Break off thread - Gaming and MMOG Addiction

[Edge Martinez]

Drinking and smoking are far worse in my opinion. Someone who smokes a pack a day? Bad for them and they are killing themselves. Someone who drinks a fifth... or two, a day? Bad for them and they are hurting themselves. Meanwhile, I've logged 1133 hours on this game in 15 months. It really hasn't affected me negatively. I still hang out with friends, work a demanding job, play with the dog, go drinking, etc. If anything, I watch less TV and surf the net less. 1133 hours is roughly 47 days. 47 full days out of 15 months... some folks would call that an addiction, but it hasn't slowed me down in the least.

So I guess it's all relative. I'm pretty much set in life, no worries, so I have time. I seriously doubt a kid would have the time to be online that much. Between cartoons, sports, classes, friends, curfews, PARENTS and sleep, most kids would be lucky to get an hour or two of gaming in. I'd be more worried about the PSP in their backpack. (**Granted, I don't have kids... hence the no worries... and am going by when I was a kid, not too long ago... relatively speaking.**)

It's just my opinion that there are quite a bit of restrictions on just about everything. I'd hate to see more restrictions based on a minority of cases, meaning that: Just being a smoker puts you in the majority of adversely affected people. Just drinking more than socially on a regular basis puts you in the majority of adversely affected people. Playing a game 25-30 hours a week means nothing to most folks who do it.

[samcobra]

the difference between MMO addiction and chemical addiction though is that MMO addiction is PURELY PSYCHOLOGICAL. You are not introducing any new substances into your body to make your responses different, you're just changing the way you think. Therefore, while people can go without cigarettes, meth, or alcohol for a good while and, after all the withdrawal, still be fine, being addicted to an MMO can basically change your psyche, which is very very bad.

[Arturo02]

"But don't people form societies in order to alleviate the pressure on the individual? Originally, human communities served the same purpose as, say, buffalo herds - mutual protection against outside aggression, whether from nature or from other human communities. Now, however, when the global economy forces people to compete not just on the personal but also on the national level, shouldn't the government do something to prevent certain practices that may lead to a decline? We're fighting a war on drugs (last I checked no one called it off) precisely because drugs are supposed to "corrupt the youth" and "prevent people from becoming effective members of the society." At the point where something becomes a social problem rather than a personal one, the society and the government has to consider action. This point may not have arrived for you just yet, but when the current generation of internet-weaned children becomes the main part of the electorate things might just progress too far to be controllable."

Yes, this is true but not everything should be society's problem. While it lessens the burden on the induvidual, it also creates more burden on everyone else as well.

The whole burden thing works great for taxes but not for raising children. And when a society gets involved in the raising of kids, often times it's not going to work out well. I'm not talking the concept of 'it takes a whole town.." I'm talking about how the govt is no better at raising kids then we are.

What bothers me is we as a society spend a lot of time, money, and energy on the things that don't effect a ton of people. Meanwhile, the big issues get swept aside. Mental health experts focused on videogame addiction research should be ashamed of themselves in a society that allows cycles of domestic violence to continue unabated. Doctors should not be able to look themselves in eye if they are devoted to this subject when EVERY minute cancer kills another person. Community leaders should not feel like they are accomplishing things when they preach about videogames ruining people's lives while homeless people live on the streets in their own town.

But it's because those are difficult things to solve and videogame addiction looks like an easy fix, so that's what they will focus on. It isn't at all though because it requires a parent to say no and they don't want to these days. Families are children-centric and that is another major problem in our society.

A bunch of kids not being properly told to get the hell off the computer and do something is bad parenting. When a 12 year old kid is playing Wow at 2am is that neither the game's fault or society's responsibility. The parent created the problem not the child. Why should I bear the burden of irresponsibility?

I'll accept the burden when it comes to some things but until our society tries to tackle the real problems in life I say 'none on me'.

