Addiction And Images Of Time, Space And Body (2012-2015)

The three year post doctoral research focuses on the ‘being in the world’ of addicted players of Massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs). MMORPGs are advanced social virtual worlds, into which the player is socialized through signs, codes and roles. The games have been categorized as ‘heroinware’, as they run continuously in real time, they feature social and competitive aspects, making devotion to the game mandatory. When addictions develop, the imagery governing the behaviours changes. The study builds on the hypothesis that the change involves perceptual dimensions of time, space and body. In the digitalized world there is a constant need to pay special attention to these aspects in the addictive process. The analysis of the study is not only expected to give insight into the negotiations of boundaries between normal and excessive behaviour by the addicted gamers, but also how capability and control over action mark digitalized societies and uphold pathways to addicted states. Funder: Academy of Finlnad