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| Videogame addiction now an official mental disorder | ||
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| Wu-banga |
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Registered Member #49
Joined: Tue Dec 06 2005, 01:37AMPosts: 1561 |
If you don't feel like reading a lot just at least skip to the bottom. If you're suffering from dry eyes, headaches, back aches, erratic sleep patterns, it may be more than just your average hangover: according to Dr. Maressa Orzack, you could be suffering from video and computer game addiction. A clinical psychologist, Orzack is founder and coordinator of Computer Addiction Services at McLean Hospital in Newton, Mass., and is also an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. Computer Addiction Services is one of the few outpatient clinics in the U.S. that provides specific treatment for game addiction. While many people dispute the notion, Orzack believes that game addiction is a true mental disorder. As a result, she has worked with numerous gamers over the years to help them break the hold that games have on them. Having treated all types of addictions for more than 15 years, Orzack says there's little difference between drug use, excessive gambling and heavy game playing. And with millions of gamers hooked on mega-popular massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs), she believes the problem is growing rapidly. In fact, Orzack says as much as 40 percent of World of Warcraft players are addicted to the game. TwitchGuru talks with Orzack to find out more about the issue of game addiction, and the effects of games like World of Warcraft. Dr. Maressa Orzack RW: When did you first begin to feel that video game addiction was a real problem? Dr. Orzack: Well, 11 years ago, when I first started looking into this issue, everyone thought I was nuts. But if you fast forward to today, with all the amazing technological advancements, a lot of people now feel this is a real problem. I think things really began to change with video games around 1998 or 1999 with the rise of the Internet, and the introduction of some of the more well-known MMORPGs. RW: How bad is the problem? What do you see today at the hospital's Computer Addiction Service? Dr. Orzack: I'm pretty much swamped with people asking me for help. A lot of people are asking me to get help for their teenaged children, boyfriends, spouses and sometimes themselves. RW: So more often than not, the addicted person isn't seeking help? Dr. Orzack: That's correct. Usually, some type of intervention is needed. Video games used to be contained in arcades, so there were certain limits imposed on the amount of time that you could play them. Now, with the Internet and computers in most people's homes, it has become harder to control. RW: Give me an example of a typical case. Dr. Orzack: I was talking with a patient, a young man, the other day. He was a heavy World of Warcraft player, and I asked him what happens when he plays the game: was he simply playing a virtual character or did he feel like he was actually in the game? He told me when he plays, he is in the game completely. He had become immersed in World of Warcraft and had trouble removing himself from that virtual world. I also asked what he expected to find each time he turned on the game, and his answer was a sense of belonging. This individual came from a family that was unfortunately breaking up, and World of Warcraft was his way to escape that. This 18-year-old individual was miserable. He didn't get along with any of his family members and kept withdrawing into the game. RW: Then aren't the issues at home more of a problem than the actual games themselves? Dr. Orzack: No, I disagree. You can't say that about Blizzard, which structures the games like World of Warcraft and Diablo 2 to be addictive. They design these games to keep people in the game. I do think the problem is tied in with other things like family issues, but the games themselves are inherently addictive. That's ultimately the cause of the problem. World Of War-Crack? RW: According to your research, and your experience with patients, how many addicted gamers are there today? Orzack: Well, let's take World of Warcraft as an example. Let's say there are around 6 million subscribers for the game. I'd say that 40 percent of the players are addicted. RW: That's a lot of gamers. That's more than a million people that can't pry themselves away from World of Warcraft. Dr. Orzack: Yes, it's quite a lot of people. That's why this is a serious issue: there are many people out there that are neglecting their jobs, studies, families and friends because they're addicted to games like World of Warcraft. RW: A lot of comparisons have been made between video game addiction and gambling addiction. Are the two similar? Dr. Orzack: They are pretty much the same. They have many of the same symptoms: neglecting work and severing personal relationships, for example. People get the same type of excitement from gambling and playing video games. It's called variable ratio reinforcement, which basically means that you keep playing or gambling and failing until you reach your intended goal, but once you reach that goal, you still keep playing. RW: What about self control and willpower? Should players take some responsibility for their heavy play? Dr. Orzack: This isn't about willpower or restraint. These games are very elaborately designed to ease you in gently, entice you, and keep you there. And it's a cycle: people begin to spend too much time playing and their careers and personal relationships begin to deteriorate. Then they begin to withdraw more into the game because it's an escape from their real world problems. RW: So what's the solution? Dr. Orzack: For patients, there has to be a readiness to change. Without that, there's really no point. I think another important factor is awareness - more people are beginning to accept that this is a real problem. Currently, video game addiction isn't found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [the primary handbook used to diagnose mental disorders and illnesses, published by the American Psychiatric Association]. Until