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My uneducated guess would be: People tend to defend their specific way of living. In games, all who are superior are tryhards, all who are inferior are noobs. On the highway all who drive faster are speeding, all who drive slower are turtles. This is, in general, no problem. But when you defend a "way of living" which is harming you socially, mentally or physically, this can be a very dangerous way.
Having an open mind and being able to reflect the impact of your own actions and what you yourself can do is a skill which is hard to practise and pretty challenging. To be fair i behave like most people and deem others uneducated, preoccupied or whatever when those infidels are not in line with my expectations and critisise me. :-/
On the matter of alcohol addiction: Due to the expected influence of the alcohol, (receptors are desensitized) smart lil human brain raises the sensibility of the receptors beforehand. This makes alcoholics very unstable when awaiting their first drinks and this leads to a hasty consumptoin of the first few doses. Is this also viable for gamers?
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@ FetTerBender - I definitely agree with you about having an open mind and being willing to reflect on your own actions.
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I've had a period in my life as well where I gamed enough that it was detrimental to my other life goals. Was A- on iccup back on brood war days, spent so much of my time playing that... Also raided on WoW. As has been stated numerous times, it doesn't matter if I have no withdrawal effects when I'm out camping. The fact is, it drew me into it when I had the option and it was detrimental to me. I had a hard time resisting it. That is enough of a reason to consider it addiction in my opinion.
Because I realized that gaming didn't get me where I wanted to go, I kept trying even though gaming really offered a more fun escape very often. And what do you know, eventually I found activities that I enjoyed doing more than gaming, things I really wanted to do and things that helped me become what I want to become. I kept meeting new people and improving my social skills, and after MULTIPLE hit and misses, I found people that I enjoyed being with and spending time with far more than gaming.
As many could already point out, and as many have pointed out before, gaming fills a void. It immerses us into a world where we can feel accomplishment and reward for very easily and even interact with other people. It gives us a reason and a reward for doing something well. And if you are truly happy with your life doing just this, who can judge you?
The thing is though, gaming gives you the easy reward. You never have to leave your comfort zone while still being rewarded. As human beings, that is an offer that is often hard to decline. But true improvement and fullfilment comes from doing things out of your comfort zone, and it is just all too easy to call something 'not fun' when you never gave it a chance. Similar to the gaming world: Do you call not being platinum something coded to your very being and genes, or do you fight it and find ways to eventually reach platinum? Is it an excuse not to have a reason to improve anymore, or will you find new ways to get to your ultimate goal?
And honestly, this topic is not about attacking video games, its about realizing that something, ANYTHING, is detrimental to your life as it is, and changing yourself for the better. The way you break out of that habit may change depending on what we are talking about, so we tackle the problem with a name that is video games in this case.
Admit it to yourself if video games are filling a void in you. If they are, they are detrimental in my opinion. Do you believe that you are growing as a person doing what you are? And I would like to stay out of semantics as in "your friends are filling a void in you too!!11"
Also, many have expressed their thoughts on wanting practical steps and advice on the video for instance, where none was given. This is just my opinion, but think about this... If one person could give everyone in the world the 'go to' answer with no effort at all, and instantly help everyone change for the better.... Yeah lets not even go further because its impossible. We are all different. The video focused on characteristics of how to find possible activities to replace something that isn't bettering you, among other things. The steps you take depend on what you like and where your strengths lie. It depends where you have to begin with.
I guess this post wasnt the best thought out, but I know that gaming was detrimental to me, still is if I give in to it, and breaking a habit is hard. It gives easy escape and easily gives us satisfaction that often keeps us from improving and bettering ourselves. If you don't have a problem with gaming and the amount of time you spend playing, then by all means enjoy the entertainment that you get. But never use it as an excuse to not try out something new or getting things done.
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well seeing other people go gym hardcore or play soccer or whatever their hobby is or may it be rails, my is computergames so i cant see anything bad using most of my free time on computergames
doing other things would be stupid because then i would not do my hobby in my free time oO
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I like him, was addicted to playing video games for over 7 years. I consider the past 7 years a waste of time and in my opinion being addicted to video games is no joke. Sitting on your ass all day playing a game is very bad for your mental and physical health not to mention you accomplish nothing.
