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Video Game/ Internet Addictions Video Game Addictions: Although addictions to video games is not recognized as a diagnosable disorder by the American Medical Association, there are people who play video games incessantly. Just like gambling and other compulsive behaviours, people (Mostly teenagers and pre-teens) become captivated by fantasy worlds which can eventually result in things such as neglecting their families, friends, work and responsibilities. A Few Statistics The Internet According to internetworldstats.com in 2010, 29% of the worlds population use the internet equivalent to 1,966,514,816 people Video Games The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) received information from a study that was preformed by American Life Project found, that information revealed that 53 percent of all Americans over the age of 18 play video games, as do a full 97 percent of teens. As these statistics show, today’s video game players include students, employees, military troops, seniors, mothers and fathers. According to videogame-addiction.org and the CRC health group Studies estimate that 10 percent to 15 percent of gamers exhibit signs that meet the World Health Organization’s criteria for addiction. http://www.video-game-addiction.org/ http://www.theesa.com/gamesindailylife http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm How to recognize an Addiction Here are some symptoms of game addiction - the more of these symptoms one can identify, the greater the need to get help: • • • • • • • • Most non-school hours are spent on the computer or playing video games Falling asleep in school Falling behind with assignments Worsening grades Lying about computer or video game use Choosing to use the computer or play video games, rather than see friends Dropping out of other social groups (clubs or sports) Being irritable when not playing a video game or being on the computer There also are physical symptoms that may point to addiction: • • • • • • Carpal tunnel syndrome Sleep disturbances Backaches or neck aches Headaches Dry eyes Failure to eat regularly or neglecting personal hygiene World of Warcraft This is a video that was recorded by a news team over seas, which features a young man who has an addiction to one of the most infamous addictive video game known as World of Warcraft. About the game: World of Warcraft, often referred to as WoW, is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game(MMORPG) set in the Warcraft universe. As of 2010, World of Warcraft has more than 12 million monthly subscribers, and currently holds the Guinness World Record for the world's largest and most popular MMORPG. As with other MMORPGs, players control a character avatar within a game world in thirdor first-person view, exploring the landscape, fighting various monsters, completing quests, and interacting with other players. http://us.battle.net/wow/en/ How Are Games Addictive? Just like with any other addiction, having a "gaming" addiction is usually a multi-faceted issue. For starters, video games are designed to be addictive. Not "addictive" in a physical sense such as nicotine or hard drugs, but game designers are always looking for ways to make their games more interesting and increase the amount of time people will spend playing them. The reason video games are so addictive is because the people who create the game intended for them to be addictive, so that people play them more and purchase their products. Video games allow the player to escape from their reality, to a place where they can live vicariously through their avatar(s). Social Aspects of Gaming The social aspect of games, applies to games that are played online, that are played by multiple people at the same time, primarily role-playing games. These types of games allow people to build relationships with other players. For some people, this online community becomes the place where they're most accepted, which draws them back to the game and re-enforces their addiction. The gamers will establish friendships and bond with the people in the games community, hence people who are easily bored, have poor relationships with family members, feel like outcasts at school, or tend toward sensation-seeking are more easily drawn into video game addiction because it fills a void and satisfies needs that aren't met elsewhere. http://www.video-game-addiction.org/what-makes-games-addictive.html Physiological of the Addictions It’s widely accepted that gambling can become a psychological addiction, but most people still argue that constantly playing video games is a choice rather than a disorder. But it is becoming belief that there may be a physiological elements to addictive game playing. Researchers at Hammersmith Hospital in London conducted a study in 2005 which found that dopamine levels in players' brains doubled while they were playing. Dopamine is a mood-regulating hormone associated with feelings of pleasure. The findings of this study indicate that gaming could actually be chemically addictive. http://www.video-game-addiction.org/what-makes-games-addictive.html http://www.nrc-iol.org/cores/mialab/fijc/Files/2002/120402_Koepp_Nature_1998.pdf Violence in Video games One of the primary concerns with violence in video games is that gaming is not passive. In order to play and win, the player has to be the aggressor. Rather than watching violence, as he might do on television, he's committing the violent acts. Most researchers acknowledge that this kind of active participation affects a person's thought patterns, at least in the short term. . Another factor that concerns both researchers and parents is that violence in video games is often rewarded rather than punished. In army and sniper games, players "level up" based in part on how many people they kill. If played frequently enough, games like this can skew a young person's perception of violence and its consequences. The question if often raised about whether violence in video games directly leads to violent or criminal acts in real life, and many argue that is does, but currently there is no way to prove this theory http://www.mediaawareness.ca/english/parents/video_games/concerns/violence_videogames.cfm http://www.video-game-addiction.org/violence.html Stories from Addicts The following statements were posted at WoWdetox.com, a Web site for people who are trying to overcome their addiction to World of Warcraft, the biggest of online role-playing games. The creator of the Web site, Gary Haran, started it up after quitting Warcraft himself. He said that many of his online friends confided that they, too, wanted to quit but didn't have an outlet for expressing those feelings. "So I created wowdetox.com so that anyone could anonymously write their reasons for quitting the game," wrote Haran. "The first day I had about 20 posts. The second I had 400. The third I had over 900." The site was up to 20,000 posts by the time he sold it several months later. That's a lot of people with a serious problem. #52034 I just uninstalled wow. and I must say that I'm really sad, mostly cause of the people in leave behind. Got email of my two best wow friends though :) I'm glad i stopped the subscription and stopped playing. What a time sink it is.. and its endless.. always the need for new gear, exp, rep, professions.. or a new alt and it starts allover. Lately i've come to realise how