Is video-game addiction a mental disorder?

[Sc@tterbrain 0]

If a child becomes a heroin addict, the parenting skills are called into question.  But now some try to contend that video games are as addictive as heroin, who's fault is it?

The video games...  Read HERE>.

Because you know if a parent pulls the plug at the first sign of a problem such as bad grades, that child will seek out blackmarket video games from lowly curbside dealers.

Its time that excuses for bad parenting are shown for the croc they are.

Sure, there are children and adults that truly develop a problem.  Same can be said for TV or any other stimulus, but for a child that is dependent upon an adult, that adult is responsible for all aspects of the childs life.

From the article:

“We battled him until October of last year,†she said. “We went to therapists, we tried taking the game away.

“He would threaten us physically. He would curse and call us every name imaginable,†she said. “It was as if he was possessed.â€

Thats because your parenting skills suk!  This parent failed in their primary responsibility, and when it became a problem...well it could't be the parents fault...right?

How do you "try" to take a game away from a 10th grader?  If you fail to control the video game usage of a dependent child that requires you to provide ALL their needs AND lives under your roof...

...than you are unfit to raise a child.

This "problem" dose not highlight the "addictive nature" of video games, it highlights the ineptitude of some parents and the weakness in some adults.

Some will disagree with me.  Ok before you attack my argument consider this.  This is not meant to be crude, it is simply an analogous example.  There is a condition known as masturbation addiction.  There are 2 reasons this occurs in humans.  

1. In one people actually use stimulation as a drug due to the natural chemicals created that effect the brain.  It is identical in a manner to substance abuse.  No substence is actually used to alter the brain chemicaly, but in the case of video games, this article contends that they are used as a stimulus that becomes addictive in nature.

2. The second is due to a person's predisposition to a mental health problem such as obsesive compulsive disorder.  Let's leave it at that.

The point being that both conditions are not caused by the act that becomes the so called "addiction" but is simply a manifestation of the underlying problem.  

1. One being bad parenting, or the inability to recognize a problem and limit exposure.  

2. Underlying mental health issues.

So..the point is, "video game addiction" is not caused by the VIDEO GAME but the underlying factors that casues it to be the focus of the behavior.

The uderlying factor being a total lack of parental control, or other real mental health issues.  The solution for this "problem" is for a parent to BE ENGAGED in your childs life.  If you miss the signs, please don't make more babies!  And if the problem is mental health issues such as bipolar disorder...get it treated BEFORE it becomes damaging to the future of the person suffering!

It's like a parent blaming the pool for drowing their child.  The pool didn't sneak its way into the yard and burrow itself there.  The parent provided it!  And consequently the parents failure in their obligation is the cause of the result.

...thank you BIS for providing me a place to rant....sorry for the 3 mins you have spent reading this...considering where I am ranting maybe nobody disagrees..........I'm calm now

[Espectro (DayZ) 0]

It's just another group trying to blame the system that they failed in life.

These 'whiners' all have one thing in common. They don't take responsibity for their own life and actions.

[Guest Ti0n3r]

Is video-game addiction a mental disorder? Is addiction to music a mental disorder? Is addiction to playing the guitar a mental disorder? Is the addiction for knowledge a mental disorder?

If you ask me; NO, It's just part of the human nature.

[Serclaes 0]

The Problem is to define the addiction. Its the mental disorder that may come first which creates an addiction. For example a little boy who is bullied, can feel like somebody strong in a game. Maybe he is bullied because he doesnt have any apparent skills, physical strength etc. Or he may experience deep troubles like a divorce.

In any case the videogame will give him a home. He will like it and as somebody who's playing football in a good team, he will become "addicted".

In the case that it is a multiplayer game, the player would want to have a look at the comunity and find friends because of the same interests they have. Now, forbid your son to go and see some friends and then compare it with forbidding him to play and i bet it will be quite similar.

[InqWiper 0]

If life is hell and computer games are the only escape there is no wonder one becomes very agressive when someone tries to take it away. Atleast with computergame addiction there is no risk of getting killed (except when you sit for 72h straight and die from dehydration...). Gaming must be one of the cheapest and safest addictions you can have. Id also like to take the time to say that computer games, rock n roll or horror movies dont make mass murderers. There are always those fools who understand nothing and try to blame it on something stupid and make it simple for themselves. If the parents are stupid enough to let the kid become addicted to computer games and not being able to control him then ofcourse they are stupid enough to say the computer is evil and turned him into an addict.

