Lawyer Disbarred Over Videogame Addiction

[xitel]

It's compulsion, not addiction, brain isn't being dependant on chemicals yada yada yada.

This is the inherent problem that always sits on the lap of "videogame addiction" arguments. It IS an addiction, but not in the usual chemical sense. It's a psychological addiction, which is validly recognized by NIMH. However, in the case of actual psychological addiction (as opposed to people who claim to be addicted so they won't get blamed for something), it's a result of an addictive personality. In other words, the person who is addicted gets addicted to things, it's not that the things he's addicted to are addictive. It's just like people who get addicted to a sport, or a certain food, so on and so forth. And I'm actually somewhat proud that the court system didn't even try to blame the games, they put the blame on the person who is to blame, namely the lawyer. And yes, he does need help to overcome it, but that doesn't mean the addiction wasn't his fault to begin with.

P.S. Nothing against you, Richardplex, just saw your comment and realized that line would help reinforce my post and give me something to elaborate on. I'd have used anyone else if they had said the same thing too. Sorry if it comes off as me attacking you, that isn't my intention.

 

[Richardplex]

It's compulsion, not addiction, brain isn't being dependant on chemicals yada yada yada.

This is the inherent problem that always sits on the lap of "videogame addiction" arguments. It IS an addiction, but not in the usual chemical sense. It's a psychological addiction, which is validly recognized by NIMH. However, in the case of actual psychological addiction (as opposed to people who claim to be addicted so they won't get blamed for something), it's a result of an addictive personality. In other words, the person who is addicted gets addicted to things, it's not that the things he's addicted to are addictive. It's just like people who get addicted to a sport, or a certain food, so on and so forth. And I'm actually somewhat proud that the court system didn't even try to blame the games, they put the blame on the person who is to blame, namely the lawyer. And yes, he does need help to overcome it, but that doesn't mean the addiction wasn't his fault to begin with.

P.S. Nothing against you, Richardplex, just saw your comment and realized that line would help reinforce my post and give me something to elaborate on. I'd have used anyone else if they had said the same thing too. Sorry if it comes off as me attacking you, that isn't my intention.

It was relevant to my post, I don't see the problem. And I have been educated this day.

 

[SaetonChapelle]

It's compulsion, not addiction, brain isn't being dependant on chemicals yada yada yada. Edit: It's psychological addiction, disregard comment.

I've known good people who have significantly set back their careers due to video games. Don't get me wrong - I play video games, but if you're over 18, you should know when to stop. I knew someone who started an undergraduate degree 2 years before me and finished it 3 years after I finished mine - so that's nearly 8 years... for an undergraduate degree. The reason? World of Warcraft is the reason. He just couldn't stop playing it. It was that guild of his - always telling him "we need you" and he'd always oblige them. During his World of Warcraft years, we never saw him. He frankly disappeared. The only time I heard from him was when he phoned up because he needed ME to buy him food. I eventually stopped getting his food for him. It was pathetic.

He stopped playing WoW, and for a while, his friends (the real ones, that you know, live near him) actually saw him and he finished his degree. But since he finished his degree, he thought that he could handle MMO's again, and now he's in the clutches of Rift. I've written him off at this point.

I don't know why long-distance friends are apparently fake friends now, but other that, similar experience with fake friends when I played wow.

Just as stated as before. It can be an addiction and compulsion. In fact it's probably both. An addiction just means EITHER physical OR mental. A process in which the brain is constantly thinking about the subject matter. A compulsion is when the individual acts upon the addiction to satisfy anxiety.


An addiction is not only a physical problem, but a mental one as well.

 

[shintakie10]

It's compulsion, not addiction, brain isn't being dependant on chemicals yada yada yada. Edit: It's psychological addiction, disregard comment.

I've known good people who have significantly set back their careers due to video games. Don't get me wrong - I play video games, but if you're over 18, you should know when to stop. I knew someone who started an undergraduate degree 2 years before me and finished it 3 years after I finished mine - so that's nearly 8 years... for an undergraduate degree. The reason? World of Warcraft is the reason. He just couldn't stop playing it. It was that guild of his - always telling him "we need you" and he'd always oblige them. During his World of Warcraft years, we never saw him. He frankly disappeared. The only time I heard from him was when he phoned up because he needed ME to buy him food. I eventually stopped getting his food for him. It was pathetic.

He stopped playing WoW, and for a while, his friends (the real ones, that you know, live near him) actually saw him and he finished his degree. But since he finished his degree, he thought that he could handle MMO's again, and now he's in the clutches of Rift. I've written him off at this point.

I don't know why long-distance friends are apparently fake friends now, but other that, similar experience with fake friends when I played wow.

Just as stated as before. It can be an addiction and compulsion. In fact it's probably both. An addiction just means EITHER physical OR mental. A process in which the brain is constantly thinking about the subject matter. A compulsion is when the individual acts upon the addiction to satisfy anxiety.


An addiction is not only a physical problem, but a mental one as well.

Ya know, I actually didn't know the difference between those two before now. Respect to you for droppin knowledge bombs *nods*

On topic. Guess that guy could use some counseling. Its never good when you let what should rarely go beyond mild stress relief control your life to the point that the rest of you gets completely neglected.

 

[ThunderCavalier]

*sigh* There is honestly no comment I could make that the Escapist badge in the article hasn't already said.

I understand the want for escapism, especially in stressful jobs such as being a lawyer and having to deal with lawsuits, the legal system, etc., but that is no excuse for botching up your job when it can severely impact the lives of others, as well as affect your own financial situation and make it more difficult for you to play games in the future.

I'm also kinda pissed at the media for airing this 'specific' story, since this is the first time I've heard of a lawyer being indefinitely removed from work due to a type of addiction. Now, I'm not one to generalize, but I have a feeling that many more have been barred from practicing their license for similar reasons, but this one was different just because it involved 'video games'.

 

[feycreature]

Er. No, he was disbarred because he wasn't doing his job properly. And from the sound of it he wasn't doing his job because he was cracking under pressure from work and home stuff and using video games as an escape vessel and coping mechanism. Some people drink, and functional alcoholics usually don't get fired.

If he just played video games compulsively without such a severe drop in his work quality then I greatly doubt he'd have been disbarred, or that anyone outside his immediate social circle would even have noticed, so you can't claim he was disbarred over his game addiction with any degree of accuracy.

 

[Atheist.]

It's compulsion, not addiction, brain isn't being dependant on chemicals yada yada yada.

I am kinda angry at Extra Credits for reinforcing that notion.

There are two kinds of addictions: physiological and psychological.
The former is when your brain chemistry starts to depend on your consumption of certain substances (e.g. drugs). The latter is exactly what is described in the article (i.e. using a certain behavior as coping mechanism and then completely depending on it). It is possible (in theory) to get psychologically addicted to pretty much everything, though it is much easier with behavior that is pleasant or reliefs stress (including video games).

A compulsion, on the other hand, is when you suddenly (without apparent cause) get the urge to do something and feel tense (that's a severe understatement) until you comply with that urge.

Psychological addiction is generally related to the release of endorphins in the brain. Playing games releases them. They make you happy. You repeat the thing that made you happy. It's the same way people get "addicted" to running all the time or cocaine. You usually aren't addicted to cocaine, but rather the immediate release of endorphins and serotonin in your brain that it provides. Did you know that people who run/exercise a lot daily get withdrawals when they stop?