I'm sure that there was a thread about this long time ago, but I havent seen it yet while searching.

I'm acutally doing this for my arguementive essay and I'm curious about people's opinion and/or perception on wheither if there is such thing as being addicted to video and/or computer gaming. Video and computer games are increasily popular (as if anyone havent noticed), there are some people who will go out of their way to say that we're likely to be addicted to games than.. like.. say, in 1980s or in the 90s. There are also people who says that game addictions is the same as being an alcholic or drug abuser. I disagree with those people because a game player can have a normal healthy life. They can go to school, have friends, play sport and whatnots.

There has been few cases where people have died from playing excessive amount of games like Lee Seung Seop from South Korea who died after playing Starcraft for over 50 hours. Or how about this guy who played games non-stop for 15 days straight with little water and potty breaks, he died afterward.

Heres my personal favorite: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19766590/

Someone
-Police: Babies starved as parent gamed. Couple accused of neglecting young children to surf Web, play video games
RENO, Nev. - A couple authorities say were so obsessed with the Internet and video games that they left their babies starving and suffering other health problems have pleaded guilty to child neglect.

I'm a game player myself and I dont consider myself addicted to games of any kind, eventhough I play too much of them at times.

So... Would you (as a gamer) consider yourselves addicted to games to the degree that it's likely to be hazarous to your health and your social life? Is it possible that gaming addiction is on the rise or does exist considering that the events such as death (as previously stated above) are rare?

I want to hear two sides to this, its a intresting topic to think about.

I do not think that games are like achchol or drugs at all.

After all, people with perfectly healthy lives and no issues at all don't get addicted at all.

Did you know that I played Everquest, both the first one and the second one? That game is known to be like "crack" supposedly... getting so addictive and stuff. Yet I didn't feel that way at all... I actually quit it cold-turkey after deciding that I needed my money toward it for other things, and I didn't feel any urges to play it neither afterward.

However.... I will be the first to point out that there's a VERY SMALL percentage of people who has what you might call "Addictive personalties" meaning that they will get addicted to ANYTHING!
I once heard of a person who was addicted to TV...couldn't go for one hour without sitting down to watch TV...even if nothing was on at the moment. If that person had his way, then he would had sat down all day and night to just watch TV shows.

That's the same kind of people who would probably get addicted to videogames... And of course I will have to point out that some of those people usually have issues in their lives such as feeling stress, etc....
Sometimes they don't even realize that they had issues that they wanted to "run away" from so to speak... and that's why they have those addictive personalties, where they would get addicted to anything...

Even games, which most people wouldn't get addicted to and purely only use it for entertainment value.

There's actually been a lot of support lately that anything pleasurable can become addictive. Namely, because most things pleasurable release neurotransmitters that will make you want to do the action again. Like, the endorphin rush you get from a "runner's high" which is almost identical to the effects of heroin, could theoretically cause you to get "addicted to running."

Of course in most instances, this would be more of a psychological addiction, so it's not necessarily in the same camp as alcohol or heroin. I mean, you're not going to go in severe withdrawal over it that will last weeks, but it will still bum you out. NT's really affect just about every aspect of your behavior/personality.

I do think that, in some cases, video gaming in itself can be addicting (as in the sources that you cited). But, on the large, I think it's an addiction to the non-reality that causes people to play them as obsessively as they do. I know that, personally, any big "OMG, I NEED to play something!!" hits have occurred in the middle of an otherwise bland school day of life. There have been times where I started playing a game (for the first time or again) and I played it obsessively for two weeks or whatever, with it always on my mind and counting down the minutes before I could rush home into the basement... then, all of the sudden, I don't feel like playing it anymore.

But I personally think that most of the "game addiction" that many people talk about isn't exactly the game itself, but it's content. The guy playing Starcraft could, in fact, be addicted to the feeling of power and authority that the game could provide. People could like the feeling of speeding without actually hopping into their cars and getting ticketed for hundreds of dollars. I personally like the unreal atmosphere in Prince of Persia.

It's not that the games themselves are addicting. They simply cause a stimulus that unlocks a gland full of special chemicals in your brain. Typically endorphins, but not always. The body then craves whatever caused that release of chemicals due to the good feeling of it. Same can be said of any addiction.

ANYTHING can be psychologically addictive. Take eating for instance. When you're stomach is "full" your brain produces a chemical that gives you a pleasing sensation to let you know. Some people become addicted to that sensation. As they get fatter, the sensation becomes harder to achieve, and thus they must eat more, and more, in order to achieve the same effect.

Marijuana is not psysically addictive. Zero. Nada. Nill. Weed is only psychologically addicive, like eating, and yes, video games.

Turns out I'm paraphasing Vagabond. You beat me to it man. Good on ya!

No doubt you can get addicted to video games. You can become addicted to almost anything that will give your brain stimulus.

hmmm ... i'm only reading this thread because the server for the game i am addicted to is currently down , and i keep checking back very 5 minutes to see if it is back up ! i think i need a drink

It's not that I'm addicted, it's just my OCD.

There are reports of people who got into games for too long and didn't eat or drink anything during that time.

