Game Addiction is real??? I say BS

[TilMorrow]

Don't people read the news anymore. Doctors, scientists and esteemed gamers have already discovered and stated there is no such thing as gaming addiction. Of course they then proceeded to play games whilst giving this statement.

Game addiction isn't real. It's been proven not to exist. Can we get the disbelievers to move on and talk about something more worthwhile like why they are addicted to boredom?

 

[wonderboyjohnny]

Games can most certainly be "addicting". Just because you personally don't have a problem with them doesn't mean that there aren't people who do. People often use video games as compensation for something; it's the escapism. Of course it's different than a drug addiction on certain levels (most obviously the physical dependency.)

hyzaku, people do like to accept what they're told without little thought or research, but it's just as bad to dismiss something that easily. People with addictive personalities still become addicted to things; if gaming is what they chose over other options, how is that less of an addiction?

Not to mention, games are being designed to keep players "hooked". They are essentially virtual Skinner boxes, with schedules of reinforcement. There are many articles from people within the industry discussing this very topic. (See: "Behavioral Game Design" by John Hopson, who is a games researcher at Microsoft)

For more of a human interest story, check out "I Kept Playing - The Result of my Gaming Addiction" by Michael Fahey (found on Kotaku)

For a bit of a laugh, see "5 Creepy Ways Video Games are Trying to Get You Addicted" on Cracked, or "The Disturbing Ways Our Video Games Addict Us" also on Kotaku.

 

[GotMalkAvian]

As a few people have already stated, games may not necessarily be addictive in and of themselves (in the way that drugs are chemically addictive), but they are designed in such a way that people with addictive personalities. Addicts are attracted to things that instantly stimulate the reward/pleasure centers of the brain, and things like drugs, gambling, sex, gaming, and even shopping can all set off those centers.
For the most part, the dividing line between "hobby" and "addiction" lies in whether or not your gaming, drinking, gambling, etc. become detrimental to the rest of your life. If you miss work or school because of gaming, you may be an addict; if you lose touch with friends and family because of gaming, you may be an addict; if you're often broke due to the amount of money you spend on gaming, you may be an addict. From the sound of it, you're not an addict. Next time anyone tries to corner you and call you an addict, compare your gaming to having a drink or two at a party or to unwind after a long day, or something similar. I'm sure that other people in your family have hobbies that they engage in, but not to excess; provide them with an example from their own lives to try and give them a bit more perspective.
Oh, and simply saying "I'm not and addict" with little or no supporting argument never works. If this is what you have to deal with, then you need to spend some time thinking up clear, logical defenses and concentrate on not getting aggressive when your family confronts you.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

It's a real thing, but just like drugs, you can use and not be addicted. Absolutely denying it exists is just dumb. Everything in moderation.

This.

Its not like drugs but you can get addicted to anything.

 

[Scarecrow]

Well...I've played Mass Effect 2 so much that I:

1.See the conversation wheel come up when I talk to people.
2.Call people by a full Quarian name, eg:John Smith vas Mt Morgan.
3.Shout out 'Bosh'tet' when I'm angry.

So you tell me if I'm addicted.

ps, I'm not making any of this up...really!

 

[acosn]

It's a symptom, not a cause.

Yeah, you can be "addicted" to video games, but its in the same sense that you can be addicted to a book, chocolate, or a sport.

And often times the sheer number of hours needed to be put into a game to warrant "addiction" indicates a problem elsewhere.

 

[tahoe51]

it is completely totaly and uterly imposible to be addicted to anything that doesnt actualy phisacly addict you to it. I used to play runescape for 6-7 HRs a day, every day. But it wasnt beacuse i couldent stop. it was beacuse my life was extremly boring, it esentaly boiled down to wake up, take shower, eat food, do schoolwork, wish I had something to do, go to sleep. Doing that every single day was unbearable and playing a game like runescape was something i could actaly interact with and enjoy doing. However when i got tierd of playing it i stoped and didint even think of picking it up again.

Just this last Xmas i fianly got a computer good enough to run WoW and im loving it. Ill admit i play alot and that my sleep schedule is currently way off kilter but whenever something needs to get done i make sure it gets done. When you see somebody who is "addicted" to a game they arent actualy going to die if they stop playing. if anything more often then not i see people using an addiction as an exuse not to stop doing something they enjoy people who claim to have a major adiction to gaming are just very weak minded or totaly without self control of any kind. I know that might sound mean but if a 16 year old guy with a mom who lets him do just about whatever he wants even if its bad for him can play a game like WoW and still work out (all be it not as much as he should), take 30+ min. walk's every day, do all his homeschool work, make sure the house is clean and all the pets arent about to die of dehidration or starvation then NOBODY can be addicted to games unless they are mentaly ill or just dont want to stop.

(i know my spellings bad. i have no spellcheck so i cant screen my horible writeing for mistakes)

 

[SinisterGehe]

I can be addicted if there is times that I do not want to play, and I don't play. On the contrast there is times that I want to play and then I play. But mostly, I don't play. I just sit idling front of my table... Hey I know! I am addicted to sitting on chairs! I spend most of my time sitting down! Bust, School, Orchestra practices, gigs, home when I eat, in my room when I am i my room. I am clearly addicted on sitting since I do it so much.

