Video Game Addiction

punwisp

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Games like WoW are made to be addiction.

Video game addictions are bullshit.

Its a mental addiction, kinda like how you really really crave some chinese, you start eating and can't stop. you get full, walk away satisfied, then come back later with the same crave until your eventually burned out of it.

Same with this, Games like WoW are addicting, because it gives the user a sense of power, money doesn't mean jack shit, its 15 bucks a month, seriously thats not much. Anyway it gives the user a sense of power and control, not in reality, but into the world they are playing in.

Sure you don't think much about it, but why do people play first person shooters? Sure, a shiny gun from real life.. So what? You get to shoot people, or aliens, w/e, cool guns and shooting people, its fun isn't it? No consequences in real life, its fun, there no real, gives you a brief feel of power, makes you feel in control?

In a sense these are small things you feel, but do not notice or think of, just like when you first walk into the room, the first thing you notice are light colors such as orange, or yellow, has to do with the sun, you never notice or think of this, but its true.

Games like WoW give you a sense of power, you gain new gear, kill stuff, level up, beat players in PVP, its fun, it gives them power, and superiority. That kind of thing in real life could have dire consequences. In games? Pft, nope. its addicting, its a mental addiction, its not like a chemical addiction such as drugs.

The most these games do is shut you off from the outside world, and downgrade you physically primarily.

Thats my thoughts
 

Varine

And as the moon rises, we shall prepare for war
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Alright I have a little experiment that I think will help everyone understand why video games are not an addiction. I believe we've all played them.

Now, let's put some of you in a room and give you heroin. The others get their favorite video game. Lets see who does best when they're taken away? I have my bets that the people who played video games (unless we get some psychosociopath in there by mistake, like anyone portrayed in the article is) will do exponentially better when suddenly blocked away from it. What do you all think?
 
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Your "experiment" would only prove that video games aren't as addictive as heroin, which should be obvious to everyone.
 

SerraAvenger

Cuz I can
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Video game addictions are bullshit.

Its a mental addiction

Now where's the joke?

EDIT: I'm addicted to computers. I know it doesn't satisfy me. Still I'm here posting nonsense instead of working with a document that's essential for my A-levels. Right now I'm lying to my parents and to a couple of friends I'd do that document, but in fact I'm not. Now you all know :O
Thread closed anyway. I have learned a couple of control mechanisms. When I don't get internet, I feel uneasy. I can't concentrate. After a couple of days, this wears off.

EDIT2: My mom is addicted to computers, too. She works for Novell though.
 

punwisp

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Alright I have a little experiment that I think will help everyone understand why video games are not an addiction. I believe we've all played them.

Now, let's put some of you in a room and give you heroin. The others get their favorite video game. Lets see who does best when they're taken away? I have my bets that the people who played video games (unless we get some psychosociopath in there by mistake, like anyone portrayed in the article is) will do exponentially better when suddenly blocked away from it. What do you all think?

Thats a horrible comparison.. Your comparing chemical addiction vs mental addiction? Seriously? Drug withdrawel vs video game withdrawl?
Now where's the joke?

EDIT: I'm addicted to computers. I know it doesn't satisfy me. Still I'm here posting nonsense instead of working with a document that's essential for my A-levels. Right now I'm lying to my parents and to a couple of friends I'd do that document, but in fact I'm not. Now you all know :O
Thread closed anyway. I have learned a couple of control mechanisms. When I don't get internet, I feel uneasy. I can't concentrate. After a couple of days, this wears off.

EDIT2: My mom is addicted to computers, too. She works for Novell though.

erm I read first part of my previous post, I screwed up, I phrased my "video game addictions are bullshit" incorrectly, or just put it wrong. I can't remember what it originally was suppose to be but fuck it I can't remember.

I'm with it being a addiction, but its a mental addiction. Which isn't myth, or bs, and is far more plausible then "chemical" as some of you put it.

Some examples of mental addictions are

Gambling
Shopping like crazy (Women anyone?)
pornography
Television
then games/computers

Chemical would basically be drugs, things you put into your body, to have your body crave it, think it needs it, is addicted to it. These are harder to break then mental ones, things like cigs would be a chemical addiction. Mental ones are easier, and have less of a impact as would things like drugs.
 

