Out of all curiosity.. Is KSP addictive in some way?

[Columbia]

I know this is probably a strange question to ask, but.. Is KSP unusually addictive compared to some other games?

I've never had so much joy to be honest playing it, with so much freedom to use your day with. Many games I play get boring after a week or two, but KSP - I have been playing it for much longer.

I'm not saying addictive as in "sugar" - addictive, but, for some reason, seems much more activity-filled than other sandbox games.

What do you guys think? Does KSP affect you in such a way that you have much more joy playing it?

[Thomas988]

I do think KSP has an element of addiction to it. The amount of stuff you can do it limitless, and if you can think of it chances are you can build and fly it. It's this versatility that got me into KSP in the first place!

[Endersmens]

Hello, my name is Endersmens, and I am a KSP addict. It consumes my free time, and sometimes my not-so-free time. But I'm not looking for help, cause I'm enjoying every minute!

Anyways, I do think KSP has more of a pull to play it again, as their is so much to do and so much to complete.

[Jonboy]

KSP forces you to figure things out. Just as in picking up any real-life skill, you fail a lot. But once you succeed and something starts to "click", you get a sense of real satisfaction. That feeling is sure as hell "addictive".

Plus for me, KSP gives me the opportunity to design and fly rockets, which is something I've always dreamed of doing since I was a small child. In other words, if you're the right kind of person, KSP can be a great source of "addictive" satisfaction.

[LittleBlueGaming]

Well-done sandbox games can be very, very addicting. The right game in the right theme lets you explore and express yourself like nothing else. For me, it's a lot like Minecraft, there's not enough time in life to try everything you could want to.

So yeah, if you're a gamer, and a geek or nerd, then it's probably going to be addicting.

[zarakon]

KSP gives a real sense of accomplishment that few other games can

[loch.ness]

KSP forces you to figure things out. Just as in picking up any real-life skill, you fail a lot. But once you succeed and something starts to "click", you get a sense of real satisfaction. That feeling is sure as hell "addictive".

Plus for me, KSP gives me the opportunity to design and fly rockets, which is something I've always dreamed of doing since I was a small child. In other words, if you're the right kind of person, KSP can be a great source of "addictive" satisfaction.

Yeah - this is exactly it for me. I dreamed of being part of NASA as a kid. designing and building space ships was equally a part of my dream as flying them - but I never had the confidence to pursue that. I found I was good at teaching (ESL and English lit it turned out) and I enjoyed it - but my heart and dreams lay in space even then.

Finding KSP for me felt an awful lot like going to Hogwarts must have felt for Harry Potter. Suddenly I'm the wizard (or engineer and astronaut). Even though I've really only dipped my big toe out of Kerbin's SOI in all my many many hours playing the game - I'm simply amazed at how much fun and satisfaction I'm still having and how much better I keep getting at design and flight in the game. I absolutely love the life I have, but there is a part of me that can't help but think that if I had had this game when I was 8 then I'd be at NASA now (or possibly Space X).

[DancesWithSquirrels]

It's the snacks. Definitely the snacks.

[joekidd1992]

I'm sure it can be addictive on some levels, but I have been addicted to other games even more.

[r4pt0r]

maybe? I can see the "just one more launch" mentality sometimes, but after a failure if its late I have no problem shutting it down.

My problem is playing Stainless Steel and having the polish attack me for the umpteenth time and I say "ok just 1 more turn,I'll break the seige and save and go to bed" then suddenly the sun is up again.

[pslytely psycho]

My problem is playing Stainless Steel and having the polish attack me for the umpteenth time and I say "ok just 1 more turn,I'll break the seige and save and go to bed" then suddenly the sun is up again.

Stainless Steel = Heroin in a mod package.

I can't even count the hours. I owned the Medieval II for years on disk, bought a Steam version after the disk finally died (I had it resurfaced twice, the third time it just didn't work afterwards, looks perfect but won't load) and they put it at 525 hours since the Steam purchase. I have used SS since it was first released.

KSP, though, is addictive in a different way. Real life science reports/videos, launches, space based movies and that type of thing will inspire me to play even when I am not thinking about KSP, whereas, SS or Civ V, I tend to plan more time around in advance and less on the spur of the moment, because, you know, the Poles....

KSP 1037 hrs

Medieval II (with Stainless Steel 99% of the time) 525 hrs

Civ V 438 hrs

Medieval II probably has 5X that many play hours considering how many years I played it before Steam. The next closest game in my collection would be Grid with 341 hours. So Stainless Steel is king on my list as well.

[razark]

KSP is not addictive at all.

Now stop distracting me. I've got to get in one more mission before I go to work on this fine Thursday.

[maceemiller]

Its addictive to me yes! I cant walk past roof solar panels or mobile phone masts without thinking about KSP! Ive been "into" games before over the last 30 years but this has got me like a bear trap.

