Video Game Addiction

[NeonSamurai]

Found this little (4 page) article on Gamespot http://www.gamespot.com/features/6207309/index.html

Personally I'm quite convinced that it exists. I've seen plenty of examples of it first hand, particularly when dealing with MMO's.

MMO's in particular seem to be intentionally designed to be addictive as they are repetitive games with out ending (there is always something more to get) designed to keep players playing and paying. I've also known lots of people who play these games for hours and hours on end (some putting in 12-20 hour days on them or more). They are hard to stop playing too, always one more level, or some more gold, etc before I stop.

But any game has the potential to become an addicition, even our submarine sims.

[Morts]

im not add1ct3d !!!!11oneoneone....i can stop whenevar i is want ! i just dont w4nt t0 !!!

[Task Force]

I like vedio games alot... but killing someone over a game or something like that.:hmmm:

[NeonSamurai]

Well that's more then just simple addiction, obviously the person has other issues beyond addiction if they murder someone. Several people have even killed themselves by playing games too long and ignoring basic biological needs (as mentioned in the article).

[AVGWarhawk]

I'm addicted....give me some more of dem pixels:D Sure, some become the game. Yes, even this submarine game has claimed a few and gone a bit to far with the whole thing :shifty:

There was a guy who died at a competition with the games. He as on 20 some hours with the game and dropped dead.

[kiwi_2005]

lolz and i just got of WoW after playing for 14hrs. Am i addicted, I suppose i am in a way but its the start of the weekend, its the easter break nothing much to do its raining outside nothing worth watching on Tv, thought i did play some wow for a few hrs that turned out to be alot more. Hey but i got a fishing trip on Sunday so i'll make up for my other life then. :D

I think this poster on that site said it well about killing over a video game.

vicsrealms said:
I think gaming addiction is just another way for people to blame something other then themselves for their idiotic behavior. Like blaming the GTA series, because you went out and killed a bunch of pedestrians with your car. Its just another indication that people aren't willing to take responsibility for their lives and their actions.

[Task Force]

I have nothing to... so most of the time im probably messing with my games. Especialy since its spring break for the next week.:D

[jpm1]

http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUST16999720070917
i wonder how a person can cross the red line without knowing of it

[AVGWarhawk]

http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUST16999720070917
i wonder how a person can cross the red line without knowing of it


That was who I was thinking of in my post a few back. I did not think he was playing that long.

It is a thin red line I guess.

[Platapus]

Having dealt with this in my girlfriends family, it is important to recognize the differences between an addiction and a compulsion. The two are different and have different treatments.

According to our mental health care professional, video games do not fall under the auspices of addiction but compulsions.

If a family member is suspected of having this problem, make sure your MHCP recognizes the difference or the treatment will be inappropriate.

[Mush Martin]

tis easy to fix this social disaster.... teach em all to mod then they
will never get to play.:cool:

[nikimcbee]

I'm more addicted to subsim forums than gaming. It is damn hard to snort a keyboard though:o.

[FIREWALL]

I'm not addicted. :nope: I keep it down to 16 hrs a day. :D

[NeonSamurai]

Having dealt with this in my girlfriends family, it is important to recognize the differences between an addiction and a compulsion. The two are different and have different treatments.

According to our mental health care professional, video games do not fall under the auspices of addiction but compulsions.

If a family member is suspected of having this problem, make sure your MHCP recognizes the difference or the treatment will be inappropriate.

I can think of several psychologists and psychiatrists who disagree and assert that it is in fact an addiction, early research so far supports this assertion though as mentioned in the article not a lot of research has been done yet.

Technically its possible to get addicted to almost any activity provided it gives you an endorphin boost (which games tend to do).

Generally speaking compulsion is part of addiction (its what drives the addict to do the thing they are addicted to), there is no such thing as compulsion as a separate entity (there are obsessive compulsive disorders but that is something else entirely), at least it doesn't exist as an entry in the DSM-IV-TR

[Platapus]

Yes there is disagreement. Even without the video game issue, there is disagreement within the mental health profession concerning what is the differences between addiction and compulsions.

One more reason it is so hard to treat.

[NeonSamurai]

To be honest I've never heard of it as a separate entity from addiction before. I didn't come up with much either when I looked (what I did find tied it as a part of addiction which I was already aware), but I didn't bother digging around in the databases.

[HunterICX]

There was a guy who died at a competition with the games. He as on 20 some hours with the game and dropped dead.

You read that now and then, I can recall an asian guy gaming for 50 hours before he died...only leaving his seat to go to the toilet and brief naps.

I must say that Gaming addiction is really bad with teenagers that still go to school, especially the ones that hook onto MMORPG's.
their virtual life seems to be more important then their studies.

HunterICX

[SteamWake]

tis easy to fix this social disaster.... teach em all to mod then they
will never get to play.:cool:


LOL :yeah:

[Platapus]

Do we have any parents here who had to live through the Tamagotchi/Giga Pet horrors?

Talk about a toy designed specifically to enable game addiction/compulsion :damn::damn::damn:

[NeonSamurai]

Heh Modding addiction :D

Another thing is with most games its very easy to loose track of time. I know we have all done it where we planned to play for say 2 hours, and then 6 hours later we are still going.

Casino's use a lot of the same methods that games use to keep people playing, such as visual and auditory stimulation, pleasure reinforcement, etc (and a bunch of other stuff. It honestly amazes me that these places are allowed to do half of what they do. So much so that I recommend avoiding Casinos. But that is another topic).

[HunterICX]

Heh Modding addiction :D

Another thing is with most games its very easy to loose track of time. I know we have all done it where we planned to play for say 2 hours, and then 6 hours later we are still going.

I have that a lot with Turn based Strategy games :D

the ''1 more turn'' syndrome

HunterICX

[Platapus]

I have that a lot with Turn based Strategy games :D

the ''1 more turn'' syndrome

HunterICX

Can't remember how many sleepless nights I enjoyed playing "just one more turn" in the Civ games. :yeah:

[Raptor1]

One more turn. one more mission, one more round...done plenty of that...

BUT, I am not addicted to games just because I play 37 hours a day, all of YOU people are addicted to reality!

Now, I must get back to my games