Video Game Addiction
Let’s talk about the much debated topic of video game addiction. I think this odd phenomenon is slowly becoming a big social issue - mainly because people actually think it exists. I have no doubts about this, ladies and gentlemen, video game addiction is complete and utter bullshit. It makes just about as much sense as chocolate addiction.
I’m sorry but if you can’t stop playing WoW, you are not addicted. Is there a physical dependence component to you addiction? Would you do do just about anything to get another fix, no matter how degrading, or revolting it was? Sometimes I wonder if the people who talk about “video game addiction” can even comprehend the plight of those who struggle with real drug and alcohol addictions. Go talk to a recovering heroin addict, or an alcoholic and ask them what they think about the video game dependence. They will probably laugh at you, or punch you in the balls for comparing some dork cutting school to play WoW to the stuff they experienced.
I’ll be blunt here - sorry if it offends anyone, but it has to be said. Would you suck dick to get WoW money? I don’t think you could find a single person who would stoop so low. This is very different for real addict, who deal with real substance dependence. Hell, most of the “game addicts” actually had their gaming fees paid by parents. I always laugh when I see a mother crying on national TV, and telling a sappy story on how she didn’t know what do do about her son’s out of control gaming habit. WTF? How about you call up your credit card company and stop the monthly payment to Blizzard? How is that for a first step?
Any psychologist who claims that video game addiction is a real affliction, is a quack or a media whore (or both). Just about every media story about “video game addiction” contains some blurb about the victim struggling with depression, or some other psychological issue prior to any game related issues. I’m not a psychologist, but if someone has no friends outside the game, and their whole sense of identity and self worth is tied onto the game community, it’s not hard to predict they will be spending inordinate amounts of time online.
So the biggest problem with video game addiction is that we are actually buying into it. It’s dangerous, because someone who needs real help may be misdiagnosed and misunderstood. IANAP but my gut feeling is that obsession with a game is usually not a cause but a symptom of some deeper problem.
What do you think? Have you ever encountered this “game addiction” issue?
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November 12th, 2007 at 3:41 pm (6949) [Quote]
I think a lot of this goes to our societies growing habit of blaming someone else for our problems. If you don’t have enough self control to stop playing video games, claim you’re addicted. There is a big difference between habits (especially enjoyable habits) and addictions.
Posted usingNovember 12th, 2007 at 4:04 pm (6950) [Quote]
I would write my opinion of this issue, but I need to get back to X-Com. It callssss usss.
Posted usingNovember 12th, 2007 at 4:35 pm (6951) [Quote]
@jambarama - very good point.
People use this to justify their lack of motivation and ambition. To lazy to get out of the basement and find a job? Claim you’re addicted to WoW and you can’t stop playing. This way people will feel bad for you and let you mooch off of them - and if they give you crap about not working or playing to much, you can sell them a sappy story about struggling with addiction.
@Teague - obsession is bit different from addiction.
Posted usingNovember 12th, 2007 at 8:16 pm (6954) [Quote]
I would agree with you on this one. I had a period of about a year while in college that I was hit with some pretty bad depression. In that time I became “addicted” to counter-strike. I played it like 8 hours a day. Sometimes more. It took one of my friends to tell me parents about it to get me to realize wtf I was doing. Looking back at it, it wasn’t video game addiction, but it was the only thing that gave me a piece of happiness. Video game addiction is crap, it boils down to underlying issues, at least IMO.
Posted usingNovember 19th, 2007 at 4:59 am (7035) [Quote]
It is the same old fake shrink crap that has been trashed out at role playing game before (I mean real paper rpg’s, not the lame computer versions). It is just to make parents feel better about the fact that they are unable to help their kids grow up.
Posted using Debian IceWeasel 2.0.0.8 onNovember 19th, 2007 at 11:12 am (7037) [Quote]
@Zack - thanks for sharing. I think you’ve actually touched on something important here. For some people their favorite MMO is pretty much the only social outlet where they don’t feel like a dork or an outcast. For example, a kid may be unpopular or even bullied at school, but when he is playing WoW he is a well respected, or even feared guild leader.
I mean, why would anyone be surprised that anyone in that situation plays the game obsessively. So it’s not the game, and it’s not always some psychological issue. Sometimes it can be the environment that drives people to play more than you’d think is appropriate.
@Alphast - yeah, but I think the only people who actually believed int the crap about RPG being addictive, and making you lose touch with reality were people like Jack Chick or the people who made Mazes and Monsters movie (btw, if you want to see the lowest point of Tom Hank’s career, this is the movie to see lol). I don’t think anyone in the hobby ever threated these things seriously.
Video game addiction on the other hand seems to be considered plausible even in the gamer circles. Just the other day I saw some vlog where they interviewed bunch of people at Blizcon about gaming addiction and not a single person in the clip rolled their eyes and said it’s BS.
Most people were like “huh huh, you are asking the wrong person” or “well, I don’t personally know anyone who was addicted to the game but if I saw my friend or guild-mate playing way to much I’d probably say something.” So people are actually buying into it, and believe that they could actually one day completely lose control.
Posted usingJanuary 24th, 2008 at 11:22 pm (7852) [Quote]
It’s been awhile, but I just came across this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4183340.stm
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