Mental Health Expert Doesn't Think Videogame Addiction Exists

[BloodRed Pixel]

Have I missed something here? From what I gathered all he said was things that look like video game addiction are really other things entirely. That gets a 'well, duh' from me.

But to say that video game addiction doesn't exist? That's nonsense! ANYTHING in the world can become addictive. Literally ANYTHING. From the highest class drugs to the most menial of tasks; if someone has an addictive personality, weak will, pre-existing mental issues and a habit of doing something, it can become an addiction.

I don't see why something as fun as gaming should be excluded from the list of things people can get addicted to.

The title is actually a bit off; what she's actually saying is that it doesn't exist as a seperate and unique disease or condition.

Yes, most people confuse the symptoms with the cause.

If you are depressive, borderlinish, neurotic, psychotic, schizoid etc. does not depend on
what `channel` you choose to express that or cope with it.
And YES - this channel can be anything.

today video gaming is wide spread hobby among younger people, so they most probably channel their problems through a means of expression they know.

I knew two people personally that went psychotic with extensive RPG playing. I mean REAL RPG, sitting with other on table. They were in therapy for years.
So you might put the blame on RPG, but the real cause was that they had severe problems inside the family, and they started to channel their problems through RPG. Building a better world for them but having increasingly problems when returning to reality.

Similar things also go for alcohol. An former acquaintance became a real asshole when he drank,
starting an argument with anybody. So the alc just brought to light his complexes, there was nothing IN the drink that made him do so.

Unfortunately it seems, that like canabis, esp. (video) games, seem to nuture psychosis in people who ALREADY have a tendency for it. I guess the point is the ´immersion´-factor.
Something that does not interest you in the first place is quite unlikey to get you addicted.

 

[Jamous]

I'd like to give her a hug.
I can now point to him for defense =D

I do believe that you've hit the nail on the head! ;D Hugs all around! Hugs aplenty!

 

[Twad]

He "thinks"? Hes a friggin' director for a psychology institute and he just say vague, unsuported statements?

For soemone of his position, i expect a lot of data, a lot of solid references, solid methodology and profesionalism. Not an generalist statement anyone can come up in his basement.

 

[Chris Jensen]

What you laymen need to realize is that what a mental health professional considers "addiction" and what you consider "addiction" are TWO different things. A psycologist will see a behavioral problem and reference it against a checklist of symptoms before he/she will call it an "addiction". This is vastly different from you saying "OMG these onion rings are so good I am addicted to them!" This is what happens when the uneducated public gets ahold of a word or idea and begins to plaster it on everything that they can.

The consertive right WANTS to fight a culture war. They want a scary boogie-man hidding in the shadows waiting to eat our poor defenseless children. Terms like "addiction, brain washing, indoctrination" are very popular to them. No matter how rare, difficult to achieve, or simply non-existant they really are.

Just know that when you, your friends, a teacher, a priest or even your parents say "addiction" it is likely to be a VERY different word from when a Mental Health Professional says "addiction".

 

[Iron Lightning]

I think a lot of people in this thread are missing the point of the article. Nobody is saying that it is impossible to be addicted to videogames, merely that videogames themselves are not the cause of the addiction. This is opposed to, for example, nicotine which does create a physiological addiction. I don't get the impression that the good (doctor?) believes videogame addiction does not exist, but merely should be redefined as a symptom of other issues, not an issue in and of itself.

 

[Treefingers]

Just because a teen plays videogames and then decides to shoot up his school doesn't mean there is a correlation.

Yes it does. That is a correlation there that you just described. The word you're looking for is causation.

 

[WolfEdge]

Well...

She has CLEARLY never played Minecraft.

That game will eat you.

 

[MasterChief892039]

"But what seems to be going on is that kids who have other problems will sometimes channel those through video games. A depressed kid, for example, will play video games to improve their mood. And kids with addictive personalities will play a lot of video games. Like anything that can go to an extreme, video games might become an additional problem, but usually the games, by themselves, are not the problem, it's usually tied in with other things."

Excuse me Miss, isn't having pre-existing problems and/or depression usually a key factor in many addictions? Most alcoholics or drug-users start out their habit as an escape or "self-medication" in an attempt to improve their mood, in exactly the same way these problemed kids are using games.

I'm not one to advocate games turning kids into rapists or violent murders, but game addiction does seem very plausible. If you can get addicted to television, the internet, or porn, you can certainly get addicted to video games (I would know.. I played WoW for two years.)