much time it takes and how badly im neglecting the things that are important: school, friends, activities that i love, my boyfriend and myself. I'm relieved now that i uninstalled it, but i also feel uneasy, and a bit scared of the effect it might have on me. Good luck to all who want to stop. Its an addiction, and the game will never end. Its and endless chain of repetitive things and once you got somewhere theres a new goal. I'm looking for things to replace my addiction, meaningful things #52019 Theres a big void in my life now that i dont know what to do with. I've been wow free for 6 months or so maybe 7 playing other games (anything with a pause button) But i just dont know what to do with myself. The memories... the sense of adventure and making friends in this alternative world where none of my problems existed besides presssing buttons in the right order. Idk what to do with myself. Cata blows, my wow world is gone forever. The world i leveled up in is gone. Its almost as if i lived an entire life playing wow for the 3-4odd years that i did, and when i quit i died. Its like im in limbo. idk I've been thinking the past few days... I spent almost 4 years playing WoW... and what has that gotten me? A level 85 protection warrior with an item level of 350... I mean... what the hell does that mean to anyone in the real world? What does that mean to someone who isn't afraid of living their lives and escaping into a fantasy? I started playing WoW because I was into Warcraft II when I was younger and I guess just wanted to see how the story has developed. When I started out I only played it an hour at most a day or every couple of days. I also was seeing a girl who I cheated on a week after we started dating. I told her after a 3 months and boy... did things go downhill. She was already insecure but now Pandora's box was opened. For 2 years I did everything I could but the insecurity, jealousy and anger were too great. I really thought I was gonna spend the rest of my life with her if I could make it work cause deep down she was sweetheart... well in my head at least. Stories from Addicts #52011 It's mid January 2011 and I haven't played WoW in over a year. I honestly do find myself wanting to play more and more, hell this morning I even dreamed about it. The worst part is,I never considered myself addicted, if we measure addiction by consequence. I did not have any appreciable consequences during the time I played. Sure I could be using the time on something more worthwhile, working out, catching up on work, reading, just being with my wife or friends...no argument there. But for at least a few hours a day I'm still playing video games or doing something similarly meaningless, just passing time, unwinding. I'm as successful now as I was while I played, even at my most. At the end of the day what made me put the game down was the other people. Because of a peculiar setup in my professional/personal life I can be logged in nearly all day but can't dedicate more than an hour or so where I might not be interrupted. I could pursue solo endeavors but not so much where I had to be relied on by someone else. Anyone who has played before knows that's really the only way to experience the game fully, and get the most content. My play level was always mediocre to good, even very good, but even that on some occasions isn't good enough. I couldn't take the trolls, the complainers, the drama. I couldn't stand when people were mean to each other. Goodhearted razzing is one thing, but too many people were too serious about it. During pug pvp bg's I often put a post it note over the chat box, its just out of hand. That's my story and I'm sure its not a unique one. http://wowdetox.com/ #52015 I hate this game so much!!! my BF is addicted to it and doesnt tell me what he is doing!!! he is always hiding things!!! i hate this game so much its like poison!!! we never do anything together anymore cos all he does is play wow... he puts wow ahead of me now and makes up lies that he cant spend time with me etc. never have a relationship with someone who plays wow. it will eventually fail cause the game is their main priority. what a horrible, despicable game. on top of this, no more relationships for me. #52003 I just whispered my "best" in-game friend and told him i was deleting my chars and quitting WoW. His only response was: Can i have your gold then? Good riddance #52002 I ended up ill with a deep vein thrombosis in one of my legs caused, according to the Doctors by me sitting on my backside doing instances all night and all day Internet Addictions Everyone enjoys the benefits of the Internet, and for many, it is also an indispensable tool for work, education, and communication. While time spent on the Internet can be hugely productive, for some people compulsive Internet use can interfere with daily life, work and relationships. When someone feels more comfortable with their online friends than their real ones, or they can’t stop themselves from playing games, gambling, or compulsively surfing, even when it has negative consequences in their life, then they’re likely using the Internet too much. Internet Addictions • It is difficult to estimate how widespread the problem is. A nationwide study conducted by a team from Stanford University’s School of Medicine had estimated that nearly one in eight Americans suffer from at least one sign of problematic Internet use. There are countless things one can do on the internet that can become addictive. Things such as: Online gambling, playing video games on the net, cyber-sex or pornographic websites, online shopping through sites such as Ebay. These activities will usually start out as just a curiosity, then progress into a hobby, and for some it eventually becomes a necessity. http://allpsych.com/journal/internetaddiction.html http://www.netaddiction.com/ Internet Addictions This is a video that shows how out of hand an addiction can get, although the people in the video are tormenting the kid in the video purposely, the kid’s reaction is enough to show how far the addiction has gone. Note: Don’t have the volume too high on your computer if you’re watching this video…. Help Sources An addiction to video games or computer games should be treated in much the same way as any other addiction. Like other addicts, gamers often are trying to escape problems in their lives. Video and computer games offer a particularly appealing escape to socially maladjusted teenagers, most often boys, who find it intoxicating to become immersed in a world completely under their control. As anyone who has quit smoking or been on a diet knows, it is much harder to quit when the object of your addiction is always in your face and when everyone you know is participating in it. It’s likely that a child addicted to computer games also has to use the computer for schoolwork. And their friends are likely all gamers as well. A therapist or treatment program that specializes in adolescents would be a first place to start. For example, a summer camp or wilderness program will get a child out of his normal environment and into a situation where he is forced to experience reality. His time will be filled with activities that are designed to instill confidence, develop healthy passions, and foster social skills. As for adults the best way to get over a video game addiction is through a support group or through the support of family and friends.