Serious Business 0: Are computer games addictive?

Serious Business 0:
Are computer/video games a new kind of harmful drug? Are they addictive?​

As my example I am going to use this video:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VSNfJKYoA8k
This is the typical way the mass media presents video games.
An addiction, an illness.​

Lets start with simple question: Is playing computer/video games addictive? Yes and no.

Anything that makes us feel good, anything that makes our brain release endorphins is potentially addictive. But what is the difference between person addicted to doing crosswords, playing football or musical instrument and person addicted to playing computer games? None! The only reason why people tend say "He's addicted to video games" instead of "He is addicted to reading books" is because people see playing video games as bad thing unlike reading books is not. Its like saying going out with friends is addictive! I am sure that a scientist could tell you that from chemical perspective it might be slightly addictive but do you read in newspapers "A young boy goes out with his friends every single day! Someone save his from his impeding demise!", no, because newspapers would be likely to lose their credibility and their readers. Newspapers write about things that people want to read, even if means in bias form.

Let me tell you that most people who claim that they are addicted to WoW or any other game are in fact liars. They are not chemically addicted. They are just weak personalities. They cant force themselves to lift up their ass and go do something else. But if you take away their game do you think that they will start to sweat, go crazy, and undergo similar decontamination processes as a cocaine addict? Certainly not!
People tend to look at someone, they see that the person is playing a video game instead of going to school or work, and blame the video game for hooking them up. You re a junky because you would rather play a game instead of going to work? Oh my god! You should go to hospital right now! A man who would rather have fun than do work! No, no, no... People will always rather have fun than having to work or go to school or something else that they claim is not fun, unless they are masochists. Most people who play computer games can stop whenever they want, they just didn't want to!

And if you talk about addiction why didn't you mention addiction on technology? Sure WoW is addictive, but the internet isn't? Sure WoW is addictive, and friends aren't? If you look in detail, addictions are everywhere, but the thing that makes video game addiction so "popular" is because its "bad". Why is it bad?

Tell me this, if you were to make experiment where one man plays computer game 16 hours a day and the other man is looking into a wall for the same period of time each day, which addiction is worse? Id say the looking into the wall one, because lets face it, at least you socialise in WoW, you meet new people and you learn new things even though reading a book is probably more efficient way to learn. So of course if you compare two people, one playing WoW 16 hours a day and second one using that time to learn, doing some part-time job for extra cash and going out with girls, you would claim that the second one is doing better.
But would you say that playing computer games 16 hours is bad on itself? No, its just the time you spend playing which could be used differently, but the playing on itself is not necessarily bad. Yes, there is the thing with lowered eye sight when you watch monitor everyday from a close distance, and if you don't sit properly you might harm your spine. However these aren't linked to video games directly and you can avoid them if you sit properly or have a monitor at certain distance.
There is positive side as well. You might learn some extra English, you make new friends, you might spare your body extra alcohol or harmful chemicals which you would otherwise use when partying with your friends.


At the end let me comment on the video that I have posted as an example.
A boy playing 16 hours a day in his tier 0. Yeah, right. *coughs*
What went wrong there? Is it all because of the evil video game? Bulls Eye!

What!? Why do you just stand there and talk about the video game is to blame? Call social services! How can a parent let his own child leave the school and play 16 hours a day? That's just complete parenting failure! Why not just turn it off? Ill tell you a secret: Pull the plug, kick the kid out and slam the door behind him. Magic!
Oh another thing, he is swearing? A 16 years old swearing? Call the drama police! There is a kid in late puberty who swears! *Sigh* That's just atrocious.