At least with other hobbies there is the potential to make a career out of it (such as photograpy) and it doesn't involve sitting on your ass all day.
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@ Ahzz - Thanks for sharing your story. I’m happy to hear you found success in focusing on your social skills and not quitting even when you met people that you didn’t jive with. I found this to be true for me as well.
I really like what you said about gaming offering the easy reward. I completely agree! I think this may be part of why although I felt a certain level of fulfillment in gaming, it has been a different type of fulfillment than what I’ve found in achieving other goals in my life. Overall really enjoyed your post, thank you for the input. I’m saving this post for reference as a resource to share with others.
@ Drake - I understand this perspective. I think it really just comes down to whether the hobby is having a negative affect on your life or not. If it is, it’s important to take note and work on recalibrating.
@ SjPhotoGrapher - Thanks for the comment! If you don’t mind, I’d love to hear what other activities you found helpful in working on outside of gaming?
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On October 28 2013 19:24 ZERG_RUSSIAN wrote:Show nested quote +On October 28 2013 12:04 Jisall wrote:On October 28 2013 05:02 Colbert wrote:
@ Jisall - I do agree with you that self-control is important and that focusing on taking responsibility for your life is a big step towards living the type of life you want. My question would be, what would be the best approach to help someone develop that self-control… or for instance, is simply telling an alcoholic to get some self-control going to help them stop drinking?
Ultimately the alcoholic has to want to quit. You can't force anybody to do anything, you can only light the path and show them that it is possible. And if they decide to try and overcome their addiction, be there for them. It is going to be a struggle-some time in the addicts life, if you care about them, you do not let them quit on themselves ( + Show Spoiler [Example from a Movie] +). Alcoholism is actually different in terms of addiction if I remember correctly because it actually works primarily* on GABA receptors rather than dopamine receptors and after a period of abuse the body has a neuroregulatory correction tendency whereby it decreases the amount of GABA receptors in the body. This causes uncontrolled firing of the synapses when someone quits which can lead to seizures and all kinds of weird effects that result from random synapses firing because I think GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter on most parts of the body. There are other drugs of abuse that this happens with but they're mostly benzodiazepines and similar drugs. In that sense, the alcohol withdrawal is actually different from, say, a nicotine or an amphetamine withdrawal, mainly because you can actually die from cold turkey-ing alcohol. The wikipedia page is enlightening and where I verified most of my information but I figured I'd distill it a bit because it's reaaaaaaaally long. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism
Thanks for the correction, it was enlightening. I guess alcohol was a bad example but I'd say the point is still valid 
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On October 29 2013 04:57 Colbert wrote:
@ Ahzz - Thanks for sharing your story. I’m happy to hear you found success in focusing on your social skills and not quitting even when you met people that you didn’t jive with. I found this to be true for me as well.
I really like what you said about gaming offering the easy reward. I completely agree! I think this may be part of why although I felt a certain level of fulfillment in gaming, it has been a different type of fulfillment than what I’ve found in achieving other goals in my life. Overall really enjoyed your post, thank you for the input. I’m saving this post for reference as a resource to share with others.
@ Drake - I understand this perspective. I think it really just comes down to whether the hobby is having a negative affect on your life or not. If it is, it’s important to take note and work on recalibrating.
@ SjPhotoGrapher - Thanks for the comment! If you don’t mind, I’d love to hear what other activities you found helpful in working on outside of gaming?
It's no problem. The other activities that I found helpful outside of gaming have been things that require skill and can be social.
Things such as learning a musical instrument involve the attainment and growing of skill sets similar to games and they provide instant feedback in how well you can play a set song or or whatever you're trying to play/learn, you also make progress, and they can be social (as in playing in a band or with other people).
Personally, I found doing things that require skill that you can make progress in (and also make a living) are much more rewarding than gaming.
However, with that being said, I believe that gaming in moderation can still be attainable even to those that have addictive personality's such as me and you.
The key is to play games that are not social (single player games), come up with a daily schedule and reward yourself by playing the game(s) only when you have completed your daily tasks, and finally, to make sure that you do not play multiplayer games.
