The only thing I find infuriating about this (and something I noticed in that "Second Skin" documentary as well) is that fact that they label WORLD OF WARCRAFT PLAYERS as GAMERS. I do not play World of Warcraft, or any MMO for that matter. I am, however, a GAMER, in the true sense of the word. The addiction lies in MMOs because they never end. The developers are constantly adding new content to keep their subscribers playing (and paying). This shit is so misleading; if more of this "gaming addiction" shit starts happening, before you know it people will be saying "Oh my, you have a PS3? You'd better be careful with that stuff Sonny! I heard it's addictive!" NO.

That news clip was actually quite fair.

I think its a good thing.
If somebody believes that they are "addicted"; its good that they can seek help.

Yeah I think has more to do with MMOs than gaming as a whole. Sure you can get obsessed with any hobby but I think MMOs in particular are a different beast all together.

That being said: why is that Gaming Expert gaming in a closet?

I totally agree with you guys about the "problem" being more centered around MMOs. However you cant discount MMOs as game or the people who play them not as gamers. Sad fact of reality is they are indeed part of the gaming culture.

@hermes
EXACTLY!

Which is a lot of what I saw during the whole MW2 airport thing (sorry to bring it up again). It was a bunch of people knowing what side the media will take and blatantly choosing the opposite side because of a condition to be overly defensive about the criticism people outside this hobby dish out. I lean more toward the supportive side of that argument (for now) but it amazed me how many just threw the words "Fox News" and clenched their teeth without considering there may be another side to this.

We're kind of a cynical generation though to be fair. It's nothing exclusive to gamers.

Excuse me, but addiction by definition is classified as either physical dependance, which means that the body has become used to, and tolerant to the prescence of a drug, and finds it difficult to operate without it, and psychological dependance, which is a stupid, made-up buzzword that can refer to anything that anyone does compulsively for any length of time. You could say that anyone is psychologically dependant on anything they like. It can be used to describe proper mental disorders but it's mostly just thrown around so much that it doesn't mean anything anymore.

I completely agree with the point that some very sensible lady was making about books. If you read a book that is so interesting you can't put it down, you're not addicted to it. If you actually show rubbish like this on national TV, I find it difficult to take you seriously as a legit news organization.

Hermes, you make a valid point but I think it's what the gaming community has come to expect. I think it's good that we do have the intiative to defend ourselves and put our argument across, and I do think it's good that you occasionally see an alternative viewpoint put forward.

On the other hand, this is WOW they seem to be talking about. 14 day trial, first hit's free, and then you're hooked. But there's a difference between a hobby and an addiction, I just don't like the negative connotations that the word implies, and I don't like seeing my hobby approached as an illness that needs to be treated. I think that's a fair comment, to be honest.

tl;dr, rambling.

never mind i didnt watch the rest of the video

I wish I had the time to be addicted to video games.

I just don't get it... Games are not even devastating.... Especially when compared to a hard drug addiction like meth or crack. That shit will ruin your life. Games don't destroy the way substances do.

I think It's unfair to say that MMOs are the only type of game you can get "addicted to" It's hardly the only game that people will consistently come home and instantly turn on. Halo for instance. Crazy amounts of people come home from work and spend the entire rest of the evening playing Halo on XBL. Games can become very encapsulating time burners, but still, hardly addictive like something such as narcotics.