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Addictive or Just Fun? -Augusta_Mintaka - Apr 23 08:54pm
Hello from capitalist media, this is Amik_Mintaka reporting in! For this article I wish to go over the growing phenomenon of video game addiction. Are video games ruining younger generations and dooming them to a pasty programmer's tan or is this just all a huge exaggeration?

Let’s start out by defining video game addiction. Michael Brody, MD defines an addiction with the following two phases:

1. The person needs more and more of a substance or behavior to keep him going.

2. If the person does not get more of the substance or behavior, he becomes irritable and miserable.

This means that if a person is denied video games, there will be a dramatic decrease in their activity and ability to go on with regular day to day activities. This will lead to them becoming hostile, depressed and aggressively anti-social. In short, a video game addiction is built on this basic definition.

The Center for Online and Internet Addiction narrows this definition with key aspects to look for in possibly video game addicts:

* Playing for increasing amounts of time
* Thinking about gaming during other activities
* Gaming to escape from real-life problems, anxiety, or depression
* Lying to friends and family to conceal gaming
* Feeling irritable when trying to cut down on gaming

Having these signs present means that video gaming has become a significant ritual in one’s life at the same level one might be involved with family or their careers. It seems that the definition for video game addiction is having games take a significant role in your day to day ritual. But is this really a fair classification?
Let’s take a different, less professional perspective on this subject. We are currently, as of 2009, living in the Global Age and technology is being integrated into society at a rapid rate. It has come to the point where using a computer is not a luxury, but more of a necessity. Instant messaging is becoming a major form of communication and the internet has proven to be a driving force in many of our lives. As a result, our entertainment is increasingly dependent on our access to the internet.

Toys are being replaced by video games and they are beginning to demand more from the player than ever before. Games are no longer simple platform jumpers we had enjoyed from the 1980’s, but are becoming complex programs where logic, dexterity and strategy are required for success. The introduction of multiplayer to gaming has only expanded on this.

Somebody who could be playing computer for hours a day might not seem to be socializing, but it is likely that they are competing with real players over the internet. Socializing does occur during this practice and many people satisfy their needs to interact through video games. It is even possible that a person is capable of socializing to a much greater extent in video gaming because of the general absence of social stigma. There exist few barriers in video games which prevents people from properly interacting with each other.

Besides being a medium for satisfying our social needs, video games provide people with a way to manage mental fitness. We can easily relinquish stress through playing games and freely act how we wish with trivial consequences (ie banned from servers, etc). Not only this, but it is being realized that today’s video games are strengthening our logical capabilities and mental quickness. These tend to contribute to acts such as driving to a point where insurance companies are considering discounts for gamers.

Enough rambling and on to the point: Is video game addiction an actual mental disorder that the public or is this issue just another exaggeration?
I believe our increased usage of computers is the consequence of the extent to which we have integrated technology into our lives. Bills can be paid over the internet, friends talked to in instant messaging, shows watched over media streaming sites and our craving for entertainment from computer games. We do not have severe mental problems or a chronic addiction if we choose to play video games for extended periods of time; it is an inevitable trend that will be tomorrows norm.

Yes, there are instances of people playing certain games for fifteen to twenty hours a day while suffering from malnutrition and sleep deprivation which have resulted in death, but these are not as common as many people believe. In these cases people could be classified as video game addicts with an actual physical dependency, but the attention these cases get is disproportional to the actual norm.

The bottom line is, while video game addiction does exist, it is extremely exaggerated by fault of the media. The public is becoming paranoid to the possibility that their friends or family are turning into video game addicts who are wasting away in front of an LCD display. Internet/Video Game Addiction should be a concern and we should attempt to regulate hours spent on a computer, but it is not the pandemic we make it out to be.

A question for readers: What are your thoughts on video game addiction? Is it heavily exaggerated? Share your own stories regarding the topic!

Thank you for reading!


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Comments
Apr 30 2009 04:52am

Hugo
 - Student
 Hugo

Totally agreed,

Apr 28 2009 09:26pm

Va'kion
 - Student
 Va'kion

Very nice article! :) I really do agree.

not that it matters much:D

~Va'kion
_______________
I'm a resident Ashlan Philosopher

Apr 28 2009 01:35pm

Laziana
 - Jedi Instructor
 Laziana

Again a great article. :)
_______________
Proud owner of Buster Senatu's 200th & 300th, Muro's 370th, Maher's 2100th, Henkes' 1639th, Johauna's 400th, 666th and 900th, Sho Koon's 2000th and Kain Sol's 600th comment Download Laziana's lightsaber here! Glory to Arstozka!

