Video games - A psychological addiction or a simple misunderstanding? - General

What is a psychological addiction? Addiction, by definition, "is the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming..." Now, not only does it include narcotics and alcohol, there's a psychological branch in there. These include networking sites, texting and videogames. How many of you use Facebook? Do you think you can live without it? Video game addiction is not an official diagnosis, but studies show that eight percent of all children and teens are affected. There are "symptoms" that follow this; Preoccupation, loss of time, misuse of money, lack of control, to name a few With preoccupation, the gamer may seem distracted, irritable, or may talk about the game constantly; take Call of Duty for example. Loss of time, that's an interesting one. I'm sure a few of you sat down on the couch, turned the XBox, grabbed a soda and before you know it, it's morning. Misuse of money, I'm a culprit for that one. Misuse of money is constantly upgrading or buying the latest new toy/game. Black Ops sold seven million copies on release day, gained over six-hundred-fifty dollars total revenue. The average age of the average gamer is nowadays is regrettably between eight and twenty-one. Why regrettably? Personally, I feel that eight-year-olds should be outside playing, not inside collecting fat. Four to seven hours a day, does that sound like a bit much to you? That's roughly between 24 and 48 hours a week straight. Luckily for me, I'm not "hardcore" enough to pass 30. I'm sure you are all familiar with the different types of games. First Person Shooters such as Call of Duty, Casuals such as Farmville, strategic such as Dragon Age, or the infamous M-M-O-R-P-G, Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. Don't even get me started on "World of War-Crack." This might sound all scary and threatening, and a few of you might be having second thoughts about the weekend, but the benefits match, of not outweigh the scare-factor. All that I stated earlier was isolated and magnified by the media. Benefits such as heightened brain activity, and improved reflexes; improved memory and motor skills to name a few, think of it: a pencil is rolling towards the edge of a table and before you know what happened, you caught it. Honestly, I'd be willing to trade occupation for preoccupation if it meant that I could have better memory and reflexes, wouldn't you? There are many activists out there, one of the most famous being Jack Thompson; (You've heard of Jack Thompson, right?) Now get this, Jack Thompson states that games are "Murder Simulators" and that they "Teach children to kill and learn to love it." What a hoot. Since when has Mario taught children to kill? I mean the most that might come out of Mario are some mild hallucinations-not that I'm implying anything. Jack Thompson firmly believes that video games are the sole cause behind ... : (Ready for this?) Terrorist attacks and school shootings. In October 2006, Thompson sent a letter to Midway games. Demanding that they cease and desist selling the latest Mortal Kombat series, claiming that the game was illegally profiting on his likeness because gamers could use the 'create a fighter' option to create a character who looked like him. Midway, of course, did not respond to his letter. Not only does Thompson despise and rally against video games, but he has a strong dislike for anything music related in today's generation; most notably "rap." Not all of Thompson's research is bullspit however, he's just managed to over-exaggerate the negative by a sevenfold. Stating that "Violent videogames breed violent people" is like asking "Every killer in history has at some point or another, consumed water, is there a link?" A violent person may be drawn to violent games, but a gamer isn't any likelier to be drawn to violence. I play violent videogames and I have never had this wild urge to kill someone, and I assure you I won't. Jack Thompson is not all wrong, he's a political genius, or an A-Hole as we know it. His research is exaggerated but correct. Heck, over-exaggeration is an understatement. There are unstable people in this world, so much so that anything will set them off. Through the years, these people were passed off as psychologically ill (“psycho”). Nowadays, however, guess what's to blame? That's right, video games. However Thompson's statement that violent games breed violent people is entirely preposterous. In the event that a mentally stable and healthy person will crack under pressure of Mario proportions and go on an insane killing spree is incredibly rare. Let me put that into context for you; Polar South and Polar North have a better chance of swapping than someone cracking insane. Movies, comics, books, television shows, all of these unrelated media aspects can be, and have been far, far more violent than some of today's games, yet books are overlooked, comics are thrown aside, television shows are dismissed and movies are underrated. Why focus in the lesser media spectrum when there are games to demonize. Want to know why? New tech is first abused before it's used. Video games help children who are ill or have injuries. Absorption in a game distracts the mind from pain and discomfort. Many hospitals are encouraging children and others ongoing painful treatments to play games. Games are known to enhance creativity and inoculate a taste for graphics, design and technology, such as modifying the Source engine or manipulating the world in Minecraft. Video and computer games help children gain self-confidence and many games are based on history, city building, governance and so-on. Such games indirectly teach children about life on earth. Take Sid Meier’s Civilization for example, a real-time strategy that teaches the players to think like the governments; deploying military, raising and watching economy, creating whole communities and keeping moral high. Games teach players problem solving, motivation and cognitive skills. That great feeling of accomplishment after literally dozens of tries means something. Most games inspire players to strive and reach more difficult levels presenting challenges at each stage. In conclusion, games aren't that bad, nor are they fully good. The media just demonized the negative and caused a huge misunderstanding. Games can be healthy if used right, just like how Tylenol can be dangerous at high levels but beneficial in doses.

good read imo.

