Responsible gaming is a practice aimed towards providing a safe and authentic gaming experience to online players. It includes a range of measures designed to ensure the temptation to play any online game doesn’t cause any negative effects on player’s personal life or finances.
With the rapid growth of the online gaming industry, a huge population today is prone to playing online games during their leisure time. The millennials today are extensively internet-savvy and spend most of their time playing online games which often leads to compulsive playing disorders. While conventional videogames have an end or may turn out to be boring and monotonous after some point, Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) are a limitless system of targets and goals. In this, the player continues to become stronger and richer by reaching new levels while collecting treasures, power and weaponry. These challenges and the zeal to accomplish the various stages in a game lead to gaming addiction which may lead to serious lifestyle disorders.
Apart from the online video games, online poker can also be quite addictive. Poker is a skill-based game and is a great way to spend some quality time as well as to test and improve a player’s knowledge and skills. Most players understand the importance of disciplined gaming but some players may face trouble controlling the desire to play even if their financial situation doesn’t allow them to do so. There may be times when a player can’t walk away from the tables without winning at least a hand and spends too much time playing the game which may lead to disturbed personal life.
In order to prevent the many gaming addiction problems, online game companies need to be more socially responsible for over-addictive use of their products. Responsible gaming operators can try to help gamers improve control over their own behaviour by uniting good game design with efficient gamers polices and recommendation services.
Additionally, online game developers and publishers need to look into the structural features of the game design; for instance the rapid absorption rate, character development and multi-player features which make them addictive and/or problematic for some players. One idea could be to condense long quests to minimize the time spent in the game in order to gain a certain prized item.
Another very effective way to implement responsible gaming is through the introduction of responsible gaming feature across web, mobile and app. India’s leading poker website Adda52.com in a quest to protect the players from the adverse consequences of real money gaming, have launched a new ‘Responsible Gaming Feature’ on its website. Through this feature players will be able to set limits on deposits, tables or stakes and also self-exclude from the game for a set period of time. Initiatives like these are an effective way of minimising gaming addiction and promoting self-control amongst the players.
The percentage of gamers who develop problems and/or become addicts may stay constant but with online games getting better and better, the number of gamers is most probably going to increase. On one hand, the online games like poker are a great way of enjoying and upgrading one’s skills and on the other, it is always necessary to have self-control while playing these online games. It is the collective responsibility of the players and the gaming websites to make responsible gaming an inclusive part of the online gaming industry.