I now only play single player games and play maybe only 6 hours a week or less. I know for a fact that if I were to play multiplayer games again especially competitive ones that I would be back to playing 40+ hours a week because they are social, competitive, and there is no end to them like there are in single player games.
My advice would be to play single player PC games, pick up a console such as the 3DS or an older system, and play older single player games that require the use of your brain, are not social (no multiplayer), and games that have an actual ending.
Things that are more rewarding than playing any game for me though are playing a musical instrument, learning, photography, art, etc.
If you want to be great at anything that is competitive the problem is that you're going to sink a lot of hours into that competitive *sport*. This is the problem with games like CS, SC, WoW, etc......there is no ending, they are social, and they are competitive.
Tiger Woods, Michael Jordon, MVP, and the CS team Complexity all put in 40+ hours a week because it's mandatory when it comes to being at the apex of your chosen competitive activity. The great thing about single player games is that you can play 1-2 hours at night if you want to and there is no competition and your competitive nature won't kick in hence why most won't play more than a few hours at a time.
I have also yet to hear someone that plays 40+ hours a week of single player games that have no social interaction and are not competitive in nature in today's day and age (even though I am sure that there are people out there that do that.....the thing is that they have a different personality than me and you IE: they're not competitive)
Meditating is also helpful in getting away from game addiction. It's helpful to sit down with yourself and ask yourself why you want to be the best at some online video game and look at the end result and see if it's worth it.
People that meditate on it will more than likely come to the conclusion that it's not worth it because you don't make much money anyways, you're confining yourself to sitting down and staring at a monitor all day, and you're not doing anything to benefit those around you.
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On October 28 2013 19:24 ZERG_RUSSIAN wrote:Show nested quote +On October 28 2013 12:04 Jisall wrote:On October 28 2013 05:02 Colbert wrote:
@ Jisall - I do agree with you that self-control is important and that focusing on taking responsibility for your life is a big step towards living the type of life you want. My question would be, what would be the best approach to help someone develop that self-control… or for instance, is simply telling an alcoholic to get some self-control going to help them stop drinking?
Ultimately the alcoholic has to want to quit. You can't force anybody to do anything, you can only light the path and show them that it is possible. And if they decide to try and overcome their addiction, be there for them. It is going to be a struggle-some time in the addicts life, if you care about them, you do not let them quit on themselves ( + Show Spoiler [Example from a Movie] +http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOyiSEonUFA ). Alcoholism is actually different in terms of addiction if I remember correctly because it actually works primarily* on GABA receptors rather than dopamine receptors and after a period of abuse the body has a neuroregulatory correction tendency whereby it decreases the amount of GABA receptors in the body. This causes uncontrolled firing of the synapses when someone quits which can lead to seizures and all kinds of weird effects that result from random synapses firing because I think GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter on most parts of the body. There are other drugs of abuse that this happens with but they're mostly benzodiazepines and similar drugs. In that sense, the alcohol withdrawal is actually different from, say, a nicotine or an amphetamine withdrawal, mainly because you can actually die from cold turkey-ing alcohol. The wikipedia page is enlightening and where I verified most of my information but I figured I'd distill it a bit because it's reaaaaaaaally long. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism
Then you quit in a medically sound way. I don't say you have to go cold turkey. When the addict makes a plan, you keep him stuck to that plan.
On October 28 2013 22:57 Colbert wrote:
@ Jisall - Yes absolutely. Do you agree that this is the same approach we should take for people who are “addicted” to video games?
You do whatever it takes.
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@ SJPhotoGrapher - I definitely agree with you about the types of activities you can use to move on from games.
If there’s one thing I want to mention to people looking to take this type of task on, it would be to give each activity a chance before giving up.
I remember when I first started DJing it was incredibly hard and in fact, left me feeling discouraged because the learning curve was so steep. But looking back now, I’m glad I was able to push through that initial learning curve because DJing is one of my greatest passions today.
I can see how an approach of playing single player games that aren’t social could be doable. I currently play chess a few times a day online, mostly used as an activity I can do when I need a quick break or change of stimulation. I play 5 minute blitz games online so the benefit is that the game can only last 10 minutes and with the nature of chess, after 2-3 games you’re mentally tired and want to stop. I’ve found good value in this, because playing games was also a competitive outlet for me and chess has been able to fulfill this need.
