i've been playing games for over 20 years i highly doubt i could be helped by someone saying that they are a doctor in WoW or any other game, for me it'd be kinda hard to believe them.

Lol this will be interesting to say the least. However, I think categorizing gaming addiction as a disease is a misnomer. That would be like saying any addiction (drinking, gambling, smoking, x-treme sports) is a disease. It's a state of mind, yes, but it isn't something that requires medical attention or any kind of medicine. Most of the stated is simply habitual. Just my 2 cent.

    Western countries should not limit time spent  on mmos..If they do it should only be as a "prescription" from a diagnosing physician. They said the psychological  effect of mmo addiction is worse than crack.?,,,really...a bit extreme. I know it can be bad for some but I've never heard of regular shooting deaths, and daily"overdoses" caused from playing mmos. No one has ever jacked my car to support their monthly subscription habit.

Addiction or no addiction, I can tell you my wife is just glad I am home playing games & not at the bar several nights a week. 

Originally posted by Cyborg99

Lol he will probably crack once he sees barrens chat.

Oh the horrors, the HORRORS!! Can you imagine what a shrink could do with some of the conversations that we've all seen WAY too many of there?...

Originally posted by Wraithone

Originally posted by Cyborg99

Lol he will probably crack once he sees barrens chat.

 

Oh the horrors, the HORRORS!! Can you imagine what a shrink could do with some of the conversations that we've all seen WAY too many of there?...

 

ah the good old barrens chat with all the lame chuck norris jokes after playing WoW for 5 years i try and stay away from there.

Originally posted by Frobner

Should games be considered as beeing addictive ?  Yes

Should MMO games be considered as more additcive than other kinds of games ?  Yes

MMO games are alot of the time created to get you hooked on a satisfactiory feeling that gets dragged along the further and further you get into the game.    These games are CREATED to get ppl addicted.  Pay only 15$ a month (and ruin the rest of your life - as as subtext).

Why is there no time limit on these accounts btw?  Maybe its something that the MMO comunity should start to take into consideration.  

Whats an addict ?  One definition is that you are addictive to things that you think about more than 5-10 times per day in real life situtations.  Now.... I know that school ofc isn't really considered as RL and half of students could get through it thinking about WOW all the time... but then... whats there left for those kids further down the line ? 

I personally know of few cases where ppl litterally played their life away as adults - loosing pretty much everything they had worked for in the past - including house and family.  It is real - and it is a disorder and these ppl are addicts.  

You know... Asian countries are now resticting internet use (including gaming time).  Maybe its time that Western countries do the same.  Maybe its time that kids realise that noone will remember who "IAMDABEST" lvl 80 EPIC character was in 10 years time.  That character is worth absolutly nothing..  And the  sad truth is that the person playing it will probably be worth the same....

Think about it...

Advocating the limitation of freedom based on an extremely small minority's weakness and suceptibility to 'X.'

Great.

If people cannot control themselves and behave in a mature manner, they deserve all that comes to them.  Whatever happened to personal responsibility?  Maybe these failures will not breed, and thus the genepool of humanity will be a little less tainted with addictive personality disorder.

Originally posted by Xarekis

Originally posted by Frobner

Should games be considered as beeing addictive ?  Yes

Should MMO games be considered as more additcive than other kinds of games ?  Yes

MMO games are alot of the time created to get you hooked on a satisfactiory feeling that gets dragged along the further and further you get into the game.    These games are CREATED to get ppl addicted.  Pay only 15$ a month (and ruin the rest of your life - as as subtext).

Why is there no time limit on these accounts btw?  Maybe its something that the MMO comunity should start to take into consideration.  

Whats an addict ?  One definition is that you are addictive to things that you think about more than 5-10 times per day in real life situtations.  Now.... I know that school ofc isn't really considered as RL and half of students could get through it thinking about WOW all the time... but then... whats there left for those kids further down the line ? 

I personally know of few cases where ppl litterally played their life away as adults - loosing pretty much everything they had worked for in the past - including house and family.  It is real - and it is a disorder and these ppl are addicts.  

You know... Asian countries are now resticting internet use (including gaming time).  Maybe its time that Western countries do the same.  Maybe its time that kids realise that noone will remember who "IAMDABEST" lvl 80 EPIC character was in 10 years time.  That character is worth absolutly nothing..  And the  sad truth is that the person playing it will probably be worth the same....

Think about it...

Advocating the limitation of freedom based on an extremely small minority's weakness and suceptibility to 'X.'

Great.

If people cannot control themselves and behave in a mature manner, they deserve all that comes to them.  Whatever happened to personal responsibility?  Maybe these failures will not breed, and thus the genepool of humanity will be a little less tainted with addictive personality disorder.

 

 

Whooo! Hooray for the utilitarian perspective. If it's what's best for the greatest number of people, then it's fine to pooh all over the minority. Hell, it's worked in the past, right? Damn gamers, why can they even vote? Ah well, Zola would be proud.