that happens, most health insurance companies won't recognize it, and therefore won't cover the treatment. But there's more hope that this is changing, and it is being accepted as a real clinical disorder. RW: What about the games themselves? What do you think should be done there? Dr. Orzack: I think there needs to be warning labels on MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, similar to warning labels on cigarettes. People should know that these games are potentially harmful. I'm sure the game industry will be up in arms over it, but that's what I'd like to see happen. I don't think we have a right to make Blizzard or other game companies change their products, but that may be what this comes to, down the road. So tell me..what keeps you coming back to counterstrike: source? sure..you may meet some people. but will they ever effect yourr life? Will they ever be there for you besides to play a game? Are you addicted to counterstrike or do you just enjoy playing? Are all the headshots or knives in the world going to improve your daily life? Does it help you forget about bigger issues when you have real problems, and just want to get away? or do you simply like the competition? |
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| Angry Leprechau |
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Uber Luchador
Registered Member #189
Joined: Sun Apr 02 2006, 04:16AMPosts: 345 |
I like playing on Fishtank servers because everyone can take a joke and that the community is so tight...not like a gay tight but like a brotherly/sisterly tight.  .Fishtank is a rare thing ;D. I dont think i responded to this thread correctly but thats my 2 cents. Edited Thu Aug 10 2006, 05:19AM |
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| kd. |
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♥ (✿◠‿◠) ♥
Registered Member #75
Joined: Sat Dec 17 2005, 08:51PMPosts: 3128 |
K Wu, you win. Bye forever. AS IF I COULD DO THAT!!! I'm addicted. Damnit, WHY WON'T YOU GUYS HELP ME IN REAL LIFE?!?! |
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| kevin |
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AKA cupcake
Registered Member #374
Joined: Fri Aug 04 2006, 03:38AMPosts: 858 |
I'm not addicted to video games...Ive only played CSS 56 hours this week, surely that doesnt quailfy as addicted...does it? | ||
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| Amped |
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Hi
Registered Member #301
Joined: Thu Jun 15 2006, 01:55AMPosts: 888 |
There's an article I read that completely refutes and destroys that whole concept. Let me find it... Okay, I can't find it. But what it basically said is that the whole Internet Addiction Disorder(IAD) concept is bullshit. What about people who spend all day playing golf or practicing an instrument? Do they have golf addiction disorder? Music addiction disorder? The internet, like TV, Music, Golf, etc. is just another source of enjoyment in one's life. People that are addicted? Yeah, they like it a lot, and they do it more than others. Why does that mean there has do be a disorder named after it? You know what I do when I'm pissed off? I masturbate. Do I have masturbation addiction disorder? I sure hope not. The psychiatrists are going to keep making up bullshit disorders for everything until there is not a single person without at least four disorders. Meet Jim. Jim seems like a normal person. But when observed in the classroom and at work, one can see that he suffers from several disorders. Daydream Addiction Disorder is the most prominent. At work, he often plays solitaire rather than doing what he's supposed to. This is of course a solid case of Work Avoidance Syndrome. Next we observe that Jim twiddles his pencil between his fingers. To the untrained eye, that's normal behavior. But to the eager young psychologist, that's a case of Pencil Fascination Disorder. In short: People playing video games a lot does not mean they're "addicted". People playing video games when they had a bad day, or are sad, does not mean they're "addicted". I eat granola bars when I'm sad too. Granola Bar Addiction Disorder. <3 |
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| Angry Leprechau |
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Uber Luchador
Registered Member #189
Joined: Sun Apr 02 2006, 04:16AM Posts: 345 |
Kd you can start by uninstalling photoshop . Next you can give leprechaun a walk-through on how to correctly skin. Third you can pick up a hobby, like collecting stamps! |
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| Wu-banga |
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Registered Member #49
Joined: Tue Dec 06 2005, 01:37AM Posts: 1561 |
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| .4ngryToasters |
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you would
Registered Member #149
Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 01:08AMPosts: 2039 |
Crap, I show all the signs of an addicted player. And amped is totally in denial... Wu, this thread doesn't have anything to do with my "how addicted to counter strike are you" survey does it? |
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| kd. |
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♥ (✿◠‿◠) ♥
Registered Member #75
Joined: Sat Dec 17 2005, 08:51PM Posts: 3128 |
I don't think amped's post is true. VDA counts, because some people use it so they are accepted into a societey, such as the fish tank. Maybe they have no authority at school/work, so they seek admin in FT. Just a thought 
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| Amped |
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Hi
Registered Member #301
Joined: Thu Jun 15 2006, 01:55AM Posts: 888 |
kddude wrote ... I don't think amped's post is true. VDA counts, because some people use it so they are accepted into a societey, such as the fish tank. Maybe they have no authority at school/work, so they seek admin in FT. Just a thought And if that's the only way they can be accepted, what's wrong with that? I'm just trying to grasp the concept of why these things are so wrong. Who is making these social rules? |
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