I like your advice about meditation. Although it’s not a habit I would say I’ve nailed, it is something I strive for on a daily basis and I guess, in the very least, I have a heightened practice of mindful awareness in my every day life.
Thanks for your great input once again.
@ Jisall - I definitely agree with it. The nature of getting to that level of commitment is intriguing to me.
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On October 29 2013 21:04 Colbert wrote:
@ SJPhotoGrapher - I definitely agree with you about the types of activities you can use to move on from games.
If there’s one thing I want to mention to people looking to take this type of task on, it would be to give each activity a chance before giving up.
I remember when I first started DJing it was incredibly hard and in fact, left me feeling discouraged because the learning curve was so steep. But looking back now, I’m glad I was able to push through that initial learning curve because DJing is one of my greatest passions today.
I can see how an approach of playing single player games that aren’t social could be doable. I currently play chess a few times a day online, mostly used as an activity I can do when I need a quick break or change of stimulation. I play 5 minute blitz games online so the benefit is that the game can only last 10 minutes and with the nature of chess, after 2-3 games you’re mentally tired and want to stop. I’ve found good value in this, because playing games was also a competitive outlet for me and chess has been able to fulfill this need.
I like your advice about meditation. Although it’s not a habit I would say I’ve nailed, it is something I strive for on a daily basis and I guess, in the very least, I have a heightened practice of mindful awareness in my every day life.
Thanks for your great input once again.
@ Jisall - I definitely agree with it. The nature of getting to that level of commitment is intriguing to me.
It's got to come from within. Youtube people like Greg Plitt, Les Brown, and Eric Thomas.
+ Show Spoiler [My Favorite at this time from Eric Tho…] +
Then lock out the outside world while you make your change, until your new activities become habits. You will find the world's tugging on you in every direction holds less sway.
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Les Brown is my favorite motivational speaker. Funny that you bring him up. I also really like Earl Nightingale and Napoleon Hill.
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On October 30 2013 13:12 SjPhotoGrapher wrote:
Les Brown is my favorite motivational speaker. Funny that you bring him up. I also really like Earl Nightingale and Napoleon Hill.
Les Brown is really good. I'll check those two out.
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@ Jisall - I definitely agree that it has to come from within. It's always interesting to look at how that process of introspection comes about.
I'll look into Les Brown as well. Thanks for the tip.
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On October 29 2013 08:46 Jisall wrote:Show nested quote +On October 28 2013 19:24 ZERG_RUSSIAN wrote:On October 28 2013 12:04 Jisall wrote:On October 28 2013 05:02 Colbert wrote:
@ Jisall - I do agree with you that self-control is important and that focusing on taking responsibility for your life is a big step towards living the type of life you want. My question would be, what would be the best approach to help someone develop that self-control… or for instance, is simply telling an alcoholic to get some self-control going to help them stop drinking?
Ultimately the alcoholic has to want to quit. You can't force anybody to do anything, you can only light the path and show them that it is possible. And if they decide to try and overcome their addiction, be there for them. It is going to be a struggle-some time in the addicts life, if you care about them, you do not let them quit on themselves ( + Show Spoiler [Example from a Movie] +http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOyiSEonUFA ). Alcoholism is actually different in terms of addiction if I remember correctly because it actually works primarily* on GABA receptors rather than dopamine receptors and after a period of abuse the body has a neuroregulatory correction tendency whereby it decreases the amount of GABA receptors in the body. This causes uncontrolled firing of the synapses when someone quits which can lead to seizures and all kinds of weird effects that result from random synapses firing because I think GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter on most parts of the body. There are other drugs of abuse that this happens with but they're mostly benzodiazepines and similar drugs. In that sense, the alcohol withdrawal is actually different from, say, a nicotine or an amphetamine withdrawal, mainly because you can actually die from cold turkey-ing alcohol. The wikipedia page is enlightening and where I verified most of my information but I figured I'd distill it a bit because it's reaaaaaaaally long. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism Then you quit in a medically sound way. I don't say you have to go cold turkey. When the addict makes a plan, you keep him stuck to that plan. Show nested quote +On October 28 2013 22:57 Colbert wrote:
@ Jisall - Yes absolutely. Do you agree that this is the same approach we should take for people who are “addicted” to video games?