Yes it is your choice to play it, it is not your choice to be addicted to it. You cant chose to be addicted to something, you are or you aren't. And I don't think he is, he just needs someone to turn off his computer and educate him.
Of course there will be trouble when hes used to play all the time, but he shouldn't ever have to reach that stage at all! I understand that sometimes the parents cannot be with their children due to work, but that doesn't mean that its not their fault.
How can this even happen in normal family? If you play a video game for an hour its not going to hook you up in any way. Its not like hard drugs which can hook you up after first few doses. This kid has been left to play for sheer amount of time. Probably for years on end. Its not just addiction its his lifestyle now. Quiting now may be like a New York citizen suddenly moving to a backward village somewhere in Brazil. But for someone to get to this stage it takes a lot of time, and its his or his parents duty to stop him. Its the same with food, same with alcohol, same with sex, same with every other hobby/pleasure we have. Keep things in balance.


To sum up:
People stop blaming the video games, blame yourself, blame the parents. There is no way that playing a video game for the first time will make you junky in few minutes like the hard drugs can. There is nooo waaaay! Addiction is the factor of "Do I have to? Or do I just WANT to?" if you have to play 10 minutes a day, you're an addict, if you just want to play for 16 hours a day, you don't have to be an addict. Video game addiction is just an empty phrase. The only reason why playing video games too much is that you waste you're time. If you play 16 hours a day and you still manage to do on school well, and you have friends and all, then you're fine, you don't need to change anything. If you play 2 hours a day but you have problems in your life you should do something about it. If I think of a smoker I tend to think about him being stupid that he smokes, NOT that the cigarette is stupid for hooking him up.


Your turn!
/discuss

 

Re: The Workers Perspective One: Are computer games addictive?

It is the lack of discipline that makes people loss their jobs and education cause of gaming. I think that a vast majority that drops out of school are already prone to do so before they get into gaming. Gaming can be compared to surfing and/or rock n' roll lifestyle in the context that as soon as school negative kids find it they switch over to it. The main reason they were in school before that was because they hade nowhere else to go to socialize.

 

Re: The Workers Perspective One: Are computer games addictive?

Addiction to video games exists. Like you said, addiction is not something mythical and magical. It's chemical, endorphins produced that gives us a moment of well being and happiness.

And like everyone else, we like being happy and to feel peace... and the more the better. But there is a catch, every situation as is own effect of well being, and we tend to stick with one as soon as we find one that works great.

My context: I was born in a family with a high addictive side, grandparents that smoked and drinked until the bitter end.
Knowing that, we realised that my mother and me were getting addicted a lot easier than other people in my family. Confirmed, we now know that we are genetically made this way, so logically all people have different level of addictiveness.

Now moving from myself to subject. The human tends to always go the easy way. If I can sit on my chair and play and get to happiness.... (Starcraft 1v1 playing versus a skilled player and you beat him) right after you feel relieved and happy that you won the game this is the exact moment the chemicals mixes. You go ''Yay'' and done... now you want to do that again, the brain asks for more!

After a certain number of time you get used to this and you need more to get the same peek, we cannot really compare with high addictive drugs since they physically mess around those same chemical making a much less natural effect of euphoria.

So we get use to it and play more, and when you find it again, it's not ''Yay'' anymore, it's ''Hurray''. You've gone where you never been before you won 2 skiled players against you.

Later after that you begin to think ''am I really addicted?'' (because everyone says that you are, because of those videos that we just saw).

The easy way out is to say , like the kid in the video ''I can stop anytime''. We know he can step away, but when he will face the world again he needs to find another stimulus that will make him go ''Hurray'' again. ''Yay'' will not be enough anymore.

So there we are in front of the world looking for other things that will make us happier than winning at Starcraft. Are you courageous enough to try a lot of experiences until you find one that fits, or are you the ''easy way out'' type and return to Starcraft or World of Warcraft.

I think that video games is not the problem but people's attitude of laziness is making it this way.

**Starcraft, World of Warcraft are example and can be replaced by not only by any games, but any hobby that you find happiness in.

Even sex, if you do it all the time the same way 5 times a day, you will most probably be addicted but you will always need more to reach ''that one time'' that it was better, until the body can't follow anymore.


