Quote from the article:

"Brauer says although online role-playing games certainly attract shy and awkward people, they provide a sense of community for others who feel socially isolated."

This may be true for a [debatably sized] portion of MMO players. But to those like me, who manage a healthy social, family, professional and in-game life, that line is kind of insulting. Sense of community, yes - awkward? Not so much. I work in sales - a fairly engaging line of work for a shy and awkward person, eh?

I really want one of these reports/documentaries, etc. to show the whole gamete of MMO players - from the overweight stereotype (South Park anyone?), the PVP 'Jock,' to the growing number of young[er] professionals who find MMO play to be no more an awkward water-cooler topic than fantasy football or American Idol.

This might be a step in that direction, though. Remains to be seen.

I had almost 200 days played in Warcraft... and dropped it cold-turkey a month ago so I could focus on finding a new job and apartment. Maybe I'm an exception, but I can't help but feel that fears of gaming "addiction" are at least somewhat overblown. Obviously it exists -- stories of Koreans dying in cybercafes and parents neglecting their babies are sensational but still true -- but I agree with the1jeffy: I wish the media would work a little harder to get the *whole* story.

I've played 198 days of FFXI and quit playing it easily months ago. Video games aren't addictive (especially in the way that illegal substances are addictive). Some people are just prone to having an addictive personality and some have more trouble dropping it than others.
A few more things:
Everquest, being an older game, could rack up 170 days of gameplay over the years its been out with out a obscene daily play schedule. Also, breaking the CDs of a MMO game? I don't know about Everquest but you don't need CDs to play any other MMO so I don't see it as being that dramatic.

This looks like it might be interesting, but whenever something like this comes out, I've always got a slight bit of dread that it'll quickly decend into "LOL aren't they weird?!"

Video Game Addiction?

On the surface, it sounds alot like what LoudSpeaker above, mention as 'addiction'. However, is it an addiction, or merely the beginings of another form of understanding reality? The video provided, gives this concept, a start point to understand.

I chatted with one guy who is a therapist. He wanted to understand what a 'raider' is in MMO's. He thought, anyone, who played a game for more then an hour, is a gamer. Anyone who played one game beyond two, was addicted. So I asked him, if he considered priests, addicted to religion? Since, they literally (read, write, socialize, pray, sing, draw, paint, etc their religion) every day and twice on sunday? He said, that's normal. Alittle ironic, isnt it?

From what I've understood, no real study, nor examination, has been peer-reviewed in the AMA or the APA. For starters, to define this as an addiction, means, a very strict understanding of what is and isnt, normally healthy.

heh....i had 77 days in ffxi and something like 60 now in wow but calling them a addiction is a stretch.

Everyone has a hobby(ies)and however much time they put in it is completely dependent on the person and what some would call a addiction others see it as just time well spent.

I think the whole catholic priest thing mentioned above is a fine example.

Though make sure they arn't a fundy first or you're likely to get crucified

The documentary gives me the impression that it's one sided and portrays gamers in a bad light. I don't know so it will be interesting when it comes out.

I've been gaming ever since the Atari waaay back in the day. I've played through many generations of video game systems as have many of you all.

I play MMOs and well... I find them the most rewarding (next to something like say... an Xbox lan party at my house with a bunch of drunk guys and girls playing Halo for hours on end). I realize that's a personal opinion but it's what I feel. Just as a catholic priest feels that their religion is the most rewarding, or any employee everywhere feels that their job (hopefully...lol) is rewarding, like Dennis of Game politics for example. It's my hobby, it's fun, it's a great way to communicate with the world at large, without distance barriers, without race barriers or in the case of FFXI (the only one like it that I know of) communication barriers; and it's a GREAT stress reliever.

I played FFXI for a good 200~ish days easy, I played Diablo II before that. I play World of Warcraft with 2 level 70s (about 200~ish days played) and I'm in a major raiding guild (just killed Kalecgos! YAY!). I wouldn't say I'm addicted. I work more than I play video games. You could make the argument that I'm addicted to work. Work gets in the way of my sleeping (I go to bed at 9pm to get up at 4am), eating habits (usually I don't get to take a lunch and I work 12 hour days), my girlfriend (soon to be fiance *but don't tell her that) complains that I work too much (and I met her on World of Warcraft), my parents were afraid at one point that I was going to work myself to death and the way I'm working I can't feasibly raise a family with my soon to be fiance.

It's all the same argument, are video games addicting? Not any more than someone who works too much.

In short and in summation: P-E-R-S-O-N-A-L A-C-C-O-U-N-T-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y Personal accountability, personal accountability, yaaaay personal accountability. TAKE RESPONSIBILITIES FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS and stop looking for other things to bail you out... jackass (that Jackass is to all the people out there who blame video games for *insert random crappy thing here*).