Wife of SOCOM Designer Talks Game Addiction on Dr. Phil

I'm sure no one reads this far down but I used to be horribly addicted to opiates, we are talking I literally injected myself every 4-6 hours, only slept 5 and half hours a night, drank, took uppers, etc. the whole nine yards and I've also played a lot of video games. While I've spent the odd weekend playing ALL day, the two things are really NOT similar. I'm totally functional when I play computer games. I might play an hour one night or 8 hours on a day off but really if I have work I don't miss work and if I have other stuff to do I do other stuff. I go out with friends, have a social life, have had girlfriends (addiction is not conducive to successful long term relationships) and can still play games. I can see how people can get alittle too carried away with games but it is NOT THE SAME as chemical addiction. You might as well say that kids who spend all their time reading fiction are addicted to the fantasy of it. Yet no one is sitting there saying we need to stop kids from reading books.

Wow, amazing.

The show taped on September 16 in Los Angeles. I'm recovering from a very destructive gaming addiction and was a guest on this episode with Wendy Kays, so I met her and heard everything she had to say about the gaming industry. Her perspective is remarkably sane and balanced. You've nothing to fear.

Please do a couple of things before commenting further:

1. Wait until the episode airs, last week of September or first week of October is most likely based on what the production team have told us.

2. Read Wendy's book. You can buy it direct from GameWidow.org or Amazon.com

Thanks,

Brad

http://www.exgamer.net

<i>The video game industry designs its games to be physiologically addictive.</i>

They would need some kind of chemical in order to accomplish that.

 <i>We have the proof.</i>

Well, I'd love to see it. Seriously, it would be nice for you to actually prove something for once. And who is "we", exactly? You and the voices in your head, perhaps?

<i>By the way, many of you, as indicated by your many posts at any story having to do with me, apparently have a Jack Thompson Addiction, so in order to feed that wonderful beast, here's your latest fix.<i>

Addiction? Nah. You are amusing though. Like a monkey playing the bagpipes or something.

<i>Have a great weekend.  Jack Thompson</i>

Why thank you Jack. Always good to see you drop by. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

This is the most dumbest shit i ever read in my life that bitch wants to make money!

Before this goes much further, I'd like to stick two cents in here...as the origin of the debate.  First, if you read Game Widow, or more of my blogging, you'll know I cover all the points mentioned here.  I also take the stance that "game addiction" is a slang term, not an officially recognized diagnosis.  I hate the term, too, but the only way to speak about game abuse, and actually have people understand what issue you're referring to, is to use this less-than-accurate term.  To the point, there hasn't been enough scientific research by unbiased, qualified people to determine if there is a chemical abuse situation going on with the pre-existing horomones etc in the human body when gamers play, or if the "addiction" phenomenon is all behavioral.  But the chemical/behavioral debate over the nature of addiction has been going on even among scientists for years.  The debate is messy, because at the core of it, there really are very few solid facts - it's hard to draw parallels between dependencies we think we understand and those we don't really, because as mentioned above, some dependencies seem to be weak, and others incredibly powerful.  What I do know for sure is that playing an MMO for long hours changed my husband's personality in the same way that abusing substances changed the personality of another family member of mine.  I don't care about the eventual determination of the science, I just point out where it now stands.  I care about men, women and children experiencing real physical and emotional harm resulting from game abuse.  We need a solution, not an argument about terminology.  You don't have to see a family member die to respect the horror of addictive behavior - chemical or behavioral.  You just have to feel the fear, the gut terror, of seeing it happen to someone you love, and having it tear down everyone around them.  I feel incredibly lucky that addiction hasn't claimed the life of anyone I know, and hope it never does anyone you know, either.

I don't expect you to read Game Widow.  That's too much to ask.  But give me the benefit of the doubt.  I know some of the posters here are having a knee-jerk, self-protective reaction to being attacked many times before, but this isn't like that, despite your opinion of Dr. Phil.  Being interviewed by the media and taking your lumps is part of the obligation of publishing a book.  Jason Della Rocca, Nick Yee, and Erin Hoffman have all read Game Widow, and endorsed it as fair and well-researched.  The Dr. Phil contracts I signed to be on the show clearly stated that Dr. Phil was not an accredited counselor, and I researched the show before going on.  I expected short shrift.  You should also be media savvy, and be able to separate out showmanship from substance. 

Yes, I think the game industry needs to take a stand on this issue as self-preservation, but that doesn't mean paying for research.  After all, if the industry sponsors research, the results are then suspected of bias, and useless.  Encouraging research is not the same as funding it.  The poster who mentioned gamer responsiblity was right on...gamers are the primary decision makers on whether or not to abuse.  Game makers can put in all the save points and safety features they want, and gamers can blow past them or disable play monitors.  But it doesn't end there.  Game widows (and widowers) also need to take some responsibility and quit enabling bad behavior when it crops up.  Quit making excuses, taking dinner to the computer, and saving the gamer from the consequences of their choice to play instead of (fill in the blank).  Not everyone abuses games.  But until we, as a culture, deal with the issue of those who do, those of us who don't will never be able to play in peace.

As for the publishing just to get attention...dude, if you think the attention here is something you'd want, you're welcome to it.  The public is cruel, and gamers are worse.  I have no illusions about the unpleasantness of publicity, and heartily wished someone else had written this book...before it was even published.  I thought about writing under a pseudonym, but in a debate as important as this one, it's only fair to let readers know exactly who is talking so they can accept or reject the information offered by considering its source.

I think i've seen that weird long-ass post before,And i recall a Fail troll doing it,And yes I think a "Game addiction" is cow shit compared to Real People Who die of addictions and problems such as Alcohol,Drugs and firearms,I bet someday this stupid lady is going to try to get the us goverment to make an ATFVG, Meaning Acohol,Tobacco,Firearms and Video games.

Im thinking her husband had a good reseason to have a game addiction or something like that.

Wooohooo next post after thompson *bumps some hilary duff music* seriously Jack dude go get a life man...i mean come on after how many Years now you still wont leave us alone at Gp??? Wow someone wants to have Friends!!!!

awwww how cute...The little lawyer is scared he will lose his license....who's a good thompson?? who's a good thompson????

sorry dennis couldnt help it