[redpride 0]

"Gaming must be one of the cheapest and safest addictions you can have"

Not really..I can distill my own vodka for cheaper than what some of these games cost. Although definately not safer.

[Balschoiw 0]

I know some grown-up guys who are definately addicts. They are neglecting their job, their family and do not go out much anymore. If they do, they talk about their game exclusively.

The game they play is world of warcraft.

And yes, I´d say they have a serious problem already.

For the parents part: I doubt that most of the parents are able to actually control what their kids do or play at the comp. First off, kids are often more smarter with those machines than their parents and everyone who runs a household knows that you simply can´t watch your kids 24 a day.

I know a women who has a son, aged 13 who plays WoW quite often and as a matter of control his mom, who has a WoW account aswell only allows him to play if she´s with him. At one evening they played with some other guys and the son went big in language and showed off his knowledge in slang. His mom said "wait a sec" to the other guys, went upstairs, unplugged the cable from son´s comp, took it with her and played on

[Daniel 0]

Do I get a yay on forums being more addictive than any video game?

[NeMeSiS 11]

Daniel @ June 22 2007,18:04)]Do I get a yay on forums being more addictive than any video game?  

I kinda have that..

Everytime i dont have anything to do for a small amount of time i check forums, but almost everytime i end up sitting here for too long. (Although i do limit myself to being registred and active to 2 forums max, otherwise i would never leave this chair again.. )

[Sc@tterbrain 0]

There are 3 forums I go to. 2 I just make the daily peek at, and this one...

For years I played far too much OFP for any time left to come here. I even forgot my password and had to make a new account. Then I bought the Sprocket copy and spent a lot of time here...bitching.

My new excuse that I am waiting for my new vid card to arrive. Then hopefully those that hate my posts won't miss me as I again spend my valuable free time in-game.

Sercleas:

That's what i believe as well. I tried to explain it, but after re-reading my post today it seemed a bit confusing.

This is how a parent should react to a WoW addict.

Freakin hilarious!

[chipper 0]

there's nothing wrong with me....NOTHING gtfo ho

[4 IN 1 0]

there are words in chiness and japaness that specificly talking about these kind of guys(guys who are addict to whatever things, that are heavily affecting their normal social life)

[Shadow NX 1]

WoW indeed brought it to a new level...

I also know a guy, visit him nearly every lunchbreak for a hour and he was playing it like mad, wouldnt come over at the weekend for soem BBQ cause he needed to play with his guild, his ( sexy but lazy as him ) Girl laying on the bed waiting for him but instead he played, his job that was lost cause he couldnt get up early cause he played all night long... list is long...

Well over last days he deinstalled WoW, sold his Lv.70 Characters ( and made over 600Eur with the account on Ebay ), i hope it had somethign to do with me daily telling him that its getting out of hand with WoW.

I know there are lots of normal WoW players but its so easy to get sucked into that game that i never bothered to try the 10 days guest pass he gave me...

[Espectro (DayZ) 0]

I wonder if it's genetically? I mean, it's proven that some people genetically have a higher risk of falling into a addiction such as alcohol or smokes.

IMHO should children never be addicted to anything, and it's their parents job to stop it. That said, I don't think theres anything worse than when parents simply have a zero-tolerance rule forbidding their children to ANY form of a computer game. That'll probably just make it worse in the long run anyway

[Mr_Tea 0]

Can playing a game be an mental disorder?

I play games instead of sitting around bored to death, and sick of the hundreds of TV channels, airing nothing but shit.

If you can`t sleep because you want to play, than you have a problem.

But people like that, would most probably be addicted to nearly everything that is fun.

Hardcore WOW players are very close to become an mental disorder, imho.

[W0lle 1042]

there's nothing wrong with me....NOTHING gtfo ho

Another pointless spamming from you. I have enough now, 1 week vacation (hopefully) will do.

[ozanzac 0]

In hospital, I asked a doctor what the difference between Morphine and Codine was:

His response.

'Some people have addictive personalities.'

[Luciano 0]

Some games are addictive, depending on the person. Like WOW. I try to stay away not because I'll get addicted, but because it will waste so much time playing when I could do other shit. Thats why I now play only FPS, they are fast and you can have a good game in 30 minutes, not 3 hours.

I started gaming back in the day with the terminator console (Popular in Eastern Europe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminator_%28video_game_system%29)

Then I played games on early computers that you had to load with a tape recorder. The game being on a tape.

