From Atari’s Pong to Grand Theft Auto and Rock Band,

video games have come a long way—

but are these games really physically and psychologically addictive?

Video games are no longer just for kids—over the past thirty years, they have become blockbuster profit machines, surpassing even Hollywood’s film industry. Scott Rigby, a specialist of virtual worlds and interactive technology, and Richard Ryan, professor of psychology, collaborated to explain the psychological benefits and addictive qualities of video games. According to Rigby and Ryan, the key to video games’ allure isn’t that games are fun (which they are) or that games are addictive (which they can be). The key is that they fulfill fundamental needs, whether it’s the player’s need for competence, mastery over challenges, or the need for relatedness.

Scott Rigby, Ph.D. is founder and president of Immersyve, Inc., a research and consulting group specializing in interactive technologies. In addition to publishing scholarly research on human motivation, Dr. Rigby has developed interactive applications for entertainment (for Sony, Warner Brothers), education (for The Smithsonian Institute), and health care.

Richard M. Ryan, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, and professor of psychology, psychiatry and education at the University of Rochester.