New Problems

Potential problems have been created due to this new form of online gaming. First, with the anonymity of the Net, players are able to bring in “ringers” to play for them in online tournaments without anyone knowing the difference. This is only a problem for the lower-class tournaments and will remain an issue, for there are no foreseeable answers. Another problem that the professional gamers must face are that “unlike genuine sports that endure through the ages, the games played by the stars of the PGL and other competitive bodies are inherently short-lived—as technology advances, games become outdated and are quickly replaced. This high rate of turnover could translate into a turn-off for potential audiences (Fong 1998).” One foreseeable solution is to determine a master not by a single game but rather mastery of an entire genre.

Although ranking ladders and online tournaments promote competition, this competition can become excessive, resulting in social problems. To attain a higher ranking one might spend excessive time practicing or playing online. This severely takes away from the social aspect of online gaming, for these gamers are solely concentrating on self-success. Ranking systems also increase the addiction factor of online gaming because one desires to be at the top of the ranking ladder. It is when the addiction factor sets in that the fear of video games comes forth and becomes reality. These individuals have the potential of becoming highly anti-social, having little to no off-line social life. These individuals may also put aside any school work, concentrating solely on their online ranking. The situation very closely mimics that of MUD addiction. Addiction is not a common occurrence on either platform, but rather is the exception. However, when addiction does occur there is tremendous concern about its negative effects.