Then I move on to other sorts of gaming, the longest I played was probably for 6 hours straight each day for two days.

It never affected my grades or anything and I never really got addicted. I could stop anytime I wanted, I just chose to play.

I doubt its the game, it has to be the person. Labeling it the same as smoking and drug addiction is stupid. Its not like if you stop playing your body will ask for it, like with smoking and drugs

Its like saying your addicted to go to the movies, just because you go to the movies every week or so.

[max power 21]

Games are designed to be 'addictive'. And of course, any compulsive behaviour has an underlying cause. Some people have what is colliquially known has an 'addictive personality'. Many aspects of behaviour are widely regarded as having genetic and environmental components. It is quite likely that the child in question was mentally dependent on videogames for whatever reason. In that case, if his parents need help, there is no shame in seeing a qualified professional for help. If playing videogames are a problem for that child, make no mistake, videogames are the issue that should be focussed on in that case. Just like alcohol must be the issue that is focussed on in the case of an alcoholic. If the 'addictive' properties of videogames or computers in general are problems for some people, I think that that fact should be accepted. Once that fact is accepted without embellishment or denial, strategies to help people who have those problems can be thought out rationally- perhaps through preventative awareness and *proper parenting*. If these facts are unknown, and the problems develop progressively, you cannot blame the parents for being shocked an angry. They just discovered a problem with their child and videogames that they didn't think was possible and they are seeking out to try and protect other families without an understanding of the issues. What they know is only the grief that they had to endure because of the issues. I don't think this is a case where one side is evil while the other is an example of sainthood. Likewise, I don't think the parents deserve derision for being alarmed.

[USSRsniper 0]

Its better to be addicted to game then to drugs..... Some people get violent by playing game. But i play games to get rest after hard days of real life. is much better then watching useless crap on TV.....

[Journeyman 0]

Video gaming just like anything else can be used or abused! It can be educational, informative, therapeutic, entertaining, addictive, all consuming, dangerous, ………

However, those that play video games are by their very nature ‘interactive’ so they are exercising their brains and their responses. Those who sit and watch endless episodes of TV dramas are ‘passive’ so are exercising only their arses! Those who take drugs are exercising only their addiction to a substance, which seems to be a force far greater than brains, responses or arses!  

[Commando84 0]

bad parenting is all i say... haha but on the other side i acutally almost missed the train to work once when i tested some new arma addons and played out a mission in the editor

also sometimes imo its better to have the kids inside playing than outside thrasing bus stations and shitt

[Sc@tterbrain 0]

It is quite likely that the child in question was mentally dependent on videogames for whatever reason.  In that case, if his parents need help, there is no shame in seeing a qualified professional for help.  If playing videogames are a problem for that child, make no mistake, videogames are the issue that should be focussed on in that case.  Just like alcohol must be the issue that is focussed on in the case of an alcoholic.  If the 'addictive' properties of videogames or computers in general are problems for some people, I think that that fact should be accepted.  

Good post plantiff and I think you are correct about the proper method of dealing with such an issue.

My beef with this issue is the fact that the parents in the articel claimed to be caught competely unaware. If that is true, then they failed in their primary obligation. If a parent is not activly engaged or at least aware of their child's activities, and a problem surfaces, the finger should be pointed not out but right back at the parent.

This issue hits a nerve with me in the same way that the argument about violence in games does. If GTA 4 wouldn't sell bundles of copies to kids, they wouldn't bother making it. Yes the industry should act responsibly and regulate itself with warning lables and age restrictions on sales (if they don't the government will). But the buck stops with the parent. In college I worked at a game store before age rules on sales were made. I remember being verbally abused by a parent for not selling GTA 2 to a 13 year old boy, and making the parent come down and make the purchase.

I wonder how fouled up that kid is now.

[Dwarden 1124]

way too much additiction of ANYTHING (games, TV, drugs w/e) is always some sort of disorder ...

You should ask question ...

what's worse ?

playing good funny thrilling adventure with logic or RTS demanding on Your strategy and thinkup skills

or watching some lame TV show for idiots ?

in the end ... what's worse

[Sc@tterbrain 0]

Good question Dwarden. In fact that reminds me of a book I read a while back.

If this topic interests you, then pick up and read "Got Game?"

The authors are John C. Beck and Mitchell Wade, and it is published by the Harvard Business School Press.

Essentially it discusses the emerging "gamer" generation in business and the effects that games have had on things like problem solving, and most notably how people take risks.