Thank you for bringing that very interesting thread TheWorker, even thought the video is as all other videos about video game addiction, still tainted with the need of success of the host XD

 

Re: The Workers Perspective One: Are computer games addictive?

And that's what TheWorker says? Shame on you, how can you think that work is no fun?

I mostly have to agree with what you're saying. It's not about games, it's about people. Some people can control themselves, others can't - and that's where parents come in. What's wrong with this kid's mother? If she's so worried she should do something about it and not just stand there and whine. That kid didn't just bring WoW and started playing entire day, if she admits it happened gradually why didn't she stop him? Try to limit his gaming time?

Imo it's not as simple as pulling out the plug though. There's the problem you ommited in your argument - violence. Wouldn't you be angry if someone pulled out while you were winning a hard game in SC for example? Though it shouldn't be the case with WoW where you can't take others' items, there was a mother who got hit with a chair after turning son's computer off while he was plaiyng MMO game.

That said, she should just make him play no more than say 12 hours at first, and lower the limit over time - IF gaming interferes with his school or other duties. If kid doesn't listen it's parent's fault for spoiling him to that point.

Two more things:
1. About violence. You can say that it's not game's fault for kids being violent. I've also read interesting article about how not only games aren't related to crimes, but there have been decrease in crimes since games became popular. But it's also fact that youngsters "addicted" to games tend to be aggressive. Why is that so? Imo the main issue is that in games and especially MMORPGs you control a character that belongs to you and represents you with his level, gear etc. Sure, it's just a game, but if your character loses a fight, or worse yet - items, you lose. You've invested time and effort to gain something and some **** takes it from you (sometimes in an unfair way, such as using hacks) - of course you would be angry. Now in games like Tibia if you turn the game off just anywhere, your character becomes vulnerable and his items are easy pickings. Being angry at someone who pulls out the plug is imo justified. Who wouldn't be pissed?

2. About leaving. I can agree that someone plays instead of going outside or doing w/e because he prefers it. It's sure more fun to play than do chores for most people. But it's not exactly true that you can leave anytime. It's normal that you don't want to stop playing halfway through a starcraft match, just like you wouldn't want to stop watching a movie or reading a book in an interesting point. Why are games evil here then? You can stop reading a book at any point and resume later, even start a bit before you stopped to recall what was going on. You can't just pause and resume an online match and MMORPGs don't end at all. Of course it's possible to quit game and your character is saved, but it's not really the case if you're on a raid for example.

By quiting raid you not only lose potential loot and time already invested, you also lose respect of people you were with, who might have to quit as well because of that. Alot of people find it bad to see people wasting their lives on games, "not having friends" and socializing. Wait, weren't I just on a raid with 24 other people? Oh I see, that was on internet so it doesn't matter.
I find it bad when someone doesn't realise that people on internet are just as real as the neighbours or anyone else. Maybe I don't go meet "real" people because they're drunks or I just don't like the way they are? What's wrong with me if I prefer to socialize with someone who shares my interests rather than go out with people with whom I have nothing to talk about just because I can see them "irl"?

 

Re: (demo) Are computer games addictive?

Yes, and people need to reliase that this is nothing special which only video games do. Its a basic human instinct. If you lose, if dont achieve what you wanted to achieve, you are dissapointed and you might be angry. Its like if you lose a fight for a female which you wanted to have sex/babies with. You are angry at the male which defeated you. This does not happen only in video games. The same happens when you lose in football, ever saw violence in football? Thought so...

The problem with MMORPGs is that its too good. Yes exactly, its too good. It fills persons need for friends, need for progression, need for fun, perhaps partially the need for sexual activities, etc.
Therefore removing a person "hooked up" on MMORPG is basically changing his lifestyle. Because the friends, the amusement and everything else that he used to be getting from the game is gone, he has nothing left and we can all agree that person without friends or way to amuse himself, to progress, has some serious trouble.
But as long as he finds these things in the game, its perfectly OK. Of course if the person doesnt learn or make any money then he will get into real life trouble, but if he was to be millionare I dont think there would be a problem.
Remember, people dont play WoW only because of the game mechanics themselves, but also because of the people in the game.