Varine

And as the moon rises, we shall prepare for war
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Yes, yes I am. Because in no way should the any government recognize things that don't change the chemistry of your body to addict you to it. And it's a physical addiction not a chemical addiction, because it's not an addiction, as I said, it's a social lifestyle and choice. If it is then they need to classify everything on there, because by the standards that they're using, I'm addicted to reading, driving, and math and I want help groups for them. When I'm reading a good book, I get uneasy when I put it down because I want to finish it. Of course, any feelings like that go away shortly and it's not hard to handle, as do any mental addictions. When I'm driving, I don't like stopping and getting out because I love being in my car, and I have a feeling when I get that it's too big of a space and I can get uneasy from time to time. When I'm doing math, same thing. It has nothing to do with an addiction, it's just a lifestyle like people that play sports nonstop (of course that's 'healthy' so no one cares). Habitually you get used to that and like everyone have a slight aversion to change that's usually quite easy to manage. But yes, me being addicted to those is far more plausible than a chemical that changes the composition of the body's operation and in order for it to operate like that, needs the chemical again creating physical addition.
 

uberfoop

~=Admiral Stukov=~
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(of course that's 'healthy' so no one cares)

Exactly.

As a general rule, things don't start being treated as diseases until they are a notable detriment to a person's well-being. Hence why compulsively going ahead and doing something healthy is considered...healthy. It's not an addiction until you develope enough dependance that you are harming yourself with such an activity.

"But that's subjective as ****!!!," you might say. And you would be completely correct. Diseases in general are treated as such. If ADHD was globally seen as desireable, there would not be a negatively-connotated medical diagnosis for it. Heck, if acne were considered extremely hawt by the general population, it wouldn't be considered a disease either.
 

punwisp

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Yes, yes I am. Because in no way should the any government recognize things that don't change the chemistry of your body to addict you to it. And it's a physical addiction not a chemical addiction, because it's not an addiction, as I said, it's a social lifestyle and choice. If it is then they need to classify everything on there, because by the standards that they're using, I'm addicted to reading, driving, and math and I want help groups for them. When I'm reading a good book, I get uneasy when I put it down because I want to finish it. Of course, any feelings like that go away shortly and it's not hard to handle, as do any mental addictions. When I'm driving, I don't like stopping and getting out because I love being in my car, and I have a feeling when I get that it's too big of a space and I can get uneasy from time to time. When I'm doing math, same thing. It has nothing to do with an addiction, it's just a lifestyle like people that play sports nonstop (of course that's 'healthy' so no one cares). Habitually you get used to that and like everyone have a slight aversion to change that's usually quite easy to manage. But yes, me being addicted to those is far more plausible than a chemical that changes the composition of the body's operation and in order for it to operate like that, needs the chemical again creating physical addition.

Um, Heroine is a choice at firs, but like things such as cigs

Chemicals in them cause your body to want it, to be addicted to it, Cigs would be a better example because nicotine is more addicted then Heroine..

An you SERIOUSLY can't compare things like heroin and Cigs to doing math.. Are you serious? Those aren't even in the same book.

I would understand your logic if you took out the withdrawl of the drugs, the closest you could get to fitting your logic would be weed, but when you get to heroine and cigs? No.. Its not something you just up and quit and simple as that, sounds simple, but its not because of withdrawals. Its a life choice whether you start these, but quitting once you start is hard, because of the chemical addiction, it isn't like video games or doing math... And judging by how your comparing them, I'm not sure you have any experience with these, if you do, likely for a very very short period.

It would be like a guy who talks about how hes played WoW and he thinks its too easy and boring, then you found out hes only made it to level 10. Takes what? a half hour to a hour?
 

Lambda_drive

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We've all heard of horders right. People that just collect as much stuff as they possibly can until it gets to the point that they can't even walk in their homes without tripping over their crap. They even have a show about it.

There's no doubt about it that the people on that show are addicted to collecting as much stuff as they can. When they try to help those people by getting rid of their stuff and cleaning up their home, they freak out, have panics attacks and just spaz out. Their minds just can't deal with having their stuff taken away. I consider that to be a "withdral" symtom of compulsive hoarding.

Video game addictions are quite similiar. When you play a good video game you feel pleasure just like hoarders feel pleasure when they collect stuff, and that sense of pleasure comes from chemicals that your brain releases. If your socially inept, have no friends, and have a pretty crappy life it's not hard to see that people like that can get addicted to video games. We all want to be happy, but some people can't get happiness from friends, family, or society. So when they find something that makes them happy they stick with it. In this case it's video games. In a video game you can be who ever you want to be, you can have power and control and you don't have to abide by the rules of society. playing a video games and pressing buttons and looking at a screen isn't addictive, it's the pleasure that you get from the game that's addicting.