Heightened reflexes? So if I play enough video-games, I can get spidey-senses?

[QUOTE=Mkadeshkode;27626569]Video game addiction is not an official diagnosis, but studies show that eight percent of all children and teens are affected. There are "symptoms" that follow this; loss of time [/QUOTE] How are you going to do any activity and not lose time doing it

I like the internet, and video games, but I can easily go long periods of time without them. When you start worrying about your farmville crops while on a vacation, you have a problem.

[QUOTE='Rain [Amber];27626685']How are you going to do any activity and not lose time doing it[/QUOTE] Maybe losing track of time? i don't know.

[QUOTE='Rain [Amber];27626685']How are you going to do any activity and not lose time doing it[/QUOTE] time travel backwards

I forgot about Facepunch's "My opinion is right, fuck your opinion" attitude.

[QUOTE=shatteredwindow;27626684]Heightened reflexes? So if I play enough video-games, I can get spidey-senses?[/QUOTE] Don't be silly, that only happens if you play the spiderman games.

[QUOTE=Mkadeshkode;27626569]What is a psychological addiction? Addiction, by definition, "is the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming..." Now, not only does it include narcotics and alcohol, there's a psychological branch in there. These include networking sites, texting and videogames. How many of you use Facebook? [B]I check it once a month[/B] Do you think you can live without it? [B]Yes...[/B] Video game addiction is not an official diagnosis, but studies show that eight percent of all children and teens are affected. There are "symptoms" that follow this; Preoccupation, loss of time, misuse of money, lack of control, to name a few With preoccupation, the gamer may seem distracted, irritable, or may talk about the game constantly; take Call of Duty for example. Loss of time, that's an interesting one. I'm sure a few of you sat down on the couch, turned the XBox, grabbed a soda and before you know it, it's morning. [B]Never done this[/B] Misuse of money, I'm a culprit for that one. Misuse of money is constantly upgrading or buying the latest new toy/game. [B]Not really, I only buy stuff I know I want.[/B] Black Ops sold seven million copies on release day, gained over six-hundred-fifty dollars total revenue. The average age of the average gamer is nowadays is regrettably between eight and twenty-one. Why regrettably? Personally, I feel that eight-year-olds should be outside playing, not inside collecting fat. [B]Why? Why not balance it and excercise every now and then and then sit inside and play? Why is it more important to have fun outside, rather than inside? What is the difference when you look away from the health implications, which can be dealt with in other ways?[/B] Four to seven hours a day, does that sound like a bit much to you? [B]If there's nothing else to be done, then no that doesn't sound like a bit much to me. If it's what you like doing then I see no reason why you can't do it all day long when you're done with your work/school/homework[/B] That's roughly between 24 and 48 hours a week straight. Luckily for me, I'm not "hardcore" enough to pass 30. [B]Why is this luckily? See last point, if you're having fun and staying healthy then who cares how long you sit there?[/B] I'm sure you are all familiar with the different types of games. First Person Shooters such as Call of Duty, Casuals such as Farmville, strategic such as Dragon Age, or the infamous M-M-O-R-P-G, Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. Don't even get me started on "World of War-Crack." This might sound all scary and threatening, and a few of you might be having second thoughts about the weekend, but the benefits match, of not outweigh the scare-factor. All that I stated earlier was isolated and magnified by the media. Benefits such as heightened brain activity, and improved reflexes; improved memory and motor skills to name a few, think of it: a pencil is rolling towards the edge of a table and before you know what happened, you caught it. Honestly, I'd be willing to trade occupation for preoccupation if it meant that I could have better memory and reflexes, wouldn't you? There are many activists out there, one of the most famous being Jack Thompson; (You've heard of Jack Thompson, right?) Now get this, Jack Thompson states that games are "Murder Simulators" and that they "Teach children to kill and learn to love it." What a hoot. Since when has Mario taught children to kill? I mean the most that might come out of Mario are some mild hallucinations-not that I'm implying anything. Jack Thompson firmly believes that video games are the sole cause behind ... : (Ready for this?) Terrorist attacks and school shootings. In October 2006, Thompson sent a letter to Midway games. Demanding that they cease and desist selling the latest Mortal Kombat series, claiming that the game was illegally profiting on his likeness because gamers could use the 'create a fighter' option to create a character who looked like him. Midway, of course, did not respond to his letter. [B]Thompson is a rambling idiot.[/B] Not only does Thompson despise and rally against video games, but he has a strong dislike for anything music related in today's generation; most notably "rap." [B]See last point[/B] Not all of Thompson's research is bullspit however, he's just managed to over-exaggerate the negative by a sevenfold. Stating that "Violent videogames breed violent people" is like asking "Every killer in history has at some point or another, consumed water, is there a link?" A violent person may be drawn to violent games, but a gamer isn't any likelier to be drawn to violence. I play violent videogames and I have never had this wild urge to kill someone, and I assure you I won't. Jack Thompson is not all wrong, he's a political genius, or an A-Hole as we know it. His research is exaggerated but correct. Heck, over-exaggeration is an understatement. [B]More like shitty research which is shitty and then has ben exxagerated to hell and back twice.[/B] There are unstable people in this world, so much so that anything will set them off. Through the years, these people were passed off as psychologically ill (“psycho”). Nowadays, however, guess what's to blame? That's right, video games. [B]Oh right just like movies, comics, music and all other new scary stuff from the devil right?[/B] However Thompson's statement that violent games breed violent people is entirely preposterous. In the event that a mentally stable and healthy person will crack under pressure of Mario proportions and go on an insane killing spree is incredibly rare. Let me put that into context for you; Polar South and Polar North have a better chance of swapping than someone cracking insane. Movies, comics, books, television shows, all of these unrelated media aspects can be, and have been far, far more violent than some of today's games, yet books are overlooked, comics are thrown aside, television shows are dismissed and movies are underrated. Why focus in the lesser media spectrum when there are games to demonize. Want to know why? [B]Movies, comics, books and television shows don't breed any more killers than video games.[/B] New tech is first abused before it's used. [B]Oh hey yay this is correct finally it took you that long huh.[/B] Video games help children who are ill or have injuries. Absorption in a game distracts the mind from pain and discomfort. Many hospitals are encouraging children and others ongoing painful treatments to play games. Games are known to enhance creativity and inoculate a taste for graphics, design and technology, such as modifying the Source engine or manipulating the world in Minecraft. Video and computer games help children gain self-confidence and many games are based on history, city building, governance and so-on. Such games indirectly teach children about life on earth. Take Sid Meier’s Civilization for example, a real-time strategy that teaches the players to think like the governments; deploying military, raising and watching economy, creating whole communities and keeping moral high. Games teach players problem solving, motivation and cognitive skills. That great feeling of accomplishment after literally dozens of tries means something. Most games inspire players to strive and reach more difficult levels presenting challenges at each stage. In conclusion, games aren't that bad, nor are they fully good. The media just demonized the negative and caused a huge misunderstanding. Games can be healthy if used right, just like how Tylenol can be dangerous at high levels but beneficial in doses. [B]Not a half-bad conclusion this is.[/B][/QUOTE] I commented a bit.

