DRUG OR DROSS?

"You drive me crazy, I just can't sleep. I'm so excited, I'm in too deep!". I know you may not all be Britney Spears fans, but this song is strangely appropriate to the computer industry at the moment. Well, actually it is totally inappropriate. There is a lot of talk inside the games industry and also the medical professions at the moment about whether computing is addictive. A recent American report claimed recently that the internet should be classed as an addictive substance, and that anyone who spends more than ten hours a week online should be badged a junkie and be forced to go into substance-abuse style rehab clinics. This is once of the most extreme views that has been expressed, but it does raise questions for the computer games industry. Unfortunately, they seen to have lost the knack of producing addictive games. As late as two or three years ago, every quarter there were four or five truly addictive games that stopped you sleeping. They just took over until you had finished them, and even then you could replay them to your hearts content. The classic one of these was Tetris, programmed by a crack group of Russian programmers. This game had, and has for many years made every type of person, from men who you thought should have known better to five year old girls and everyone in between, become totally absorbed in doing something which is essentially a very pointless and futile exercise. Building rows out of little blocks. Its not even good practice for becoming a bricklayer.

Sadly, it seems that in recent times a little bit of the spark has gone. There have been very few games that have so mesmerised and enchanted people. You can think of others, but not many. Recently, Half-Life pulled this off, with a combination of a truly immersive storyline, interesting things to do, and a genuine suspense "I can't wait till the next level" factor. Command and Conquer: Red Alert has the same effect on people. The forthcoming Homeworld is apparently as addictive as crack cocaine, and the buzz lasts longer. You will all know what games made you tick, and which made you want to go to sleep. Make no mistake though, good games are not always addictive. The recent, much-hyped C+C: Tiberian Sun is a good game, but not one that manages to rivet you and give you any desire to stay with it forever.

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