Therapist Wants In-Game Treatment for WoW Addicts

[Ophiuchus]

3) figure out how to bill them afterwards? (OK, assuming that the last one can be skipped and the therapists are only doing this out of the kindness of their hearts, it's still the slightest bit of problem.)

More than likely that it just wasn't factored into the thinking. British psychiatrist working for the NHS, free healthcare etc.

I'd actually support this, since the thinking behind it is entirely sound. That's not to say that I think it'd work - I'd like to think it has a chance, in fact considerably more chance than dragging these people away and sending them to a shrink against their will, but y'know, nothing's guaranteed an' all.

 

[Davey Woo]

They'd better go about it carefully, they're talking about "kids" on WoW, so it probably means if these "kids" feel like they're being pressured they'll end up with "OMG you pedo leave me alone /block"

I don't know, I see many flaws in this plan.

 

[Skreeee]

While I get where the psychiatrists are coming from and applaud them for thinking outside the box, this sounds like it would fail as fast as setting up a fat camp with no fences next to a Denny's would.

For one, Blizzard would have to make it possible for the doctors to be bypass the ignore function so their patients couldn't just stop listening.

 

[quiet_samurai]

well it's either that or be like China and regulate the amount of time people are allowed to play in a given day. I think the limit over there is only about three hours a day then your serer access shuts down automatically.

 

[Hijuice]

Hahaha It's like getting psychiatrists high to communicate with drug addicts!? Although i now know my new career path ... Level 80 Orc Physchiatrist

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

How funny would it be if the therapists themselves got addicted ^^

 

[Asciotes]

I laughed at the headline. But then I was like, Hey that might work." Then I realised all the potential problems. How will a psychiatrist stand out? What If someone just calls themselves a psychiatrist and tries to get in-game money from them. Plus, If you're addicted, you don't want people to start telling you to get off the computer in the game itself. People would just run away from the psychiatrists I think.

 

[Ultrajoe]

Man, I describe myself as a WoW addict and I can only play for a few hours before I get bored, and some nights I just can't be effed to log on. It occurs to me that this problem has got to come from something outside WoW, because i'm in a guild of addicts and we call off entire raids because 'We can't be bothered tonight, go PUG VoA bitches'. As Theuromancer(sp?) said, concern over addiction to new forms of entertainment is rife, but I seriously doubt that more than the barest fraction of players have a 16-hour habit. I doubt even more that the problem lies with WoW, or can be treated as such. I don't think any player can truly stand 16 hours in a row and stay sane.

Well, apart from me on long weekends. So much lewt...

 

[Internet Kraken]

This like telling someone to go on a diet while working at McDonalds.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

Isn't that like having a radiation fallout clinic on a nuclear bomb test range?

This like telling someone to go on a diet while working at McDonalds.

OOOH, OOOH, I GOT ONE!

This is like having your next AA meeting at an Open Bar.

I'm glad I'm not doing this. I would act like a GM, tell the party to go out in the real world and find someone with a Gold Exclamation Mark over their head to receive their next quest from me. At least it would get them outside.

Like all people who never experienced something first hand, I don't know what it's like to be addicted to WoW. I played it, I've seen it, and I was unimpressed the seven different times someone tried to get me into it.

But I do know that you don't expose someone to something they are weak to in efforts to help them. You don't talk about a poker game to a gambler, you don't go to a smoking section for someone who's trying to kick the habit, and taking a sex addict to a strip club is both wrong... and funny. You're just giving those people who want to stay in that world more than anything a valid excuse to logging in.

 

[whaleswiththumbs]

I once heard an idea like this but instead of kids it was drunks, and instead of treating on a computer they were treating in a bar. It didn't work to well from what I understand..

 

[Random Argument Man]

I already got my solution for this. Take a level 80 "What-ever-is-the-most-overpowered-class-right-now". Then, attack everyone in the opposite faction while they're grinding.


Some call it ganking. I call it hunting.


Note* This is a joke. I'll beleive it when I'll see results.

 

[Mjolnir07]

I think we'll all be quite rofl when the therapists are invited in to assist their potential patients and are then multi-killed.

 

[Mjolnir07]

Isn't that like having a radiation fallout clinic on a nuclear bomb test range?

Like all people who never experienced something first hand, I don't know what it's like to be addicted to WoW. I played it, I've seen it, and I was unimpressed the seven different times someone tried to get me into it.

I agree, I never liked WoW, and I really tried to. I was disappointed by it's failure to grab me like it seems to grab a third of the free world now.

 

[Kuchinawa212]

heheh that's silly

Well not really when you think about it...
Gives them a nice release and you can already do this sort of stuff over the internet anyway.

 

[Keldon888]

...holy crap

Did some random guy just try to get blizzard to pay his subscription fee?

Huge balls this guy.

 

[manaman]

Wouldn't that be like treating an alcoholic only when he is drunk?

 

[PlanetOfTheIdiots]

Therapist in game? Soon they will be sending in therapists for the therapists.

 

[Loop Stricken]

Surely, surely this is akin to treating a pyromaniac by giving them matches and a can of petrol.

Edit: I appear to have been beaten to the punch somewhat.