This reminds me of all those people that say "OMG IF YOU PLAY VIDEOGAMES YOU'LL END UP THINKING REAL LIFE IS A GAME AND YOU'LL DO SOMETHING BAD!" When they do that, I respond "So, if I play too much Cooking Mama, I'll end up cooking a lot of delicious food in real life? Oh no, call the fucking police."

For a lot of people, an addiction.

I play lots of video games, but my memory is SHIT.

yeah some people are addicted but most "think" they are addicted and truly are not. What i mean is, i used to believe i was addicted but when i would go without them i would just find other stuff to dom and i realize i am not so dependent on games. i would say both i guess

Most of the time it's just boredom, not addiction. Videogames are very fun and easy to access so it's obvious that people will play them a lot.

I play out of addiction (ruins my life in some ways) but they're too fun not to play either :frown:

Super Mario 64 made me in to a mushroom murdering psychopath.

Video games are bad they make you KILL PEOPLE :saddowns: You should all be ashamed, you murderers

Normally I play for maybe six hours without breaks, sometimes even for eight hours, and my mother keeps nagging about how I "have nothing else in my life but that worthless computer" and I guess she thinks I'm addicted. I haven't been able to play [I]any[/I] games for like... two months now, and I haven't felt the slightest urge to play. Addiction my fucking ass.

I enjoyed reading this.

I can go 4-5 hours straigh, but i've never had the urge to play video games when i was away from the computer It's just that i have nothing else to do, and my comics are buried under loadsa crates, so i can't do really much

Old people run the world. Most of said old people are reluctant to adapt. That's why the internet/video games/technology in general is constantly pelted with ignorance. Just look at how they fucked up stem cell research

Just call out that it's evil if you don't understand it.

You heretics and your Satan worshiping video games are all going to hell.

I think people take the extreme cases of gaming addiction and assume it happens to everyone. Like that couple that left their baby to starve whilst they played WoW.

I only ever touch a game if I'm very bored.

I rarely play video games any more. I mostly just browse the internet.

Well, I play a lot, especially on weekends, but my school grades don't suffer from it and neither can't I live without them. I think video games can influence children, especially small children and especially violent games. Thats why I'm happy my mom kept me from playing M+ games until I was about 14 to 15.

[QUOTE=SamPerson123;27637351]I rarely play video games any more. I mostly just browse the internet.[/QUOTE] I've been like this for years. It's just a phase when you're younger to spend all day playing games and you grow out of it eventually.

I'm sorry, you're entitled to your opinion up until the point you start quoting Jack Thompson. Seriously even people who hate videogames hate that guy he lost his license to practice law.