July 4, 2007
Video game addiction?To Jason Della Rocca, them's fightin' words.
The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) headman appeared on MSNBC recently to dicuss the American Medical Association's unsuccessful bid to have video game addiction classified as an official diagnostic disorder.
In lieu of a transcript or video of the interview, Della Rocca has updated his Reality Panic blog with a few thoughts on the subject of so-called game addiction:
There’s no denying the concern for someone that does something on an extremely excessive basis... In most cases, this has more to do with the person than the thing: mental stability, depression, social anxieties, low self-esteem, whatever...
Americans average approx 28 hours of TV watching a week. Stereotypical gamers do about 7 hours of gaming a week. That’s 4x more for TV. I don’t see any calls to declare TV watching as a formal disorder…
A formal declaration [of game addiction] is a precursor to further legislation and censorship by the government. And, as an expressive medium, video games should be given the same level of respect and protection as other forms of art and entertainment.
-Reporting from San Diego, GP Correspondent Andrew Eisen is in desperate need of his Pokemon fix
Comments
Impossible? No. Unlikely in the extreme? Yes.
Many of my friends are alcoholics (don't get me started) and one of them finally wised up and got herself into AA. Because we're so close it's practically as if I've been in the program myself I hear so much about it. Believe me, "drinking responsibly" is not an option for recovering alcoholics, who, by definition, have an inability to control their drinking habits.
If you only knew how many times I've heard other alcoholic friends talk of how they want/plan to cut back on their drinking...
Er, sorry. That was all a bit OT.
I know what Mr. Della Rocca has said, and I respect him for a lot of those things, but I don't know where he's getting that number from. To me it seems *way* off base.
Yeah, I used to get dreams about Video Games as well, I suppose if you've spent an hour or two playing a game, your mind goes through it just like everything else you've done in the game. Though, it's interesting to note that it is perfectly possible to dream you are 'inside' the game, and when you wake up, be aware of the difference between 'inside' and merely 'playing'. Which suggests an already existent awareness of the difference.
I don't know if its addiction or not, but in my GoldenEye heydey, I'd dream about it (my brother and I called it 'Bond dreams'), wake up thinking about playing it, daydream through school, and bolt upstairs when i got home to fire it up with my friends. Went through a similar phase with UT and UT04. Guess I built up a tolerance tho. But can't wait for UT3!
I liked all his points. I think that game "addiction" is just an excuse for further legislation.
I also find it funny that the AMA finally decided to just call for further study rather than cataloging it as addiction. I guess some doctors really do believe in the Hypocratic Oath. :)
Actually, from what I've heard, recovering alcoholics avoid alcohol. It's really easy to relapse, so it's best not be be tempted.
@ ZippyDSMlee
I was just thinking that, as I read the article and comments on the thread. Why specify that you are addicted to gambling/games/TV? Why not just say you have an addictive personality? By focusing on the person and not the subject of the addiction you should have much better results. This isn't entirely true with addictive substances like drugs or alcohol, but, at the end of the day, its the addict who will stay sober or relapse. However, I also think psychologists are too quick to label people with various disorders.
"I would imagine that your parents, like mine, followed this up by limiting the amount of time you could play computer games or watch TV or whatnot, hence making it less likely that you would develop a dependence or addiction."
Not true, much as it wounds me to say this, games and TV doesn't cause any addiction. Don't listen to too much Christian propaganda! It harms your brain and it will be bad for the rest of your life.
July 4th, 2007 at 7:45 am
"I’m addicted to air. I can’t help it.
It’s delicious."
Wow i haven't laughed like that in a while.... but really 7 hours/week is about right with me
That doesn't mean that they are 'wrong' or 'to blame' for their actions, but certainly blaming whatever they happen to be addicted to at that particular time is not going to help them, without Video games, kids would get addicted to something else. So in a way, you are both right, Yes, it is in the hands of the person who is addicted, only they can really break the cycle of addiction, but ALSO video games to have a 'hypnotic' element, much like movies etc, you want to find out what happens next, so parents SHOULD be responsible for making sure that the child becomes aware that too much of anything is bad for them, if neccessary, removing them from the source until they are mature enough to make their own choice to remove themselves.
"There’s a huge range of psychological and physiological factors involved in addiction of any kind."
The vast majority of these psychological and physiological factors are a part of the person who becomes addicted, ie. they have low self esteem, obsessive/compulsive disorder, were never/over disciplined as children, etc. It is not the fault of a video game that you become addicted to it.
"I would imagine that your parents, like mine, followed this up by limiting the amount of time you could play computer games or watch TV or whatnot, hence making it less likely that you would develop a dependence or addiction."
In this case again, it is not the video game that is causing the addiction, it is the persons upbringing (lack of discipline/limits) that could lead to addiction.
There are many things that can cause someone to be addicted, but with things that are not physiologically addictive (like drugs, alcohol), I would place full responsibility on the persons mental health/state, their upbringing and their environment, not on what they become addicted to.
No, it really really isn't. There's a huge range of psychological and physiological factors involved in addiction of any kind. You can't just glibly dismiss decades of research just because it suits you.
"I agree! My parents always told me this when I was young."
I would imagine that your parents, like mine, followed this up by limiting the amount of time you could play computer games or watch TV or whatnot, hence making it less likely that you would develop a dependence or addiction.
"It is the person who becomes addicted to an activity who is at fault."
I agree! My parents always told me this when I was young. But sadly, Jack and his anti-game cronies doesn't realize this.
Not outside the gents in this place.
> Seven hours? Are you joking me?
I only play 7-10hrs a week now, I'd say that is about right for a fair number of my friends.
I can only imagine that the formula for working out that average was something like "(Lightweight WoW player: 30 hours/week) +
(Some guy who played Minesweeper once in between writing emails at work: 0.15 hours/week) + (CS enthusiast: 21 hours/week) + (Hillbilly who doesn't know what a computer is: 0 hours/week) +..."
Don't get me wrong though. A lot more research needs to go into this before people everywhere starts making claims to their insurance policies. But I don't think it's something that should just be brushed off completely.
We've all seen the [sensationalized?] reports of people ruining their lives because they're playing WoW eighteen hours a day. Quitting their jobs and cutting their social lives off completely. But like gambling addicts those who take it to the extreme are a very small percent of the population.
All I’m saying is that it should be studied more.
It's delicious.
Even more proof that video games are unfairly viewed and judged. I also sleep a solid 50+ hours a week. Should I be declared addicted to my bed? Gotta hate sensationalism driven by idiots.