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I recently read an excellent book about this subject exactly --

Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas, by Natasha Dow Schüll.

It has research from every angle -- former addicts, the casinos, current addicts, game programmers, game manufacturers, anyone who has a hand in the industry.

It's incredibly comprehensive, and definitely worth a look, if a bit long.

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It pains me to say this, but, back when "Gamification" was a major growth tool, I read this book so that I could identify potential avenues for "gamify-ing" the product that I was working on, but, the stories of the addicts are really what drove me away from even considering that for what I was working on.

I'll +1 on it being a really comprehensive book.

The book "Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products" is exactly that. Minus the cautionary tales, I guess (haven't read it).

She also did an interview for Adam Ruins Everything for people looking for a shorter time commitment than a book.

http://www.maximumfun.org/adam-ruins-everything/professor-na...

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