Just like drugs, video games are mind altering and that's why some people like them so much.
 

Dakho

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Video game addiction does exist, but let's also consider this.

Most people who play video games, and I mean the vast majority (at least here in North America, I wouldn't know about other continents/countries) aren't addicted to games. To most it's simply a hobby. There are, of course, the exceptions. The crazies who sit in their basement up all night because they need that one last epic to complete their tier 14 set of ub3r l33tness.

Now, look at a drug. How about heroin? Great. In the case of heroin, a large amount (I would venture to say most, if not close to all) heroin users are addicted to heroin. Because of this, it is an addictive substance. Video games are not an "addictive substance," so to speak.

The thing about video game addiction is that it just takes so many hours out of someone's life that it is incredibly clear when it is happening. This is because video games are the most constant and engaging form of entertainment; they have hours more content than any TV show or movie and a high level of interaction. The same could be said of a sport. Of course, you don't get addicted to sports, you get "dedicated." By the public eye, you can't be dedicated to video games; you are addicted. And that is because the public eye sees video games as a childish hobby with nothing to gain.

The most addictive video games are MMOs. In addition to the obsession-spawning grinds, there is also the social element. Consider the average video game addict. A young man, practically a boy. Unpopular at school, few friends. Then, they go onto WoW, and now they can be whoever they want. It's an escape from reality. Most people have escapes, but in the case of a video game addict, that fake world is just so much better than the real one that they don't want to come back.

And there is my rant :eek:.So, yes. Video game addiction exists. But I wouldn't say it's a prevalent issue.
 

Dr.Jack

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The definition of addiction is physical or physiological dependence on a substance or an activity. Recent studies definitely show that some people go through behavioral and physiological changes as an effect of excessive gaming. Due to that I believe there is certainly such a thing as addiction to video games and it should not be overlooked by gamer. Be cautious about your gaming habits!
 

Dan

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Isn't the important point of the entire thing that an addiction is a: habit that you do regardless of the negative effects it has on your life or the life of those you love. You can be in the habit of playing 30 hours of mmo's a week and, while that may be excessive to most people's lifestyles, it may not be negative in the hands of others. The addiction part comes when you start making excuses to play your game over all else and repetitively hurt yourself in doing so. If you were disabled, for example, you may find yourself with a lot of time... 30 hours a week may be simply a time killer. For most people, it probably crosses the moderation threshold quite often though, and is an addiction. If you are thinking about playing WoW while out with friends, you're probably addicted and could use a little moderation. I know someone who is depressed and copes with it through WoW because it is a social mmo that helps her kill time and have things to look foreward to. It's all how you look at it and should be looked at case by case.
 

Zakyath

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habit that you do regardless of the negative effects it has on your life or the life of those you love.

Just because a habit comes with negative effects (taking a beer now and then, going to McDonalds once in a while, and so on) doesn't really mean it's an addiction, does it?
 

Slapshot136

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Just because a habit comes with negative effects (taking a beer now and then, going to McDonalds once in a while, and so on) doesn't really mean it's an addiction, does it?

taking a beer every now and then is actually healthy for you (as long as you keep it at only 1-2 drinks per day)

as for going to McDonalds, it really depends on the circumstance - it is an addiction if you go for no real reason other then you crave fast food
 

Evil Seal

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It's a good question... I think an adiction exist but I think most peaople aren't addicted.
I don't know if i have been adicted to games but i play mabey 3-7 hours a day. My reason for palying is
to have a good time with my friends. It's a socia. But i got to admit that i have never played a MMO for
"Real".

Hope you understand the message. Im not an englishman :)

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YourFace

<span style="color:#9C9C9C;"><strong>Runner Up - T
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I would say no it doesn't exist. It's simply a mental reaction to being in a certain place. For instance, if you only sleep on the bed, you train your body and mind to sleep when on that bed. In the same way, by going on your computer for the sole reason of gaming(maybe some vids, hw, internet surfing here and there) you train your mind and body to play. I use to play like 10 hours a day and I could go on a trip for a month and not miss it at all! No cravings at all, unlike smoking or drugs. The fact is, people would greatly prefer video games over anything else on the computer which makes it hard to get off and do other things.
 
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