Therapist Repeats "Gaming is Like Snorting Cocaine" Claim

[Nayr]

This is why I think psychology is a crap degree. Because there are ignorant people like him who spew this nonsense. Any type of degree or program which values personal opinion over scientific fact is a waste of time and does not prove the intelligence of a person.

 

[Zerbye]

Sex is like cocaine "in the high it produces in their brains". Try interrupting that and see what happens.

 

[LadyMint]

I've always said to my friends and family that games are cheaper than crack and better for you, but that makes it no less a personal drug. Still, I've never had the urge to steal a TV and sell it so I could get a momentary game fix.

Anything can be an addiction, really. I'm sure if I took away one of my housemate's access to Pepsi (which they drink like water no longer exists), they'd flip out and go into withdrawal.

And I wager if you sneak up to your child playing with a favorite toy and take that toy out of their hands with no rhyme or reason, they'd go nuts regardless if it were a video game, barbie doll, paint brush, collector's cards or something else they were intensely concentrating on at the time. It's just plain rude and disruptive.

I bet this guy's addicted to all the attention he's getting from the well-meaning but naive parents who are clinging to his scare tactics.

 

[Ekit]

Why do these idiots keep popping up? Can't they go annoy another medium for a while?

 

[MikeOfThunder]

"playing videogames produces the same effect in the brain as snorting cocaine, making it "the silent killer of our generation.

I would replace cocaine with chocolate or beer.

Let me explain:

Eating a chocolate or drinking a beer won't cause you harm and you might just enjoy it.

However, eating 30 chocolate bars a day will, years down the line, kill you.

This is similar to games, play them ALL THE TIME and it will affect you in really nasty ways, moderation and you can enjoy it all! Even cocaine!

 

[katsabas]

I'm just wondering how you grind the games up into powder.

BTW, which games is Charlie Sheen playing?

Black Ops. Nope, not kidding.

Just tried to snort my PS3. Need bigger nostrils. Also, according to this, playing PS3 will block your μ receptors in the lungs and make you die from hipoxia.

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

I like how he says kids will react like alcoholics. You know, pulling away, expressing annoyance. Sometimes throwing a tantrum. Like they wouldn't do it with, say, a toy they were in the middle of playing with, or if you turned off of the tv while they were watching it.

Clearly everything is cocaine.

 

[Mechsoap]

What happened to all the awesome therapists?

 

[standokan]

Well at least it isn't crystal meth

 

[kannibus]

I think Britain's crazy drinking situation would be more of a problem than gaming, but fuck, what the hell do I know?

You think it was bad when someone tries to take a controller out of a kid's hands? Try taking their teddy bear.

 

[solidstatemind]

This is why I think psychology is a crap degree. Because there are ignorant people like him who spew this nonsense. Any type of degree or program which values personal opinion over scientific fact is a waste of time and does not prove the intelligence of a person.

Hey now, don't go badmouthing my discipline! Actual psychologists and psychiatrists use science and not opinion. You're thinking about sociology... (I kid. I kid.)

No, seriously- I would like to see this guy's credentials and professional affiliations. No decent professional association (like the APA) would grant this guy membership, when he is spouting off these statements without having studies and data to back it up.

People should just ignore his dumb ass. Eventually these foolish people will lose all credibility and go away, and be replaced with people like this [http://janemcgonigal.com/play-me/].

 

[ROOTminus1]

What happened to all the awesome therapists?

Here's someone [http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html] speaking in our favour

 

[Myrph]

Comparing cocaine to video games is like comparing waffles to a potato, not even close.

Ummm

[http://www.birdseye.co.uk/fresh-frozen-food/product/potato-waffles/]

Seriously though, its amazing what rubbish comes out on the radio...

 

[Chatboy 91]

"go upstairs to your kid's bedroom and try and take the game station controller out of their hands." They will react "in the same way as an alcoholic would if you tried to take their booze. It's scary,"

Now go up to any person regardless of their age while watching an interesting show or movie, take the remote out of their hands and turn it off. Same. Exact. Reaction.

 

[Aiden_the-Joker1]

For parents watching at home. Go upstairs and try to take money/T.V./DVDs/anything they own from them and they will react.

 

[uppitycracker]

i dunno, based on my personal experience with both (i'm a young reckless musician, you do the math), i'd have to say I think I'm buying the wrong games if gaming does, indeed, produce similar results as cocaine..... either that , or it speaks for the quality of the other factor...

 

[Rooster893]

He's got a point about taking the controller out of his hands thing. I would be irritated, but not to the point where I would have a ***** fit.

And if I ever play violent games, it's because they are therapeutic to me. I operate at a very high anger level, and violent games help me to relax and to kill my adrenaline rush so that I can go back to being normal.

So by saying that they are exactly like drugs is like saying to some people, "Therapy isn't good for you, so stop it."

 

[Smooth Operator]

When idiots think they are on to something... hilarious
Yes cocaine produces the same reaction in your brain as games, it's called an endorphin high - fun hormones, as they are with every other fun activity there is.

But I guess this brainiac didn't read up on that last part.