Gaming Addictions; medical or just mental?

[Angel]

Its in the newspaper; its on the internet; and damn right its on television. Everywhere in Australia, people are debating whether gaming addiction can be classified as a mental health issue.

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Video game addiction, also called video game overuse, is a proposed form of psychological addiction composed of a compulsive use of computer and video games, most notably massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), and related to the also-debated Internet addiction disorder, or even TV drama series addiction disorder. Instances have been reported in which users play compulsively, isolating themselves from social contact and focusing almost entirely on in-game achievements rather than life events.

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In the United States, the question of video game addiction has occasioned much debate. The American Medical Association met in June of 2007 to discuss the topic, determining that further research was needed before video game addiction could be considered a formal diagnosis and urging the American Psychiatric Association to study whether the diagnosis would be appropriate for inclusion in the 2012 American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Dr. Louis Kraus, a spokesman for the APA, told press in June of 2007 that behaviors mimicking addiction among game players may actually indicate other psychiatric problems, like social anxiety or depression. Michael Brody of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry indicated that though he did believe video games could be addicting, he did not necessarily believe the diagnosis warranted inclusion in the DSM. In its official statement on June 25, 2007, the APA said it "does not consider 'video game addiction' to be a mental disorder at this time," but it did not rule out the possibility that such a diagnosis could be confirmed by 2012.

Should gaming addictions be classified as a medical problem?

Have you been addicted to a game?

--I have
-Zelda, and im still addicted.

[.Kairi.]

i would say its a mental problem. your brain starts to treat the computer like it would treat an addiction to cigarettes or alchohol.

[Darkwatch]

I highly disbelieve it to be a medical issue.

lol wtf?

It's a game. Even if it IS online, there's no way you can be sick in the mind because of it. It's not like nicotine where you physically and mentally need it.

And yes. I have been addicted to a game. Many games. Mostly megaman, Pokemon, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, and all those good games.

[Da Freak]

I'm Da Freak and I'm.......... a gameaholic.

[Roxas is Hot]

I highly disbelieve it to be a medical issue.

lol wtf?

It's a game. Even if it IS online, there's no way you can be sick in the mind because of it. It's not like nicotine where you physically and mentally need it.

And yes. I have been addicted to a game. Many games. Mostly megaman, Pokemon, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, and all those good games.

Agreed.

Being addicted to video games is 100% mental. Or somewhere close to that range.

[Repliku]

Video game addiction is like any addiction, a mental situation. Some people are naturally more addicted to drugs, alcohol, gambling, video games etc. Some of these people are clinically shown to have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It can be alleviated but addicting personalities occur with anything. Some people are even addicted to shopping and food, exercise, watching tv, etc. They like to separate this stuff but in the end it just reflects the people who are this way found an obsession and have a hard time shaking it. Dealing with addictive personalities is rough but they can get better learning other ways to do things.

[Aurora]

Sometimes I suspect certain members of the APA would like there to be more 'disorders' to research and provide therapy for. This is one of those times, and I'm glad they did not follow the same course of action as Korea and China or even the Smith & Jones Addiction Consultants in Amsterdam (http://www.gamespy.com/articles/710/710909p1.html).

Apparently in Korea and China, treatment can be forced on an individual by relatives or the government, and therapy often includes the same techniques used in mental institutions for other serious illnesses: administration of anti-depressants, yelling, or electro-shock therapy. In other countries the same 12 steps that Alcoholics Anonymous gave us are used to get 'addicts' to quit. And just like in addiction programs for alcohol, heroin, crack cocaine and other drugs, the old maxim still applies: Once an addict, always an addict. You can never be 'cured'. You will have urges to 'use' and will have to control your responses to these actions for the rest of your natural life.

My contempt for the ineffectiveness of the 12 steps in treating any addiction aside, I feel that mental health practitioners are dancing on the edge of a very slippery slope. Instead of treating the root causes of obsession and addiction of any kind, they are choosing to focus on a trendy new money-making scheme designed to cater to the fears and control fantasies of an older generation that has not come to terms with the new medical and digital realities.

