Date of Award

Spring 5-2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

EVMS School of Health Professions

Program/Concentration

Art Therapy & Counseling

Committee Director

Matthew Bernier

Committee Member

Daria Kuss

Committee Member

Sarah Deaver

Abstract

Excessive use of online gaming through use of Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) has become an increasingly pertinent issue as the genre continues to gain international popularity. This genre has been noted for eliciting addictive behavior in which players have an increased likelihood of partaking in game-related activities and neglecting other areas of life that may involve work, school, social activities, or other interests.

Methods to gain direct information of the experiences of people who feel addicted and compelled to play video games has typically been done through surveys and questionnaires over the past decade. This study entailed of a comparative analysis between art of people who are considered to be addicted to MMORPGs and other types of addicts. The objective of this analysis was to discover more about the collective minds of gaming addicts and to determine how art by gaming addicts compares to art produced by those affected by other addictions.

The book Art and Addiction provides a sample of 22 artworks by people who have experienced addiction themselves and subsequently created art to reflect or communicate how addiction has affected them. The compilation of art provides a source of publicly available addiction art to use in a comparative analysis in this study.

Three samples of art by people who are considered to be addicted according to the Gaming Addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire were gathered. Participants created art reflecting their gaming experience or how they feel about their gaming habits.

Results demonstrated that there are core similarities in the art of both collections of addiction art in regard to the presence of confinement, detrimental environment, presence of addictive substance, and loss of control. The comparison group contained images that reflected repetition and a heavy focus on the face and hands. A divergent result occurred in the MMORPG addiction sample which lacked any facial features, suggesting the importance of anonymity or lack of identity. Alternatively, the MMORPG addiction art focused on the urge for relationships instead of identity.

The results suggest that the core experiences of addiction are expressed similarly regardless of a substance or behavioral expression. Specific qualities emerge amongst addiction expressions as well, which are reflective of the particular characteristics of any particular addiction.

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DOI

10.25777/dkgh-g094

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