMOG to the present, every day life.

Flaming blogs and other web pages have been created for the sole purpose of undermining people in MMOG. The focus no longer is on the characters within the MMOG but personal attacks on individual people. Real stress and emotional consequences can occur from this type of personal attacks. Jealousy and insecurities rise and people begin competing for lovers that they have met online. It is not rare that one lover might be chatting with several people at once with no intention of meeting in real life or worries about the emotional conflicts of having multiple online romantic relationships.

The purpose of a MMOG is competition. Most people want their character to develop skill and game money. There is a huge online auction market for game items, game money and even developed characters for various MMOGs. People become so focused on the game that they are willing to spend literally hundreds of dollars to advance quickly in the game by purchasing MMOG items and characters. Others are willing to spend money on cheat bots and risk getting banned from a MMOG if they are caught using the bot.