Dito
Shared on Wed, 07/11/2007 - 10:20This week's Time magazine cover story explores the science of addiction. The article focuses mainly on traditional addictions, such as drugs and alcohol. Although this particular article doesn't mention gaming as an addiction, I've seen and heard it discussed many times. Most recently, I listened to a portion of NPR's "Talk Of The Nation" yesterday (7/10) discussing the article. Several gamers called in to report they are or were addicted to videogames, playing many hours a day. One guy said he lost his job because he spent too much time gaming.
Am I addicted to videogames? I play nearly every day in one form or another. I participate on this website. I read blogs about games and the game industry. If I don't have an opportunity to play for a few days, yes, I get an "itch" to boot up the 360 and play. Yet, I don't see this as any sort of addiction.
The Time article claims, "almost anything deeply enjoyable can turn into an addiction." I think that's a gross overstatement.
Videogames have a negative cultural stigma attached to them. Hardly a week goes by without a news article blaming some dysfunctional individual's misdeeds on having played videogames. We've got that lunatic lawyer who insists on suing game publishers for criminal acts committed by people who played their games. The Columbine shootings were blamed on Doom. How many police chases and shootouts have been blamed on Grand Theft Auto? Hell, there were even claims that the 9/11 hijackers "trained" on Microsoft Flight Simulator (an innocuous game if ever there was one).
As a result, if someone admits that they play a lot of videogames, the red flag pops up. If you say, "I probably spend 15 to 20 hours a week playing videogames," you're going to be seen as a ticking time bomb. But if you say, "I probably spend 15 to 20 hours a week building ships in bottles," you're just a harmless eccentric.
I'm sure there are people who could be considered "addicted" to videogames. But it's my belief that these people have underlying psychological problems (such as obsessive-compulsive disorders) that are the cause of the addiction, not the game itself. My same theory applies to the "videogames made me kill" argument. Rational people know they're just games, a form of escapist entertainment. Irrational people kill other people, and then use games as an excuse for their sociopathic behavior.
I'm curious to hear what the rest of you think. Feel free to post your opinions and experiences. Have you ever felt addicted?
Note: If you want to read the entire Time article, it's available online. I believe Talk Of The Nation posts podcasts of their shows, but my company's filter won't let me on NPR's website to locate a direct link.
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Comments
Submitted by Goo on Wed, 07/11/2007 - 16:16
Submitted by SixTGunR on Sun, 07/15/2007 - 18:00