Therapist Repeats "Gaming is Like Snorting Cocaine" Claim

Sorafrosty

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Nov 19, 2009
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Hawk of Battle said:
A friend of mine tried to be funny the other day and intentionally tried to slam a door into my arm as I was walking through it with a cup of hot chocolate in my hands. I lost my grip and the drink spilled everywhere. I proceeded to shout at him in front of a large crowd of passers-by, called him a dick and then marched his arse back to the cafe to buy me another.

Clearly I must be addicted to this cocain/chocolate drink stuff then...
Of course you must be. He was just trying to help you.

Seriously, though; I had this conversation with my family on Saturday, and my father was utterly convinced that online games had the ability to make you addicted. *bangs head in table* Yes, like online games are THAT different, fundamentally (yes, I know they are different because of, you know, other people playing too, and obvious mechanics, but what I am saying is that they're both games, right?). Wait till he realizes I play LOTRO. He'll probably figure I must be an addict, and that I need help.
 

Siege_TF

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Have his theories been published? No. have they been accepted? No. Is he a jabbering idiot? Yes.
A highly educated jabbering idiot, but a jabbering idiot nevertheless.
 

Cheesus333

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Oh...kay, I'll just take this point by point.

1: If it produces the same hormone release as snorting a line (which I somewhat doubt, but okay, I'll go with it) then isn't that good, since it doesn't have all the nasty side effects that the NHS and such are so unfond of?

2: Oh, another therapist who thinks that game violence = real world violence. You know, for a field specialising around the effects of external sources on the human mind, they certainly seem to come out with a lot of crap. I'll say the same thing I always say: I deal with my anger and stress in healthy and/or creative ways, and one of them is gaming. I put my rage into the game, I don't take it out. And it hasn't desensitised me or anything either, I know the difference between a mannequin made of coloured polygons and a living, breathing entity. So you can cross me off your serial killer watchlist, thank you very much.

3: Why would you take someone's controller out of their hand mid-game anyway? That's not an experiment, that's just bloody rude. And comparing gamers to alcoholics is a little over the line, too. We don't deserve that.

To summarise: a flawed and insulting article which almost certainly won't actually go anywhere.
 

Gaming King

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Apr 9, 2010
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The psychologist guy I think is blowing it out of proportion, but it's true that gaming addiction is a serious problem, and he DOES know what he's talking about if you look at the science of what he's saying. He has a point, but I think he takes it a bit far.
 

Nukey

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Apr 24, 2009
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I've done heavy drugs before, I'm not proud of it, but I can safely the two are totally different, and I highly prefer gaming. Gaming actually makes you feel good about yourself, gives you an escape where you can still interact perfectly with others if you don't overindulge in it.

Coke is a hell of a lot worse, not to mention way more expensive.
 

Russian_Assassin

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Apr 24, 2008
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I have tried both gaming and cocaine and I can safely say they have nothing in common whatsoever!

Also, the poster above me is right and I'd like to put emphasis on the expensiveness of coke. Although pirating games = loss of some rights/content and pirating coke = DEATH by guys in suits with lots of guns.
 

LitleWaffle

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Jan 9, 2010
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Okay, lets be rational here...

So if taking a controller away from someone causes anger, and the same thing happens when someone takes a good book away. And since taking a controller away from someone causes similar effects to that of an alcoholic or drug addict...

That means that books are also addictive!

Drugs are illegal. Drugs are addictive. Books are addictive. Books should be illegal!

Books are entertaining. Video Games are entertaining. TV is entertainment. Books should be illegal. All entertainment should be illegal!
 

MeTheMe

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Jun 13, 2008
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Try taking the controller out of their hands, they act like an addict... alright, I'll come into your office while you're typing, and take your keyboard to see how you react.
 

airrazor7

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Nov 8, 2010
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Since when does a therapist have an agenda? He must have way too much free time due to his job being a joke if he has the time to do this. Shouldn't he have patients to treat on a regular basis, y'know doing something that is actually important? Oh that's right, he's not a real doctor. He got a job from someone who was hiring based solely on having the piece of paper called a diploma and now he gets paid a comfortable sum to sit around and waste time. Other people suffer from the lack of employment in some areas while a hack like him gets paid.

I have an experiment I would like to try: I want to snatch his ignition key from him as he is about to enter his vehicle and see how he reacts. If he reacts in an angered, frustrated or violent manner, then it will confirm my hypothesis that driving a car is strongly similar to a heroin addiction.
 

Chainsaws_of_War_2

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Jan 15, 2009
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Not gonna lie, this is perhaps not equivalent to cocaine, but I get a whole rush of adrenaline when playing "Gun Game" on Black Ops with Hardstyle blasting in my ears.

Sleeping is out of the question for a couple hours.
 

Funkysandwich

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Jan 15, 2010
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Hey, I think we should be thanking this guy. He's just discovered cheap and legal cocaine!



No, but seriously... What a massive idiot.
 

duchaked

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Dec 25, 2008
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ah yes, more words from the rapist

I think people are perfectly justified in reacting badly when some random d-bag tries to take away something you love and have every right to enjoy on your own time (alcohol and cocaine are a far cry). that being said, someone trying to take away your gonads for an example would elicit a pretty big response (except for this guy...but he prob doesn't wanna talk about that). people get pretty hyped about their rights, just as they would if you tried to physically do something
 

JochemDude

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Nov 23, 2010
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Ohh, believe me it isn't this guy has clearly never did drugs. I didn't know they handed out masters in Bullshit these days. Oke seriousness why do people only listen to these guys and not actually ask us. I mean is it really that hard to investigate this subject without trying to prove it's bad. Try to take away their game station... Take away my bass when I'm playing it and I'll crash it into his head, same with books and... booze :)
 

terror_ninja

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Feb 22, 2011
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thecoreyhlltt said:
terror_ninja said:
I think having a job is worse than playing games. I have to work 9-5 and have nightmares about my job. Games dont do that to me.

Also my job has me waking up early so I can get there on time cutting my sleeping time in half, along with them nightmares. I dont get much sleep. Id rather just play video games.
not that i'm on that dick Pope's side, but i've had tons of game dreams/nightmares... I LOVE EM!
I also enjoy my game dreams/nightmares. But its when its about work it gets to me. :)
 

Lancer873

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Oct 10, 2009
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The whole criteria he gave for it being like taking crack, the fact that it causes an endorphin high, is total bull. First off, the method is completely different. Tacking cocaine chemically causes the release of endorphins, and I'm fairly certain that's not the main effect of cocaine. Playing video games entertains you, which naturally causes the release of endorphins. Also, cocaine isn't the only thing that causes the release of endorphins, millions of other drugs (as well as experiences and situations) cause the release of endorphins. Among those drugs is... chocolate. Myep. According to this guy, chocolate is just as bad as cocaine. It releases endorphins and if you take it away from someone, they'll raeg. Chocolate and gaming are both on about the same level for danger as far as I'm concerned.

And the day they come to take away my chocolate is the day they die.
 

razbuten363

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Jun 23, 2009
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This has probably been brought up already, but what qualifications does this guy have? In the US, at least, to be given the title "therapist" you don't need any formal training.
 

Shadowkire

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Apr 4, 2009
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Partezan said:
when was the last time any of you guys spent a day without the computer? try it and see what happens to your mind
The thing about going without a computer for a day is that you have built a routine in your life that includes one, suddenly going without one leaves a void in your routine which you are compelled to fill.

The same goes for many things, a day off of work is nice because you have probably built up a list of things you would like to do if you had more time but after a week off of work you will find yourself in the same boat: bored out of your mind. That doesn't mean you are addicted to work.