Edit:
And... You can get addicted to anything, I know a girl who must always have a pair of silk underwear on, she has never used anything else and Keeps saying that she doesn't feel like a human if she doesn't have silk underwear... I got a mate who's fix is drawing, he draws all the time, if there no paper around, No matter, he got paint on hes phone. If phone isn't there, no matter there is always a pen around, any surface will do even hes shirt. Yet no one is calling him an addict, but I who play few raids a week with my guild mates am in urgent need of medical help... -.-

 

[achilleas.k]

It's not BS at all. I'm an addict. Maybe my hands don't shake if I don't play for long but I do feel the need to play something.

People can get psychologically addicted to pretty much anything.

 

[nuba km]

xbox been dead for more then a week and I am perfectly fine.

 

[Sparrow]

I'm pretty sure you can be addicted to anything. Like milk. I bet some people are addicted to milk. The poor, poor people...

 

[PurplePlatypus]

I think addiction is becoming a misused word; it?s used because there are certain connotations that come with it. They would, consider chemical addiction and the physiological effects of that and withdrawal. It?s beginning to get mixed up with habit and that annoys me because people would sway I?m addicted to biting my nails, but I?m not addicted, I?m in the habit of it. Do something for long enough and it can be hard to suddenly not do it anymore. That is not addiction, addictions doesn?t take months of a repeated task to take a hold.

But habit is a different thing even still to what you might describe gaming, or reading books or taking up any kind of hobby. But there?s an awful catch, something people will misuse. Enjoyment; the entire idea of a hobby is something that you dedicate a part of your life to doing just because you enjoy doing it. And when you do that, when you enjoy something and spend part of your life doing it, of course you don?t bloody want to give it up and of course you get the urge to want to do it. Then it happens, a bad spin gets placed on that hobby and suddenly people take these perfectly ordinary healthy things and... Well, they misuse a word like addiction because they get the right sort of feel from it. Not for one instance do they relate it to themselves because, oh this is different, and this particular thing is dangerous. It?s defiantly not like their want to watch their favourite show, or their want to read books or ride that horse they love so much.

So you protest, and they see what they want to see.

That?s only assuming everything is ok, because it gets worse if something is up. It is escapism for a reason after all, so the thing that allows people to escape ends up taking the blame for whatever is actually wrong. So we end up treating the symptom and the misery continues.

 

[macfluffers]

Definition of addiction: compulsion to consume a substance or perform an act to the degree it significantly interferes with other aspects of daily life.

Addiction doesn't just apply to drugs. It also applies to sex, gambling, and, sorry folks, gaming. Gaming is an enjoyable act that a person can be addicted to. The point is that you just need to see if your gaming habits are interfering with the rest of your life. For example: Did you miss work because of a game? Did you skip out on a date? Did you skip a meal? Et cetera.

 

[Netrigan]

According to News, Doctors, And even websites, Video games are as addictive as drugs.... What?


I'm not joking, this is insane.... My aunt hit it with me today at a so called family meal. I play games to much. was what she said I responded with "Yea but I'm not like your drug addicted daughter." well i didn't say that I said "I play them to get away from boredom after I get my homework done, Its not like I need them." the message was clear, I am not addicted. But my "Denying" the fact I have a problem led her into beliving I do. Soon the entire family went into full blown intervention mode..... I nearly walked out of the room twice.

So my question to you is, Have you heard of this Bull crap? If so are you addicted?

I know I'm not, Now if you don't mind, I need to go blow up Mister X on RE2

It can clearly be an obsessive behavior. But as with culturally accepted addictions (like alcohol), it's not determined by if you do it, but the negative consequences the behavior causes. You can drink every day and it might not be a problem. Or you can drink only on the week-end but be so irresponsible that it is a problem.

In this case you're dealing with someone mostly ignorant of the activity and their perception of what is and isn't responsible behavior is skewed. About the only defense would be asking exactly how you're acting in a irresponsible manner. Are you getting good grades, doing your chores, holding down a job, getting enough sleep, etc.

 

[Jabberwock xeno]

They are, but the same could be said of TV.

 

[AnthonTheSkabot]

The same can be said of books or cinema.

Sure it can, but have you taken into account what that would mean? Or, did you say that as a means to dimiss the issue without having to explore it?

Behavioral Addiction is no less potentially harmful or dangerous, just because it lacks a drug dependency. People have died and allowed others to die due to so many forms of this type of addiction. For books and movies, it is more difficult to get to such a level because movies and books ultimately end and for the most part, provide nothing new, no hooks, on repeat useage.

Fair enough, I do see that behavioral addiction is no less harmful than drugs but at the same time, far less people die from staying up for days to play more games because once you get into games it's a choice to do stupid things like stay up for two days or drink three high-caffeine energy drinks an hour while for drug addicts their more addicted and have less of a choice because, at that point, they have a craving that is hard to shake off and easy to fix.

 

[TheNamlessGuy]

DELETED

 

[Ickorus]

Just say what I do when people tell you you're addicted to games.

"It's just because it's a new form of media that people are demonizing games people said the same thing about radio, books, and TV at some point or another, and whilst yes some small portion of people will invariably get addicted to them it doesn't mean everyone will"

They tend to respond "Well those are different and you're still addicted"

To which you reply "Fuck off, they're no different. You watch TV a lot and I don't tell you you're addicted to that, we just have different ways of passing the time and being that I play games with others in online games mine is more social than yours"

That puts them on the defensive "Well I go out!"

My response to that is how I lack the money to go out often and telling me to go to the pub to imbibe a known addictive substance is kinda defeating their point.

That last point tends to shut them up. =]