Friday, 22 June 2007
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video game addiction
You may have heard that a group wants to have video game addiction classified as a psychiatric disorder. Now, I don't mean to make light of what may be a serious medical condition, but I read the following AP article on MSNBC and am having a hard time swallowing this. A few thoughts occurred to me when I read the article:
1. Whoa, those kids are playing a Playstation. Is life really that different in Des Plaines, IL?
2. Some of the "telltale" signs of an addiction listed in the article and accompanying video (which is an awful piece of journalism and therefore begs to be viewed) seem like teens behaving badly to me. If a teenager becomes angry when you take away his video game, it isn't necessarily an addiction. Remember how as a toddler he pitched a fit when you confiscated his toys? Well, he's doing it again now.
3. WoW has become the new D&D -- on so many levels.
4. One mother states that her son's behavior towards video games reminded her of her alcoholic father. To me, this would indicate that they family is inclined towards addictive behaviors and that the substance of choice is not the culprit.
5. Internal debate:
How is a video game addiction different from alcoholism or an addiction to nicotine?
Alcohol and nicotine affect chemical changes in the body.
Well, maybe the video games are doing the same thing here. Perhaps these players are addicted to the rush they get from the game.
But if we say that people can be addicted to video games, where then do we draw the line? I have pulled all-nighters reading books. Am I addicted to books? Can I be diagnosed with a reading addiction.
Yes, you probably could. I've seen how you read.
Could I use this to my advantage? Can I go home sick with reading addiction?6. Where the hell are these parents? One mother has sent her son to an expensive boarding school because she was convinced her son was addicted to video games. Why waste all that money? Just take away, or limit, his game usage at home. He swears at you? Well then, you might consider something we call "discipline."
One young boy plays video games for long periods of time -- so why don't his parents stop him? (Incidentally, I don't think that playing video games for 12 hours straight is that awful. But... maybe that says something about me.)
Other patients hadn't showered or done their homework. Again... where are the parents? Sure, even teens need to have some accountability and should know to bathe. But if they neglect this, then maybe the 'rents should step in and talk about hygiene.
7. Which comes first? The excessive video gaming, or the depression? Is this child depressed and considering suicide because WoW has isolated him from human interaction? Or is he trying to escape his personal suffering by delving (perhaps too deeply) in an engrossing fantasy world?
8. This bears repeating: If we start with video games, then where will this end? Will we start telling young girls that they are addicted to texting? What about television and music? Should addictions to those also be classified? I won't rule out the possibility that individuals may have "addictive personalities" and might abuse video games. But I think that an official video game addiction diagnosis would be an incredible waste of time of the medical community -- and it might deprive others of the medical attention they need. Instead, parents need to become more aware of the habits of their children. They need to teach their children that all things must be taken in moderation.
But, what do I know? Those are just my gut reactions to the article and video I watched. Seriously, though: That video is awful.
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Comments (3)
Not all of this article was bad though. I was extremely interested in the graphic that said the average age of gamers is 33. THANK YOU. Can we please make this widely known. Far more adults play video games than children! Rage all you want about M rated title being bad for children, but those games are meant for the 70% majority. I wish the mainstream media would spare us the "Won't Someone Think of the Children" tripe.
Sadly, I couldn't get the video to load.
Sneaky MSNBC bastards changed the video on me. The one I watched was not with the lovely Ms. Webb. In fact, it seems that it has been removed completely from the site. Probably because the use of stock footage defied all logic. That same Wii footage was used to illustrate how WoW alienates children from their social groups.
Awh, Morgan's so cute.