In other words, they fear us and our ability to visualize and manipulate the possibilities of the so-called Digital Age the same way they feared HAL or Skynet out of science fiction. They think we are all agoraphobic troglodytes with acute social phobias leeching off of Mommy and Daddy and look down their noses at friends and lovers that we choose online as somehow being not real. They fear what they do not understand.

So they institutionalize us, cut us off from games and gamer culture cold turkey, make us scream with group therapy, medications, and electro-shock seizures. And while our mouths are open, begging for the pain to stop, they stuff faith in a higher power down our throats until we choke to death and are 'born again' into a new life they are both capable of understanding and controlling down to the last detail.

[Zandyne]

I *personally* do not believe that gaming can be classified as being full-blown "disease of the mind". Look at the appeal that we get FROM games and we can draw our conclusions from there.

Games appeal for:
- Control (predictability and the comfort that it will not a have a "dramatic" effect on reality -such as killing something-)
- Praise (games give you ratings....good ratings is like being praised...complete with a voice tell you sometimes)
- Competition (like sports except in some cases without moving, exceptions to this being most Wii Games and things like DDR)
- Intrigue/Simulation (expressions of fantasies FREELY, it caters to the needs we may or cannot satisfy in this sense)
- Interaction (some games actually are much better story-tellers then say movies or books, standalones, not cheap money-milking schemes)

However the media tends to do what it does best...propagate SPECIFICALLY SPECIAL truths. It is a statistic "truth" of sorts that EVERYTHING has at least ONE DANGER or NEGATIVITY. What the media usually skips out on in terms of rationalizing anything that is "compelling" is that MODERATION is KEY. (They often speak of gaming as though it is some sort of POISION of the mind.)

What really sets gaming apart from say addiction to a drug, is that there are no physical withdrawl sytems (at least as far as I know of).

Gaming really hasn't gotten to the degree that there should be this much attention on it, really it is simply an overexaggeration from a probably bored collection of people. If people had the same "gaming" addiction to other hobbies or activities of recreation (like reading, drawing or other such things) there would probably be even less alarm.

(Ah well this is all I can think of at the moment...so tired.)

[George Costanza]

I'm Da Freak and I'm.......... a gameaholic.

Hello Da freak.


Anywho its all mental Video games cant affect your health in anyway its just when you do nothing but play games all day your mind grows attached to it so its almost natural and you start thinking that you need it no matter what.

[Angel]

In my opinion, it could possibly be a medical condition. Some people have their lives eaten away by games.

[Darkwatch]

Well games don't physically cause ailments to you. I hardly would consider that medical.

Games are the cause of things like starvation, dehydration and possible sleep deprivation. But that's different from a game causing you to grow warts.

Just my take on the case. lol

[Aurora]

In my opinion, it could possibly be a medical condition. Some people have their lives eaten away by games.

If you could give us some examples or stories to back this statement up it might help your argument.

[Angel]

WoW has had over 149 reports of people so obsessed with the game that they lost everything in their lives.

There was an artical in the newspaper (which is what made me start this thread) about one guy, who spent every hour of his life on WoW except to eat, toilet breaks, and to sleep. He lost his girlfriend, He lost his job after forgetting about having to go after the long weekend, he lost contact with everyone except the virtual friends he had made in WoW.

-In the end, his mother locked him out of his own house and drove him to a rehabilitation center.

If I find the site for the paper; i'll show you what I mean.

[Darkwatch]

Still. That's a very small number in a large online community of users.

WoW racks in billions of dollars, out of billions of it's users. 149 is a lot, and it's a concern to those individuals, but IMO, most people would never take a game that seriously. Except my brother. Who is almost like the guy you're talking about. XD

I still don't agree with the fact games can change people that much, and cause a medical problem.

[Soku]

WoW has had over 149 reports of people so obsessed with the game that they lost everything in their lives.