You do whatever it takes.
I agree with you, we should all support anyone who decides that they want out of an addiction. That being said:
While I agree that addiction is generally bad, there are a lot of reasons which drive people to drink or do drugs or play video games. Sometimes it's an escape from reality, sometimes it's for pleasure, or whatever reason--that's not the point. The point is that it's not really anyone's place to decide but the individual's. Sure, I don't recommend abusing drugs or alcohol, but if the choice is between that or hurting people or actively killing themselves? I'd much rather have them in a state of functional addiction which can be treated than have anyone dead anywhere. That's a personal opinion of mine.
Video games in particular are not incredibly harmful compared to other potentially addictive activities or substances and I think that they are a healthy coping mechanism for many people. There is no reliable, agreed-upon criteria for "addiction" to video games and that's why I think it's important to recognize how subjective our views about it can be. Your definition of addiction might differ wildly from the person who you think is "addicted", and who's to say who's right?
BUT! We're in luck! The American Psychiatric Association has proposed criteria for Internet Gaming Disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5th Edition under the "Conditions for Further Study" section, which may eventually become a part of the revisions to the manual at a later date. Here they are, for posterity:
Internet Gaming Disorder
Proposed Criteria
Persistent and recurrent use of the Internet to engage in games, often with other players, leading to clinically significant impairment or distress as indicated by five (or more) of the following in a 12-month period:
1. Preoccupation with Internet games. (The individual thinks about previous gaming activity or anticipates playing the next game; Internet gaming becomes the dominant activity in daily life.)
Note: This disorder is distinct from Internet gambling, which is included under gambling disorder.
2. Withdrawal symptoms when Internet gaming is taken away. (These symptoms are typically described as irritability, anxiety, or sadness, but there are no physical signs of pharmacological withdrawal.)
3. Tolerance--the need to spend increasing amounts of time engaged in Internet games.
4. Unsuccessful attempts to control the participation in Internet games.
5. Loss of interests in previous hobbies and entertainment as a result of, and with the exception of, Internet games.
6. Continued excessive use of Internet games despite knowledge of psychosocial problems.
7. Has deceived family members, therapists, or others regarding the amount of Internet gaming.
8. Use of Internet games to escape or relieve a negative mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety).
9. Has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of participation in Internet games.
Note: Only nongambling Internet games are included in this disorder. Use of the Internet for required activities in a business or profession is not included; nor is the disorder intended to include other recreational or social Internet use. Similarly, sexual Internet sites are excluded.
Specify current severity:
Internet gaming disorder can be mild, moderate, or severe depending on the degree of disruption of normal activities. Individuals with less severe Internet gaming disorder may exhibit fewer symptoms and less disruption of their lives. Those with severe Internet gaming disorder will have more hours spent on the computer and more severe loss of relationships or career or school opportunities.
The manual further goes on to describe the PROPOSED disorder in more detail, listing Subtypes (none currently identified), Diagnostic Features, Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis, Prevalence ("seems highest in Asian countries and in male adolescents 12-20 years of age"), Risk and Prognostic Factors (Environmental; Genetic and physiological), Functional Consequences of Internet Gaming Disorder, Differential Diagnosis (social media use and porn are not considered analogous; excessive gambling online may qualify for a separate diagnosis of gambling disorder), and Comorbidity (Major Depressive Disorder, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder).
Again, this is PROPOSED and has not been approved as the actual criteria or even if it is a disorder to be included in the DSM-5.x yet.
Also, in terms of clinical use, the DSM is never used as a cookbook--it is simply a manual to talk about individuals without having to describe all of their symptoms to other clinicians. Instead of saying "paranoid ideations, command hallucinations, unstable mood, flat affect, etc. etc. etc." we can just say "schizophrenic" or "schizoaffective" or "bipolar I with psychotic features" and it's easy to differentiate between someone whose psychotic symptoms occur only when their mood disorder flares up and someone who has no mood disorder but psychosis and someone who has permanent psychotic symptoms as well as an unrelated mood disorder. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN JUST LABEL SOMEONE WITH BECAUSE THEY MEET SYMPTOM REQUIREMENTS. IT IS ULTIMATELY THE CLINICIAN'S JUDGMENT. This manual just makes things easier to talk about with other people.
