@ Terrible Tom
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.

Hehehe, well, that's the thing though, I remember running home from School each day so I could watch the next episode of 'Battle of the Planets' when I was 8, did that for about 3 months, but I wouldn't really call it an addiction, I think it's when it starts affecting the rest of your life that it starts to become a problem.

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.

You can go from being an alcoholic to consuming it responsibly. Its DEFINATELY not impossible.

@ Terrible Tom

Actually, from what I've heard, recovering alcoholics avoid alcohol. It's really easy to relapse, so it's best not be be tempted.

Oh crap. I think my car is addicted to gasoline. What should I do?

@ 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.

7 hours a week for console gamers perhaps... maybe not MMO enthusiasts! I spend around 7 hours a day on weekdays, less on weekends. However I watch around an hour of TV a week, so I suppose things balance out.

Gil Says:
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

I said it before I will say it again lump TV,Shopping,Games and other "quasi" "addictions" into a group and give a diagnostic disorder to thous that have the sever obsessions that can screw with brain chemicals or life.

There's several kinds of addiction, being addicted to Drugs or Alcohol or any other kind of chemical substance is a physical addiction, the body actually starts to suffer if it doesn't get regular intake. Mental addiction IS often in the hands of the addicted person, it's not really a question of what they get 'addicted' to, it's the simple fact they have the kind of mentality that gets addicted to things.

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.

"It is the person who becomes addicted to an activity who is at fault."

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.

The problem is that the activity makes a person addicted to it. It is the person who becomes addicted to an activity who is at fault.

Seven hours? Are you joking me?

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) +..."

I'm addicted to air. I can't help it.







It's delicious.

I agree with Jason Della Rocca's opinions. As a matter of fact, it's time for us to show those anti-game activists that we mean business.

Yes. Equal treatment is all I ask for for video games.