Anyways, on the actual article topic: I have a difficult time actually believing in any real motivation of helping people. Stunts like this always seem to end up as just another advertisement for the latest pop psych self-help books. Attempting to dissuade others from engaging in a false reality by interacting with them through that reality doesn't really sit well with me as a good idea.

It seems much more reasonable to assume that this is happening simply because articles will be written.

Besides, you'd the the soft sciences would have figured out by now that extreme gamers just want a RL hug.

I wonder if his employer would pay me to study doctors.  They live in a very secluded world and don't seem to understand any simple aspect of life.   Everything in this world is bad for a person if not done with moderation.   Yes, even physical exercise and healthy food can cause problems if a person doesn't eat / participate with moderation.  

 These people who are trying to get video game addiction classified as a real disorder want to do so so they can prescribe medications for it and make a fortune.

Notice, he's a psychiatrist (drug dealer) and not a psychologist (dude who helps people cope with stuff).

All I see is a doctor attempting to create a way to use government research grants to sit on his ass and play games.

This is one of the silliest things that I've ever heard.

I'm glad that the "doctor" has that much time to waste.

Originally posted by coffee

Truth be told if they were not addicted to WoW and other games they be addicted to something else such as crack,drink,sex,pie etc. Understand it all you like but theres no cure for addiction if your that sort of person.
 

Hey .... I like pie.

Originally posted by Mehjrian

Originally posted by coffee

Truth be told if they were not addicted to WoW and other games they be addicted to something else such as crack,drink,sex,pie etc. Understand it all you like but theres no cure for addiction if your that sort of person.
 

 

Hey .... I like pie.

Im even worse off than you, I like pie, sex, booze, and games. Help me!

Originally posted by coffee

Truth be told if they were not addicted to WoW and other games they be addicted to something else such as crack,drink,sex,pie etc. Understand it all you like but theres no cure for addiction if your that sort of person.
 

Wow you sure are an "expert", you do know that there are 1000 of addiction types and millions of reasons why someone becomes addicted. Most people if not all can develop an addiction, that doesn't mean they will always be addicted to something once they overcome one addiction.

It is sad that so many experts roam the internet spreading their infinite wisdom.

I pay a monthly fee to play whenever and however long I want. I do not pay a monthly fee to play a limited amount of hours because little Chun King in Korea or little Timmy Toastedbrain in the U.S. have no self control and no responsible parents to watch their activities, or because Johnny and Jenny Welfare would rather play WoW than take care of their spawn.

Two words sum it up nicely: natural selection.

To suggest limiting game time because of other people who can't control themselves is a bad idea. Some people apparently would like us all to be controlled robots--tell us all what to do, when to do it, how to do it and what to think about it!! Is that how life is going to be in the future?  Why do people keep suggesting the government or whoever make laws to cover everything?!! And especially something like playing a damn game, lol.  Think about this---Do they limit the amount of alcohol you can consume? No they don't--and it's known all over the world to cause death to many--and many of them are people killed by drunk drivers, spouses who beat and/or kill, drunken brawls etc. It's time for people to be responsible for their own actions--stop blaming others. If you play WoW too much it's your own fault and doesn't need to be "regulated"!!  Regulate yourself....!

Lol, I don't get what's the problem it's just like any other game, so there needs to be a doctor in every game, I wonder what he'll talk about with the players. Nobody will take him seriously, it's wow c'mon.

edit: also it's ok to watch tv for 12 hours a day? I know ppl that watch tv the whole day.. isn't it the same thing?

this funnyist thing i ever seen. the funny part is he find out how good the game is. and then he will need a Doctor.

this should be good i can't wait to meet him.

Originally posted by emarieu

To suggest limiting game time because of other people who can't control themselves is a bad idea. Some people apparently would like us all to be controlled robots--tell us all what to do, when to do it, how to do it and what to think about it!! Is that how life is going to be in the future?  Why do people keep suggesting the government or whoever make laws to cover everything?!! And especially something like playing a damn game, lol.  Think about this---Do they limit the amount of alcohol you can consume? No they don't--and it's known all over the world to cause death to many--and many of them are people killed by drunk drivers, spouses who beat and/or kill, drunken brawls etc. It's time for people to be responsible for their own actions--stop blaming others. If you play WoW too much it's your own fault and doesn't need to be "regulated"!!  Regulate yourself....!

You do know why this keeps coming back to government? Because all too many people have been conditioned to see the State as the "solution" to what ever troubles them or their lives.  The why and how are obvious. The State controls the "educational" system, and the corporate mass media(dependent on the State for access) creates, shapes, manipulates and mis reports "public opinion".  More and more people have become dependent on the State for all too many aspects of their life, and that is how those who control the power of the State want it. It doesn't matter if the subject is games, movies, music, books or anything else. The human population breaks down in to two general types. Those who want to control other people, and those who who do not. Self disciple , self regulation, and real education are the keys out of the current nightmare.