Personally, I disagree with their proposed criteria in multiple spots and think it needs a LOT of rewriting and revision!
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Great info. I found some of it while I was preparing for a TV spot about whether gaming addiction was real or not, but this is a much more in-depth analysis of it.
I'd be curious ZERG_RUSSIAN where you disagree with the proposed criteria?
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1. Preoccupation with Internet games. (The individual thinks about previous gaming activity or anticipates playing the next game; Internet gaming becomes the dominant activity in daily life.)
2. Withdrawal symptoms when Internet gaming is taken away. (These symptoms are typically described as irritability, anxiety, or sadness, but there are no physical signs of pharmacological withdrawal.)
5. Loss of interests in previous hobbies and entertainment as a result of, and with the exception of, Internet games.
8. Use of Internet games to escape or relieve a negative mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety).
These four right here would make this diagnosis basically everyone on TL.net. I think the norms on gaming are changing and the DSM won't have clinical utility if this diagnosis applies to a ridiculous amount of people. I think that video game addiction is a real thing but this criteria is entirely too wide given the recent generational shifts in attitude towards video games as socialization, sport and recreation.
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On November 02 2013 20:05 ZERG_RUSSIAN wrote:
1. Preoccupation with Internet games. (The individual thinks about previous gaming activity or anticipates playing the next game; Internet gaming becomes the dominant activity in daily life.)
2. Withdrawal symptoms when Internet gaming is taken away. (These symptoms are typically described as irritability, anxiety, or sadness, but there are no physical signs of pharmacological withdrawal.)
5. Loss of interests in previous hobbies and entertainment as a result of, and with the exception of, Internet games.
8. Use of Internet games to escape or relieve a negative mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety).
These four right here would make this diagnosis basically everyone on TL.net. I think the norms on gaming are changing and the DSM won't have clinical utility if this diagnosis applies to a ridiculous amount of people. I think that video game addiction is a real thing but this criteria is entirely too wide given the recent generational shifts in attitude towards video games as socialization, sport and recreation.
I definitely agree they would need to be more specific, however I have a hard time believing those 4 aren't also major symptoms of potential gaming addiction - specifically when they relate to other addictions.
Am I wrong to think those 4 are common in other addictions as well?
On gaming being viewed as more of a sport/recreation:
In my own experience I would relate it to when I played elite level hockey for 15 years.
I certainly put in a lot of hours between practice, games and working out, but I never felt like it had a major pull on my thoughts (preoccupation), and although it was a major aspect of my day it certainly was never out of balance or caused other *major* negative affects in my life. I never experienced withdrawal symptoms, was still very interested in other activities (even welcomed them as a break from hockey), and I guess hockey helped when I was in a negative mood but it wasn't the primary focus during such episodes.
This was definitely NOT the same experience I had when it came to competitive gaming, of which I did truly approach the same way as hockey, except I definitely had all 4 of those points in my life during that time, and looking back I do think they were big warning signs that my gaming was no longer healthy.
Again, this was only my experience, although from the wealth of experience I've developed through the video game article and other mediums, it's hard for me to say others haven't experienced the same (at least with games, no idea about other sports.)
What type of language could we add to those 4 points that you believe would make it more specific and less general?
BTW - I really appreciate your input. I believe right now we are at the beginning of the research into gaming addiction and have an amazing opportunity as a gaming community to help shape the conversation AND the research (including what the final diagnosis will be).
It's rare that a community has this type of opportunity to make sure the research and all of that jazz is as authentic to the real issues as they are. This is one reason why I'm so inspired to help push the gaming community's message further. I guess in many ways, we owe it to the community, because as the DSM-5.x and other research is validated, it will have a profound impact on the community as a whole.
Thanks again for the discussion.
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No problem, it's an interesting thread  .
Anyway the issue I have is that those criteria apply to too much of the gaming population as a whole rather than just a specific subset of individuals who have a problem. For me it's like, DUH people are going to be irritable if you take their games away for no reason. Like someone said earlier, why wouldn't they spend their free time doing preferred activities? And of course they're used as an escape against boredom or anxiety or feeling bad in many ways. I think that is a good reason to play games, and for all the other ones I have similar issues.