There was an artical in the newspaper (which is what made me start this thread) about one guy, who spent every hour of his life on WoW except to eat, toilet breaks, and to sleep. He lost his girlfriend, He lost his job after forgetting about having to go after the long weekend, he lost contact with everyone except the virtual friends he had made in WoW.

-In the end, his mother locked him out of his own house and drove him to a rehabilitation center.

If I find the site for the paper; i'll show you what I mean.

That's so sad, but why do I want to laugh? Don't know, but no more VG for him. Next topic: People obsessed with Kh-Vids

[Darkwatch]

That's so sad, but why do I want to laugh? Don't know, but no more VG for him. Next topic: People obsessed with Kh-VidsQuite a saddening illness, KHV.

But seriously. No. xD

[Angel]

That's so sad, but why do I want to laugh? Don't know, but no more VG for him. Next topic: People obsessed with Kh-Vids

That would be me.

I'm obsessed with kh-vids.

lmao

jks. ;p

[LikeNeverBefore]

lol I don't think that it's a mental health issue at all, some people just love gaming. But I think as along as you are not all over the computer every hour every day, it's not a problem if you are just on it a lot. I like gaming, and some times addicted, it's just like a hobby of mine. But if you play the game like your life depended on it, XD..then,,,,it will be a mental health issue, get a life!

[11jones2]

like any addtions mental

[Darkandroid]

I've been through may gaming addictions, when a new game comes out I play it to death until I get bored. But that's as far as it goes. I don't let it take over my life. There are limits to what you can call an addiction and mental addiction.

It's like with alcohol. You can drink it often and get drunk often but you won't necessarily be addicted and crave it.

There are boundaries to which you can call it a mental problem. Casually playing games, more hardcore gamers (which people do get addicted to certain games) and then you get the full on addicts which you tend to get for long never-ending games like WoW and any mumorpuger (MMORPG) where some take it too literally. But also those who take games to seriously may already have a mental problem which lead to gaming addiction.

Like Asperger syndrome which is a form of autism, and this is a social deficiency which leads to people being obsessed with a certain thing, while lacking in other areas. Normally the obsession varies, but for some they could become obsessed with games and nail everything down to a fine tune.

[DarknessKingdom]

I wouldn't classify gaming addictions as a medical issue. It's really just a mental thing and having self-control. It shouldn't really be a problem unless the person is driven to the state where they eat, breathe and drink for the sake of playing a video game. Then of course, they would require help.

In a way, I suppose, this also relates to the issue of parents/guardians taking the responsibility of teaching when to work and when to play.

[White_Rook]

WoW has had over 149 reports of people so obsessed with the game that they lost everything in their lives.

There was an artical in the newspaper (which is what made me start this thread) about one guy, who spent every hour of his life on WoW except to eat, toilet breaks, and to sleep. He lost his girlfriend, He lost his job after forgetting about having to go after the long weekend, he lost contact with everyone except the virtual friends he had made in WoW.

-In the end, his mother locked him out of his own house and drove him to a rehabilitation center.

If I find the site for the paper; i'll show you what I mean.

Well this still implies nothing more than that we have a choice in the matter. To play is to be conscientious of the fact that you are doing so, and thus you control how involved you become. There is definitely a social phenomenon at work when a person socializes more on an mmorpg than in face-to-face meetings. Whether it is good or bad is a matter of debate. It's obvious that their needs for interaction are being met through another medium, so would calling it a "condition" or "psychological issue" really be right? As always there are those that take it too far and engage in a mindless, gaming stupor- of course chances are there's more wrong with them than just being addicted to a game; they could be high in situation anxiety, avoidance, and a multitude of other traits.

[EvilMan_89]

i can't see how it can be medical so i would say mental becuz it's something done by choice

[Repliku]

WoW has had over 149 reports of people so obsessed with the game that they lost everything in their lives.