The person playing games needs to make sure that he has still something to come back to when he quits the game. If he invests all his friendship, all his needs into a computer game, hes risking a lot. Its like losing your wife.


In the end you need to have your life in balance. Too much of anything is potentionally harmful. You can play MMORPG efficiently and still be ok, its all about self-control. And unlike real druggs, there isnt any chemical which can cause a harm to your body if you stop taking it, there is jus tthat endorphin which in todays world, you can get anywhere.

 

Re: (demo) Are computer games addictive?

I could never, ever, get addicted to WoW?

 

Re: (demo) Are computer games addictive?

I could say I was addicted to WOW, and it was really hard to give it up and cancel my account, but once I did, I felt a sense of relief, like if I was canceling something bad.

I think WOW, as the majority of MMORPs demand a lot of playtime for your character to be SOMEONE in the game. If you want to be "another mage" it is fine, you can play once in a while, but if you want to be "Velend, the Hunter of the Golden Armor and Ghost Pet", well, you must have the game as your number one daily activity (apart from working).

 

Re: (demo) Are computer games addictive?

There is no direct correlation between the time spend playing and "level" of addiction. You can play 3 hours a day and wont be able to stop or you can play the whole day, but if you need to or you have something else you can stop without any problems.
If you find WoW as a part of your activity, why should you be addicted? Its just your lifestyle, someone goes swimming after work, someone watches TV, you go play on your orc. Is that a sign of addiction? Again: no.
And if you find it hard to cancel your subscription is that really because of addiction? I used to play WoW, and I eventually stopped because most of my friends left, the game didnt really change, but friends did. So I left. However I didnt want to leave earlier on because I had alot of friends, my own active guild, and nice community around me. Its like if youre about to move to different area and you are to lose all your friends, you wouldnt be eager to do it, would you?

 

Poll locked!
Results:

<img src="http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/6797/grafvideokk5.jpg">

The voting was very close, slightly in favour of Video games not being harmful or addictive, or atleast only to small extend.

Thank you for taking part of Serious Business 0!

 

Well I don't think we can generalise this main idea. It's like smoking 2 cigarettes a day or 1 pack a day. That 2/day person will have a lot less problem stopping than the 2pack/day.

Your example you gave in your WOW situation was a really good one to show that you are not addicted. It was friend related, so the game lost is meaning when your friends left.

Give the same situation to that Jap kid that killed himself for that game, except the part that he is dead, he would most probably not understand what you mean. The meaning of the game IS the game.

People not addicted might want to close their eyes on the problem because they get affected by the reputation the addicted are giving to gamers. And on the other hand the addicted denies their addiction; the normal behavior of an addicted : Denial.

I am part of those who voted , Yes video games are addictive, but there is a whole lot more to it than only video games. Addiction is not bad, unless it ruins your quality of life.

Wiki on addiction: ''Factors that have been suggested as causes of addiction include genetic, biological/pharmacological and social factors.''
VideoGames is not the problem, we are.

 

What? 45 say its addictive, then its not in favour is it?

 

it's in favour of them not being addictive
kuvasz reading is your friend

 

But remember: Some truth to it, should they count for too (being addictive)? Its at least 50% to each IMO!

 

I am sorry if Ive one something wrong Furrer but I fail to see your point. Its not 50:50 but slightly in favour of them, not being addictive just as I said. Check yourself: (2+7) < (5+6)
But as I said, its very close, so you might think of the poll as undecided all togever (alias 50:50)

 

Yeah, and a poll with not more votes isnt really much worth isnt it? Wouldnt it be better if you closed the topic with a conclusion of the opinions that were posted?

 

I would like to do that yes, there is a problem however, I am not a mod.

 

Dont be sorry, you did nothing wrong. Youre the one lifting these forums up!
Cant wait for another Serious Business episode! :good: