Recently I was at a medical conference when someone gave a talk about computer game addiction. For those of you that wonder what a medical conference is like imaging to Tokyo games show, except the booth babes are pharmaceutical reps and they don’t wear bikinis.
I went to a talk about the American Psychiatric Association discussions on include computer game addiction as diagnostic category in the DSMV (A big book of diseases).
At first I thought it was a joke and I sat giggling in the back row like a little schoolgirl with my friends. We all joked about how much DotA we play as we toyed with our shiny new Viagra pens. Then they showed pictures of postal 2 to get a rise from the crowd. The lecture was shamefully outdated.
After that, they started talking patients. That was when I realised they weren’t kidding. There is a proportion of people that become full blown addicts to computer games. This is to the detriment of their social life/job/family/finances. There is a line to cross, like everything. Most of us will have some form of balance. But some of us don’t. I don’t want to tell people to look at themselves and ask whether you have a problem or not. To be honest I have no social life/job/family or finances outside of the Sims. I mean, its not like I’m going to play three days straight until drop dead from exhaustion.
But it did make me think.
So here for your benefit I’ve added the modified CAGE questionnaire. CAGE is a series of questions designed for screening ‘at risk’ alcoholics. There was a study which showed that ‘yes’ to more than 2 CAGE questions gives you have a greater than 76% chance of becoming or being an alcoholic.
These modified questions are for screening at risk computer game players.
I don’t know about you, but I’m screwed.
• Have you ever felt you needed to Cut down on your playing?
• Have people Annoyed you by criticizing how much you play?
• Have you ever felt Guilty about playing games when you should be doing other things?
• Have you ever felt you needed to play first thing in the morning (Eye-opener) before you could properly focus on the day?
Unfortunatly i'm not bullshitting.
i forgot to post the original cage questions if anyone is interested.
# Have you ever felt you needed to Cut down on your drinking?
# Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
# Have you ever felt Guilty about drinking?
# Have you ever felt you needed a drink first thing in the morning (Eye-opener) to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?
I know for a fact that I'm an addict. It's also why I don't drink or gamble. I lack self control and am frequently in situations where I need lengthy escapism.
Kinda sucks. It's been killing me trying not to resubscribe to WoW.
I guess the problem is trying to define addiction. To work out when it is a bad thing. Because i'm sure if you'd asked Dali he would have said he was addicted to painting. Or maybe paint huffing. he painted some wierd shit.
• No, i need more play time, MORE!!
• All the time
• No
• Yes, in fact today i woke up and the first thing i did was pick up my DS from my bedside and continue playing Rune Factory.
[i]- Have you ever felt you needed to Cut down on your playing?
[/i]Yeah.
- Have people Annoyed you by criticizing how much you play? My parents tell me I don't study enough, and that I should stop playing Video Games and using the PC too much...so..Yes?
- Have you ever felt Guilty about playing games when you should be doing other things? Yes.
- Have you ever felt you needed to play first thing in the morning (Eye-opener) before you could properly focus on the day? No. Even on weekends when I don't go to school, I only play games when I feel like it.
I don't know how to form this well, but why is anything anti-game* so outdated?
*well, okay, not everyone is anti, just worried...but still.
Its not that its anti-game. I guess its more when something takes over you and it becomes anti-life. I'm not against violence/sex in games. I'm not against people playing 24/7. I play violent computergames containing sex 24/7.
Personally I thought Shadow of the Colossus was the highlight of my life as an artistic connoisseur.
I'm not trying to be anti-game. I guess I'm just trying to be more self aware
Its not that its anti-game. I guess its more when something takes over you and it becomes anti-life. I'm not against violence/sex in games. I'm not against people playing 24/7. I play violent computergames containing sex 24/7.
Personally I thought Shadow of the Colossus was the highlight of my life as an artistic connoisseur.
I'm not trying to be anti-game. I guess I'm just trying to be more self aware
Its not that its anti-game. I guess its more when something takes over you and it becomes anti-life. I'm not against violence/sex in games. I'm not against people playing 24/7. I play violent computergames containing sex 24/7.
Personally I thought Shadow of the Colossus was the highlight of my life as an artistic connoisseur.
I'm not trying to be anti-game. I guess I'm just trying to be more self aware
Videogame addiction can have just as bad an impact on one's life as internet addiction or any other true addiction. There's a difference between a hobby and an addiction of course.
Other than that, there have always been some silly things in the DSM's :)
Eh, I still feel that addiction is a poor choice of words in cases like this. What it really is is a lack of self control, people can become totally absorbed with any hobby. If the games caused a physical body-chemical need to continue playing, then I'd buy the label.