Apr 26 2009 11:14am

SaZ
 - Student
 SaZ

impressive :)
_______________
playing jk3 since 30th of january (2005), member since 1st of february. [Unofficial Master to Vision and Z�diac ] If you can make a fool of yourself infront of 300 people you can do anything - Jaiko D'kana

Apr 26 2009 07:45am

Augusta_Mintaka
 - Student
 Augusta_Mintaka

I know the feeling, if I were to write something resembling this in Japanese it would take much longer. That's why I like English, it feels so structured and smooth when it comes to academic level writing.
_______________
"Deos fortioribus adesse."

This comment was edited by Augusta_Mintaka on Apr 26 2009 07:45am.

Apr 26 2009 07:30am

ZantuS
 - Student
 ZantuS

Nice, I wish I was that productive/creative. Writing something like that in my own language would probably take me hours. <.<
_______________
Happiness is the ability to say "So what?"

Apr 25 2009 11:43pm

Augusta_Mintaka
 - Student
 Augusta_Mintaka

Fifteen to twenty minutes, around there. I didn't have to put a lot of thought into this because there is already a lot of information about video game addiction out there.

Something more original could take me 20-45 minutes per page in Word.
_______________
"Deos fortioribus adesse."

This comment was edited by Augusta_Mintaka on Apr 25 2009 11:44pm.

Apr 25 2009 08:46pm

ZantuS
 - Student
 ZantuS

Nice article! :o How long does it take you to write an article like that?
_______________
Happiness is the ability to say "So what?"

Apr 25 2009 05:59pm

SaZ
 - Student
 SaZ

i think if we thought honestly about things we do too much etc i think we could classify ourselves as addicts of pretty much everything. like i do this, i do that and oh shit i do that as well. and a bit of that... and a little of that! omg!
:]
_______________
playing jk3 since 30th of january (2005), member since 1st of february. [Unofficial Master to Vision and Z�diac ] If you can make a fool of yourself infront of 300 people you can do anything - Jaiko D'kana

This comment was edited by SaZ on Apr 25 2009 05:59pm.

Apr 24 2009 11:21am

Z�diac Grimclaw
 - Ex-Student
 Z�diac Grimclaw

Quote:
Kyle: Dude, boars are only worth two experience points apiece. Do you know how many we would have to kill to get up 30 levels?

Cartman: Yes. [whips out a sheet full of calculations] Sixty-five million three hundred and forty thousand two hundred and eighty five. Which should take us seven weeks five days thirteen hours and twenty minutes, giving ourselves three hours a night to sleep. What do you say, guys? You can just, you can just hang outside in the sun all day tossin' a ball around, [firmly] or you can sit at your computer and do somethin' that matters.

Wisdom from the best episode of south park.


lol, i love that serie

and only jking amik :)
_______________
Facta non verba. Omnia mutantur nos et mutamur in illis.
Timendi causa est nescire...


Apr 23 2009 10:57pm

Lirael
 - Jedi Council
 Lirael

Kyle: Dude, boars are only worth two experience points apiece. Do you know how many we would have to kill to get up 30 levels?

Cartman: Yes. [whips out a sheet full of calculations] Sixty-five million three hundred and forty thousand two hundred and eighty five. Which should take us seven weeks five days thirteen hours and twenty minutes, giving ourselves three hours a night to sleep. What do you say, guys? You can just, you can just hang outside in the sun all day tossin' a ball around, [firmly] or you can sit at your computer and do somethin' that matters.

Wisdom from the best episode of south park.
_______________
I can write my name with my sparkler. My sparkler > your lightsabre

Apr 23 2009 10:45pm

Augusta_Mintaka
 - Student
 Augusta_Mintaka

Where did you get that idea?
_______________
"Deos fortioribus adesse."

Apr 23 2009 09:59pm

Z�diac Grimclaw
 - Ex-Student
 Z�diac Grimclaw

I think Amik is trying to make us drop JKA :D
_______________
Facta non verba. Omnia mutantur nos et mutamur in illis.
Timendi causa est nescire...


This comment was edited by Z�diac Grimclaw on Apr 23 2009 09:59pm.

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