Brenton Chin's Blog

The MMOROG business has proven to be a very lucrative business. After creating an addicting game, MMORPOG games usually rely on the constant subscription of users to feed their company with dollars upon dollars.  This may sound lucrative, however, it does raise questions dealing with ethics – at what extent will MMOROG’s go to addict their users to the game? As shown on the graph below, the rate of MMOROG is growing heavily…

I have been addicted to MMORPGs in the past, so I know how addicting they can be. However,  I’ve never been addicted to the degree that my other friends have been.  Presently, the most addicting MMORPG is World of Warcraft.. which single-handedly controls over half of the market share of MMORPGs! (you can see this below!)

What exactly is it about World of Warcraft that keeps its subscribers paying the monthly fee? Well, yes, I assume the game play is extraordinary.. however, I believe it also has to do with a strong business plan on their creator, Blizzard Entertainment’s part.

One of Blizzard Entertainment’s business strategies is to make sure that it is difficult for existing users to quit the game. I have heard stories of people quitting, then subsequently coming back to play within a couple of days. One of the ways in which this happens is through Blizzard Entertainment’s offer of a free week of play to people who have stopped subscribing. Though this may seem harmless, once a player that previously had been addicted to World of Warcraft begins playing again, the possibility of them becoming addicting again (and therefore renewing their subscription)  is very likely.

This method is very effective for Blizzard Entertainment, as they do not lose anything, and therefore can only gain from offering previously addicted users a chance to play World of Warcraft for free. This may be a good business model, however, is it ethical to benefit from addicted users who have quit? I believe this is unethical because I have seen firsthand people whose lives have spiraled downhill from the addictive nature of World of Warcraft.

Clearly, more and more people are playing World of Warcraft.. What do you all think? Ethical or unethical?