There was an artical in the newspaper (which is what made me start this thread) about one guy, who spent every hour of his life on WoW except to eat, toilet breaks, and to sleep. He lost his girlfriend, He lost his job after forgetting about having to go after the long weekend, he lost contact with everyone except the virtual friends he had made in WoW.

-In the end, his mother locked him out of his own house and drove him to a rehabilitation center.

If I find the site for the paper; i'll show you what I mean.

149 people so obsessed with a game they lost their lives out of the few millions who play...it's not that big of a margin here to call it a medical condition.

I think more that it is an addictive personality and possibly Obsessive Compulsive Disorder still as there does not seem to be anything that implies someone will get addicted to it despite their efforts to say no. I think it's the feeling that those with an addictive personality get from playing the video games. It's no different really than a person who drinks obsessively, overeating, over collecting things/hording, does drugs, gambles, etc. The thing that makes it different from drugs and alcohol is that these can be chemically addicting where someone can get physically ill and go through heavy withdrawal symptoms as the body repairs itself. However, gambling, watching too much TV, collecting/hording, video games, music, food, etc..these are not that way. I believe it's a problem with the person then, and not the video game or the other things that regular people just entertain themselves with.

I'll explain in another essay, much to the dismay or pleasure of some. =:) Some people simply cannot say 'no'. They will let their lives go down the toilet because of an addiction to something and they are usually in denial or avoiding other things. It can be hard for people to get a grasp on their addictions.

We do tend to however just get mad at people who get absorbed in behaviors of addiction. They irritate the vast majority of others with the fact they can tune out their lives and just do whatever as if no one around them suddenly matters. When people leave the addictive person, it only furthers them to grow worse because to avoid the depression, they turn to the one thing that won't let them down and makes them feel better, even if it is the cause of what is destroying the person's relationships.

We have not really found a solid way of helping people with addictions though, as 12 step and other things are just replacing one addiction with another. Sometimes the people are fortunate to find their own ways of dealing with it. Sometimes they cannot and need medications to aid them and some reconstruction habits are required to teach them how to stave off the addiction. More research really is needed in helping people with addictive personalities to overcome the ailment. So while I don't see 'video games' as causes of addiction, I see that that the person who gets addicted to them has a problem, just as with any other thing someone can get compulsive about. It's the person that requires help because their wiring is somehow messed up and to classify this as a medical condition because they are addicted to 'video games' seems to be silly.

We need to instead analyze what gets people addicted to -anything- that isn't chemically altering in itself to make someone dependent on it. There is something wrong that the person cannot simply stop doing a compulsive addictive thing. Asking questions like 'what makes us able to drop something and go while someone else you have to drag from the table or couch?' 'Why is this person watching TV for 15 hours a day and yet others can move away and watch maybe 2 to 4 hours a day or no TV at all?'. 'Why can we win some games and lose..and when we lose enough we quit, but that guy can't be dragged away from the table until he's lost all of the money he came with?' Why is this person putting his/her house up for bid to gamble it away?' 'Why is this person buying and buying things even though they are super in debt?' etc. Addiction is a self-destructive behavior and the sooner we can answer these questions, the sooner we will be to more plausible cures for it. It always destroys the person's life, can make them homeless even, lose their families, ostracize the person etc. It does not matter what the object of their passion is. It's that they find it and can't seem to peel away from it and will go at great lengths to do or possess the thing of their obsession.

[Crumpet]

I highly disbelieve it to be a medical issue.

lol wtf?

It's a game. Even if it IS online, there's no way you can be sick in the mind because of it. It's not like nicotine where you physically and mentally need it.

And yes. I have been addicted to a game. Many games. Mostly megaman, Pokemon, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, and all those good games.

that's so true... I mean you can spend a week in the forest and not even think of a computer... but you can't stay out there without a smoke (if you're addicted and don't want to quit), It's just something to do for fun

besides im a chocoholic XDD

[Lady Beatrice]

If your understanding of reality alters, I think its a mental issue. Like that little boy that killed himself of World Of Warcraft because he wanted to live with his "heroes". That's not healthy.