[lg5000]

Originally Posted by Shyft the Pyro

More importantly, not all people in the real-world position to need an escape from reality become addicted to the means of escaping it. Some people are able to moderate themselves even despite the seemingly overwhelming odds that statistics puts against them. This is a question not only of - lets call it predisposition towards escapism addiction through social status - but also of each particular person's brain chemistry, and the way certain receptors in the brain of said person react to addiction-causing stimuli, whether those stimuli come from games, movies, alcohol, drugs, television, sports, or gambling.

You bring up a wonderful point, though, I'm looking at it from the other side.

I go through stages of emersing myself deeply into whatever it is I'm doing. This, in itself, can look like an addiction, and probably is to a certain extend, but I can't keep a hobby for too long before it gets boring and I start on the next hobby.

I did have a stage in my life where 'escapism' was practiced by me, and it did hurt my family life to some degree. I believe it was put down to an addiction to all things online, which in the meantime, I can clearly say that it was not, it was me escaping my life.

With GW, I know I've submerged myself into it deeply, and at times too deeply, but can normally pull myself out of it. Takes a bit of planning, but things like warning people in advance that a particular weekend is spend away from phone/people helps a lot.

Those who are escaping reality need to look at why they are and see if there is a way to change their life so that they do not need to escape the presence anymore.

Those who see family members/friends escape into games and other things should probably try to locate the cause and support their friend/family member through the hard times rather than tell them that they're addicted and they should just snap out of it.

GW should be to relax and have fun and escape the present for a few hours, not unlike a good movie or book. It should not cause you to neglect your needs due to the amount of time you play, nor should it cause you to neglect the needs of those who depend on you.

[glountz]

I somewhat disagree with "the real life is the problem, not the game".
In fact, I found that the more you are comfortable with your life, has money, spare time, the more you can fall into this addiction, leading maybe to a total loss of what you built in your life (spouse, job, children), but only after you are addicted.
When you get to work to survive, to eat, to pay your bills, your taxes, and you realize that if you don't work and get a goal, you will loose everything, you can trust me, you stop playing quiclkly.

[Saider maul]

addictive yes..... But it beats smoking crack.

[quiarrah]

We are on the road to destruction, gentlemen

"Parents sue over WoW death"
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2005/11/21/wow_lawsuit/
http://www.tgdaily.com/2005/11/22/su...rldofwarcraft/

"Neglected child dies while parents play World of Warcraft"
http://arstechnica.com/journals/thum.../2005/6/21/547[/QUOTE]

Did you ever see the one for Everquest? (what a joke)

[lg5000]

glountz, from personal experience, when my life went to hell, I burried myself into a fantasy world. I use the game as stress relieve, the more stress, the more likely I am to be deeply involved in it. But then, that's not really an adiction, more an escape because I can't handle life.

Without stress, the game is fun and I'll take more breaks between playing.

[ratatass]

Really nice and great reading the posts.

I tend to agree somewhat with Numa on the point , comparing addiction to other "activities", maybe not quite competitive sport, but as another poster said - TV.

I have actually made the decission to substitute the time I spend watching TV with Game Play. This is my defense now - for playing the game - mostly Guild Wars. I argument that I spend x hours a day while my peer group spend the same amount x watching TV. I also plan the time carefully to not interfere with friends and family. I guess it is like hiding for a sigaret or closet drinking for an alchoholic.

In the weekends I get up way early, in the weekdays I stay up late some nights. In short - I do it when I'm the only one awake. When other people are awake I'm just a normal guy.

I have been an addict to games also, maybe I still am. I am somewhat pretty succesful when it comes to what "supposedly" makes you succesful -i.e. education, career, family, travel, money, vaction etc etc.

I have the hardest time defending my time playing Guild Wars, to almost everyone i know - except my brother . It is not really accepted for "grown ups", I guess. The Betas though were tough on everybody. I booked those weekends - explained etc...and did my 3 days straight ...heheh...Man did I get a lot of flak.. BUT WTH - it was all worth it, best gaming experience of my life.

So I wonder if I should classify myself or other people in my situation that play games , when their lifes are so full of other tasks - family, career etc as ADDICTS!!

I hope not.


Ratatass