[Madrias]

KSP has a hint of addiction factor because you get a real sense of accomplishment when you do something. First time to Orbit on your new career save feels awesome. First time you pull off a two-ship docking, you have to wipe the sweat off of your forehead. Building your first space station becomes something to consider, and each module adds new Kerbals and a renewed sense of "Wow. I did this."

Part of it, I think, is because KSP isn't the kind of game to kick you when you're down. If you're failing to make orbit, there's something stopping you from doing it. Chances are, you can engineer your way out of the problem. Part of it is that it's like virtual LEGO bricks, putting together your space shuttle, or your Apollo mission, or just seeing if you can make this plane into a single-stage-to-orbit crew transfer shuttle. Then you get to fly your creations. You can put rovers on other worlds, other moons. You can send Kerbals onto these planets, set up colonies, collect science, and return the data to unlock new parts (in Science/Career mode. In Sandbox, you're doing this just to say 'yeah, I did something here.')

My only fault against KSP is that for as fun as it is, there is a hint of... Well, I'll say it bluntly. The learning curve, it doesn't exist. The 'learning curve' is a skyscraper inconveniently placed at the ends of your runway. Your first ever flights will often end in an explosion and dead Kerbals. Even once you stop making manned fireworks, you'll still fight to make orbit. Even when you make orbit, you'll fight to get any further. Then you'll try something new and find out "Hey, sticking a nosecone on the back of these drop tanks makes you use less fuel!" or "Making orbit costs less fuel if you launch this way."

And there will be days where, despite everything, you grow to hate KSP and you shut it down... For a day, a week, or a month. And you'll wake up one day with a crazy new idea and KSP makes the perfect testbed for half of them.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go send a biplane to Eve.

[boxman]

It did have that effect on me during the first thousand(s) of hours of playing, but then after going nearly everywhere making various bases/stations it kinda started to lose the magic for me.

Did not help that it got more and more unstable with each version. Since .2x I have really not been able to get back into it.

For me now unity5 is my only hope, so that I can actually make something large without framerates dipping into one digit numbers or constant crashes due to mods using up the little memory available in the 32bit address space.

[Voidryder]

Nope, not addictive in the least. I've been playing everyday since 0.17.1 in Oct 2012 and I've quit plenty of times - power outages, crashes, threats from bosses. KSP being addictive and consuming every moment of your life, both waking and sleeping is just propaganda being spread by the Anti-KSP League. These are the same people who say we never landed on the moon or that steak-a-la-mode is bad for you. Unfortunately a lot of girlfriends, boyfriends, significant others and spouses secretly or even openly belong to this fanatical group of naysayers. The only hope for these unenlightened souls is to do an intervention. Sit them down in front of a computer, fire up KSP and let them experience the Joy and Bliss we all do. I only suggest you get two computers or you'll never get on again.

[Fel]

Well, I'd just like to say that "addiction" is very poorly defined... especially by certain advocacy groups.

Addiction is when something satisfies a "want" so well that the body no longer attempts to self-satisfy or seek other sources of satisfaction.

So it depends why you're playing KSP and what need it fulfills for you. If it is just to kill time, that is easily supplemented by something else; if it is to explore worlds, that again can be supplemented... but the unique (simplified) engineering tools, creating something from your imagination and having underlying complexities work with it in a way that gives it a realistic feel of accomplishment, there are very few replacements for that.

[serolrom]

My addictions are sandboxes and simulators. This one is kinda both. Space rockets and physics. That's the reason why, despite its not a game that I really "like", I can't be away from it for too long.

For me, there's Fligh Simulator, Orbiter, KSP and EVE Online in no particular order.

[Robotengineer]

I have 'Just let me finish this mission' syndrome. Which often entails staying up 1-2 hours later than I intend, only to fail the mission due to sleep deprivation, and restart from my latest quick save next time I play. Luckily, this happens rarely enough.

[Alshain]

Any accomplishment while doing something you enjoy doing produces serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins in your body which are naturally addictive so most humans actively try to reproduce the effects. I'm not entirely sure which ones are produced in this particular case, I'm not a biologist. But rest assured one of them is being created when you succeed at something and have that "feel good effect".

[peachoftree]

I find myself in the "oh gosh dang it its 2:00 AM" situation far more often than I should.

[Rath]

Another thing is that there are things no one has done before (eve/tylo SSTO) so you can get a bigger sense of accomplishment.

[Beowolf]

Absolutely everything that creates a pleasurable response in a brain will be addictive* to some. Seriously. Everything. That's just the way Earth life is wired. When KSP makes you stay up too late, that's a good game. When KSP makes you fail classes or lose your job or family, that's addicted, and time to ask for help.

* Technically "addictive" means "produces physical withdrawal symptoms when removed", which fits coffee but not KSP. My wife the Psych prof tells me there isn't a better term yet, just workarounds like "psychological dependency", but they're working on it.

[SpacedCowboy]

*loading up game* "C'mon c'mon,,, What?

[FishInferno]

I think that KSP can be addictive because you come so close to success so many times that you just have to try again