This is an experimental research paper relaying women's stories, gathered with Sense-Making Methodology interviews, of times they felt they were addicted to video games. My analysis, and thus the framing for this paper's "narrative", focuses on the dynamics of power in and around the women's lives during this period of addiction.

1. How Ms. Player Became
Addicted to Video Games:
And survived to tell her tale!

2. What you will see here, dear
readers, is a story of Ms. Player,
who is admittedly not a real person
– but then, who is?
Ms. Player represents the stories
of fourteen women – their struggles
in a time when they were addicted
to video games. As much as
possible, without distortion, I have
taken their words and put them into
the mouth of Ms. Player – she is
their voice, their representation in
our story.
When you hear me, in the commanding role of Narrator, these are
my observations on what these fourteen women were saying. And
so you see me now, ready to tell you, dear readers, about these
addicting adventures of Ms. Player.
1

3. Once upon a time, Ms. Player found a
video game.
I felt very bored and was looking for
anything to pass the time.

4. When DaMan showed up, she decided to
start playing it.
As the situation got worse, the less
power I had to change it and make it
better. I felt like I had no control over
what was happening in my life.
2

5. When DaMan started making too many
demands, Ms. Player escaped into the game.
I questioned how I had gotten myself
into this mess. The games were an
escape. I could understand why
gamers are so into this.
3

6. In this game, Ms. Player found she
could be anyone she wanted.
I didn’t know who I
really was, so I could
be anyone. I felt that
I really needed to
start being the
person who would
have different
options.
4

7. And she could go anywhere she wanted.
It’s like I am in another
world, and I like it. I had
not a care in the world
when I played this
game. This is what life
is about.

8. Like, wow, this is going to be fun. I
am going to meet different people
and see more places.
5

9. Ms. Player met very interesting
characters.
I enjoyed playing the game
because I was interacting
with characters I love. I
cared for the characters I
was playing with, so I
wanted to do well with them.

10. Characters who kept her going.
Being so fond of the characters I was
playing and interacting with kept me
going, because I wanted to defeat the
bad guys for them and with them.
6

11. I thought this was the most
entertaining game I had ever
played. I constantly won, and I
liked the feeling of winning, of
being the best. It made me feel
good and made me happy.
Ms. Player was having so much fun.
7

12. Because of the escape the game
provided from DaMan.
It gave me a
chance to escape
my everyday
troubles. It isolated
me away from my
problems and made
me forget what
bothered me.

13. Because of how powerful she felt.
I felt like I had a lot of power
over the game as I moved
from level to level. The game
made me feel in control of
something, which is what I
needed to feel, like I had
some sort of control over
something in life at that stage.
8

14. So she went deeper, and deeper, into
this game…
I was spending a
lot of time playing
the game instead
of doing more
“productive”
things.

15. And further and further away from
DaMan and his demands.
9

16. But on her wanderings, Ms. Player began
to have wonderings…
How can a
game make me
feel so
confident and
powerful when I
feel so weak in
reality?
10

17. Because as deep as she went, Ms. Player
knew she could never truly escape DaMan.
I don’t think that’s the case
always. You have to remember
I’m not like everyone else. So
you can’t put their words in my
mouth. But, I’m not even saying
this now, am I? Did anyone say
this, or do you just need me to
be saying this now to keep the
story going? Is it even my story
anymore? Am I me, or just
someone you created?

18. Sorry, but you did start wondering about how
addictive this was becoming, didn’t you?
I felt as though I was consumed through
the game and nothing else seemed to
matter at the time.
Is that not the definition of addiction?
I don’t know about the definition, but I
guess it can be a definition.
Okay, then a definition of addiction.
I did feel like I was becoming addicted.
I had never been addicted to a game
that badly in the past.
11

19. Because the game started to take
control, right?
When did I allow this
to get this out of
control? The game
had power over me
the whole time I
thought I had power
over it.

20. For no matter where she went…
12

21. …or who she talked to…

22. …or even who she went as…
Narrator’s Note: Lara Croft is the epitome
of male desire and female empowerment. 13

23. ...the game became overwhelming!
I felt like a slave to
the game.

24. You have to run! You have to get out
of there before it’s too late!
I know that! I’m the one
who told you that!
14

25. How long have I
been like this? How
can I stop being like
this? I need to
regain my power.

26. I concluded that it was a
good thing then. This
video game helped me
to adapt to hard times
and situations. I also
had the power to stop
playing my game.
15

27. Ms. Player returned, better for her
journey, to face down DaMan.
The game helped me to
cope with what was going
on. My game was a huge
factor in the happiness I
achieved that year.
16

28. And so happily ever after
came for Ms. Player…
UNTIL…
17

29. Once upon another time, Ms. Player
found a video game.

30. When DaMan showed up,
she decided to start playing it.
18

31. When DaMan started making too many
demands, Ms. Player escaped into the game.

32. The End
The Beginning 19

33. Don’t I get a real
happily ever after?
Do you want your
story to be over?
Well, not when you
put it like that.
20

34. Now, dear readers, what did we learn
today about playing video games?
[INSERT
YOUR
ANSWER
HERE]
21

35. Very interesting, but my interpretation of Ms.
Player’s adventures is that we all face times of
lacking the ability to control our fate. Playing
games substitutes for feeling in control.
The problem is if we keep playing to get this
feeling, we believe only the game can provide it. In
time, the game controls us instead of us controlling
the game.
You see, it’s all about
power relations. We see
it swirling around us, this
whirlwind of power we can
never completely grasp,
yet we desire nonetheless.
Do you understand what I
mean, dear readers?

36. Of course, that’s just her
interpretation.
Of course, am I
not entitled to
have an opinion?
As much as anyone is,
maybe more so because
you did the work.
That’s very kind of you to say.
Did I say that?
Here we go again…
22

37. This has been a
Constructive Deconstruction
All images were “retrieved” from the vast resources of the internet,
save for the representations of “Ms. Player” and “DaMan”.
© 2007