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about me
Lately it seems that tetris has become my entire life. I could use some analogy and say that every portion of my well rounded existance correlates with a tetragon. Every piece falingl together as I play, but I won't. I've just been playing a lot of tetris because its an easy procrastion. Interestingly I've also been doing a lot of rock climbing, which is kind of tetris in reverse when you think about it. I'm not too sure about any other particular interests but I find I'm well informed about world status. I do this by checking my email every five minutes. You never know, someone might have written to you since you last looked. I'm also interested in philosophical physics which is like saying you like religous mathematics or even possibly metaphysical cooking. Except I do actually like it. I also like noise in the background. My favourite is a radio on just loud enough to hear a humm but not loud enough to actually hear the moronic things that radio DJ's are actually saying. I dont have a T.V If anyone finds out anything interesting about me, it would be really good if they could tell me. Unfortunatly I always seem to the last person to find out about things, especially about my own life. As a side note if anyone could also let me know how they put the fillings in chocolates I'd also be very interested.
Destructoid is an independently-run publication forged by our love of video games and the gaming community's need of accountable enthusiast press living the dream since March 16, 2006
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There is no such thing as "Computer Fame Addiction". It's a hobby like any other hobby and people will get obsesuive about anything.
If your going to get "Addicted" to computer games. It's better that then drugs or alch.
Unfortunatly i'm not bullshitting.
i forgot to post the original cage questions if anyone is interested.
# Have you ever felt you needed to Cut down on your drinking?
# Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
# Have you ever felt Guilty about drinking?
# Have you ever felt you needed a drink first thing in the morning (Eye-opener) to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAGE_questionnaire
@ Lemon
Well okay.. ya.. nevermind. Granted. I can't really think of a good comeback to that or anything to back my self up.
Uhh *shifts eyes to the left and right*. I was being sarcastic.
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
I'm not really an addict, I just do it a little more than I should.
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
I know for a fact that I'm an addict. It's also why I don't drink or gamble. I lack self control and am frequently in situations where I need lengthy escapism.
Kinda sucks. It's been killing me trying not to resubscribe to WoW.
I guess the problem is trying to define addiction. To work out when it is a bad thing. Because i'm sure if you'd asked Dali he would have said he was addicted to painting. Or maybe paint huffing. he painted some wierd shit.
I'm addicted and i don't care. HALO 3 NOW. I CANT WAIT ^^
• No, i need more play time, MORE!!
• All the time
• No
• Yes, in fact today i woke up and the first thing i did was pick up my DS from my bedside and continue playing Rune Factory.
Hmm..let's see:
[i]- Have you ever felt you needed to Cut down on your playing?
[/i]Yeah.
- Have people Annoyed you by criticizing how much you play?
My parents tell me I don't study enough, and that I should stop playing Video Games and using the PC too much...so..Yes?
- Have you ever felt Guilty about playing games when you should be doing other things?
Yes.
- Have you ever felt you needed to play first thing in the morning (Eye-opener) before you could properly focus on the day?
No. Even on weekends when I don't go to school, I only play games when I feel like it.
I don't know how to form this well, but why is anything anti-game* so outdated?
*well, okay, not everyone is anti, just worried...but still.
Its not that its anti-game. I guess its more when something takes over you and it becomes anti-life. I'm not against violence/sex in games. I'm not against people playing 24/7. I play violent computergames containing sex 24/7.
Personally I thought Shadow of the Colossus was the highlight of my life as an artistic connoisseur.
I'm not trying to be anti-game. I guess I'm just trying to be more self aware
Its not that its anti-game. I guess its more when something takes over you and it becomes anti-life. I'm not against violence/sex in games. I'm not against people playing 24/7. I play violent computergames containing sex 24/7.
Personally I thought Shadow of the Colossus was the highlight of my life as an artistic connoisseur.
I'm not trying to be anti-game. I guess I'm just trying to be more self aware
Its not that its anti-game. I guess its more when something takes over you and it becomes anti-life. I'm not against violence/sex in games. I'm not against people playing 24/7. I play violent computergames containing sex 24/7.
Personally I thought Shadow of the Colossus was the highlight of my life as an artistic connoisseur.
I'm not trying to be anti-game. I guess I'm just trying to be more self aware
This thing needs a edit/remove post option.
bastard, triple whammy. sickening.
Videogame addiction can have just as bad an impact on one's life as internet addiction or any other true addiction. There's a difference between a hobby and an addiction of course.
Other than that, there have always been some silly things in the DSM's :)
Eh, I still feel that addiction is a poor choice of words in cases like this. What it really is is a lack of self control, people can become totally absorbed with any hobby. If the games caused a physical body-chemical need to continue playing, then I'd buy the label.