Gamers are getting angry over a UK news report on the game addiction clinic that we talked about yesterday. The West Country Tonight (haha) ran a story on the clinic, based in Somerset, with the kind of "look at these crazy video'd games" attitude that one would expect from televised media. Still, it's really not as bad as some people are making out.
At the very least, it entertains both sides of the argument, which is more of a courtesy than some news outlets provide. The report itself doesn't portray videogames in a negative light, and its talking heads segment actually seems to come down very favorably on the side of gaming.
So yeah, I wouldn't call this a good report, but it's not all that bad. I often wonder, however, what would happen if somebody tried to set up a book addiction clinic for people that can't stop reading.
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Well that actually wasn't too bad. I myself know some people that have gotten into some serious trouble for not being able to pull away from a game. And in my experience, it's usually WoW.
Guy who plays a lot of video games is a "Gaming expert."
Anyway, I still agree with his point. When we talk about how "addicting" a game like Borderlands or Demon's Souls is, we don't literally mean "addicting." The Wiktionary states addiction as "A habit or practice that damages, jeopardizes or shortens one's life but when ceased causes trauma."
However, there probably is an extremely small percentage of people who are addicted to any particular game like it's alcohol. Just not enough to validate the existence of an entire clinic devoted to them.
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.
@Trebz
If you listen to the report, there isn't an entire clinic devoted to gamers, at least not in this case. It's an addiction clinic that used to only help people like alcoholic and drug abusers but is now reaching out to people who obsessively game as well. I say if you are willing to seek help for a problem that you personally have, more power to you!
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 thought that the report was well-done. Yay, British media. Also, accents give any report more validity. Gaming can be addictive; there is a sense of instant gratification that movies and books do not offer in the same way (an argument against "where are the move movie and book clinics!?").
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.
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.
i just thought i should point out that mark turpin is turpster from wow.com, basically a destuctoid or kotaku solely for world of warcraft. he also appears on the WOWInsider show. so hes hardly "some gamer"
Not every gamer is addicted. I think some are. Those that are could probably use some help. Non-addicts probably need to be less defensive about everything. Addicts need to stop pretending they're not and look in the mirror.
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.
People will deny left and right that video games can be addictive and as such devastating. I disagree. Playing games of any sort can lead to obsessive tendencies, which thereby take away time from necessary tasks, lead to distorted priorities, and even have physically devastating effects on the body with overuse. The key is perspective and awareness: there are many things that are far more dangerous than video games in terms of their addictive nature. However, to deny that video games could have a negative impact on someone's life is ignoring a very real situation, one that is now getting attention, both positive/constructive and negative/delusional.
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.
You should do a story on How Smoking is Blatantly Better for Your Health Than WoW." Less addictive, in some cases cheaper, not socially detrimental, less time consuming.
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Contest:
10:00 AM on 11.04.2009
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Anyway, I still agree with his point. When we talk about how "addicting" a game like Borderlands or Demon's Souls is, we don't literally mean "addicting." The Wiktionary states addiction as "A habit or practice that damages, jeopardizes or shortens one's life but when ceased causes trauma."
However, there probably is an extremely small percentage of people who are addicted to any particular game like it's alcohol. Just not enough to validate the existence of an entire clinic devoted to them.
If you listen to the report, there isn't an entire clinic devoted to gamers, at least not in this case. It's an addiction clinic that used to only help people like alcoholic and drug abusers but is now reaching out to people who obsessively game as well. I say if you are willing to seek help for a problem that you personally have, more power to you!
I think its a good thing.
If somebody believes that they are "addicted"; its good that they can seek help.
Learn to take things with a grain of salt, people... Otherwise you are not better than the news biggots you hate so much.
That being said: why is that Gaming Expert gaming in a closet?
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.
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.
You should do a story on How Smoking is Blatantly Better for Your Health Than WoW." Less addictive, in some cases cheaper, not socially detrimental, less time consuming.
So many good gamers have been lost to WoW :(