Basically, if the criteria is too wide it has no use in distinguishing a person with actual psychopathology from someone who acts similarly but doesn't have a problem. Like, I'm sure 100% of schizophrenics breathe air and urinate, but does that distinguish them from people who are not schizophrenic? Not really.
However, I realize that I am biased in this area because I'm a monogamous gamer who plays a lot of one internet game. Still, I don't think I would call myself addicted or dependent or pathological over it. I think I could make a good case that I'm not even though I satisfy a lot of the criteria and I'm sure lots of other people on this forum could do the same.
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On October 24 2013 07:28 Thorakh wrote:Show nested quote +On October 24 2013 07:26 [GiTM]-Ace wrote:
I wonder though how much video game activity is ok. As much as you can without it eating into other activities you want/need to do. Time you enjoyed wasting isn't wasted time. Show nested quote +We've managed to start a discussion about terminology when the speaker specifically tried to avoid that discussion by tackling the practical problem from a practical standpoint. Don't rush back to the Greek roots of such and such words when it detracts from the actual issues that the actual people are actually having. The thing is that talking about video game addiction is detracting from the actual issues. You get 'addicted' to video games because you are lonely and have no friends, because you are bullied and do not like going out, because you have social anxiety, you are depressed, have no motivation, etc. Those underlying problems should be addressed, trying to quit video games is useless as fuck because the void that they filled up will still be there.
Pretty much this.
Any behavior or activity can become problematic when it impairs your ability to function in a variety of areas such as work, school, or socially. I have read dozens of peer reviewed journal articles on the topics of "Internet addiction" and "Video game addiction." The underlying message is generally that games are being used to avoid dealing with life issues or in the really extreme cases some people get so caught up in playing that they neglect basic necessities like food, water, using the bathroom, or sleeping. If you can do your job/do school work/have some form of a social life and still play video games 8 hours a day then you are functioning just fine and professional gamers can play even more hours per day because the game is their job.
Heck, if you are trying to treat someone with alcohol/drug problems and you do not address the underlying issues that led to the drug/alcohol use in the first place, then the person will either relapse or replace the drugs/alcohol with another problematic behavior.
On November 03 2013 08:43 ZERG_RUSSIAN wrote:No problem, it's an interesting thread . Anyway the issue I have is that those criteria apply to too much of the gaming population as a whole rather than just a specific subset of individuals who have a problem. For me it's like, DUH people are going to be irritable if you take their games away for no reason. Like someone said earlier, why wouldn't they spend their free time doing preferred activities? And of course they're used as an escape against boredom or anxiety or feeling bad in many ways. I think that is a good reason to play games, and for all the other ones I have similar issues. Basically, if the criteria is too wide it has no use in distinguishing a person with actual psychopathology from someone who acts similarly but doesn't have a problem. Like, I'm sure 100% of schizophrenics breathe air and urinate, but does that distinguish them from people who are not schizophrenic? Not really. However, I realize that I am biased in this area because I'm a monogamous gamer who plays a lot of one internet game. Still, I don't think I would call myself addicted or dependent or pathological over it. I think I could make a good case that I'm not even though I satisfy a lot of the criteria and I'm sure lots of other people on this forum could do the same.
As a mental health professional and a pretty active gamer, I completely agree with your concerns. The thing to remember is that gaming must be having an adverse effect on some area of your life for it to be considered problematic. Sadness/grief is not a problem until it becomes depression. Alcohol use is not a problem until someone gets behind the wheel or gets drunk on a very regular basis. If you are playing games instead of doing your job/school work on a regular basis, then there is an issue. The social domain is where it gets tricky because being an introvert is not a problem with functioning, but being afraid of social settings is. If I were to get a client that was functioning well in school or a job but their social life might have some issues, then I would be very hesitant to diagnose the person unless they clearly had social anxiety or agoraphobia.
EDIT: Also, a good mental health professional will educate himself/herself on the issue before even thinking about diagnosing. If I see a child with all the symptoms of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) that is still doing fine at home and school, then there is not yet a need to diagnose. If the child is having problems at home and school that have been ongoing for months or longer, then the diagnosis is warranted.
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