World of Warcraft is a perfect example of gaming addictions. People forget their families, even forget to take care of themselves.

Now... is gaming as bad as coke or weed? No. You can walk away from a video game much easier than from coke or weed or any other highly addictive drug out there.

When I was younger, yeah, I was completely hooked on games. I guess if you can be addicted to gambling, why not gaming?

TnTComic
When I was younger, yeah, I was completely hooked on games. I guess if you can be addicted to gambling, why not gaming?

Addiction in this sense is compulsive behaviour, so yeah.. even online debating can be addictive.

Anyone who is addicted should go to a clinic

You can have an addiction to anything, I guess.

Like, for instance, someone could get addicted to the internet. I guess addictions just start out as a habit, and by then you are thinking "oh, its not an addiction. I always am online"

I think anything can be an addiction

Realistically, any addiction is going to be unhealthy and help should be sought if it's a detriment to your health. Gaming addiction, I read about a guy who killed himself over a game. Risking death because you're not taking care of yourself is definitely a serious problem.

I'm just going to repeat what everyone has already said here...

everything can be addictive, so yes, you can get addicted to games... you can also be addicted to work, it doesn't have to be amusing at all.

I think that an 'addiction' becomes unhealthy when you ignore responsibilities because of it.

Like those parents who play games all day and don't take care of their kids... I don't think they should be parents, it's not the games' fault, it's their own fault for being irresponsible. You can't BLAME other people and things for what you did to yourself.

That's what is happening these days when the media starts blaming video games as the cause of violence for everything. I read this one article about how a kid went on a shooting at his school and the media immediately blamed 'halo' for being the cause of his violence and later found out he had never even touched video games in his life but they don't make THAT fact more publicized.

so in the end, yes, gaming can be and is an addiction. You just have to remember to do you responsibilities.

Well, we can't help if there are idiots in the world that can't tell when they should leave the computer screen or not.
But yeah... Nothing left to say, have to get off the computer now... ELDER SCROLLS FTW!!!
Sorry bout that. I'll post more later, if I can find this thread again...

Gaming is not addictive. You can lack self-regulation, but you can't get addicted. It's not something you shoot up or snort.

I think it would serve you well to understand the difference between psychological addiction, and physical addiction as they've been presented in this topic.

Alright, I'll give you a psychological viewpoint. (No, I'm not trying to be an asshole, I'm complying, please don't take it the wrong way, I've never been good at getting the right tone across, which ultimately destroys the rest of the message.) Gaming is not addictive. Your brain does not depend on videogames if your mindset is entertainment only. If you try to get away from reality, then you may possibly get an addiction, probably. Otherwise, no, it's not addictive by itself. There has to be some other component. Videogames by themselves are not addictive is my conclusion. You can lack self regulation, like me, without being addicted.

Alright, here's a crash course on basic biopsychology for ya.

Your brain releases lots of neurotransmitters, hormones, and opioids that control just about everything you do. One in particular is dopamine, which is what's mostly considered, "the pleasure NT." Mostly because anything you do that's pleasurable, your brain releases dopamine as a means to reinforce that behavior.

Now obviously, we continue to do things that we like. So by continuing to engage in this behavior, we are continuing to be rewarded. If we can continue to engage in it without being satiated, (as in, you can sit down for extremely long periods of time playing without getting bored) then yes, your brain may begin to crave the dopamine that it's getting when you play a video game during times that you're not actually playing. And when you begin having cravings like that that do in fact interfere with your schedule, then yeah, you're displaying symptoms of psychological addiction.

And realistically, you can put just about any activity in that previous paragraph, and it'll be the same situation. As long as it's pleasurable, it can be addictive.

Luckily, because you're just letting your brain is stew in its own juices rather than using drugs (which cause the chemicals to hang around in your system longer than what's natural), it's considerably easier to recover from a psychological addiction than a physical one.

Isnt it scientifically proven that video games improve reaction time and shooting accuracy?

Vagabond
Alright, here's a crash course on basic biopsychology for ya.

Your brain releases lots of neurotransmitters, hormones, and opioids that control just about everything you do. One in particular is dopamine, which is what's mostly considered, "the pleasure NT." Mostly because anything you do that's pleasurable, your brain releases dopamine as a means to reinforce that behavior.

Now obviously, we continue to do things that we like. So by continuing to engage in this behavior, we are continuing to be rewarded. If we can continue to engage in it without being satiated, (as in, you can sit down for extremely long periods of time playing without getting bored) then yes, your brain may begin to crave the dopamine that it's getting when you play a video game during times that you're not actually playing. And when you begin having cravings like that that do in fact interfere with your schedule, then yeah, you're displaying symptoms of psychological addiction.

And realistically, you can put just about any activity in that previous paragraph, and it'll be the same situation. As long as it's pleasurable, it can be addictive.

Luckily, because you're just letting your brain is stew in its own juices rather than using drugs (which cause the chemicals to hang around in your system longer than what's natural), it's considerably easier to recover from a psychological addiction than a physical one.

I was wondering if I had been spelling dopamine right all these years. Anyway, seems simple enough. So are ADHD people (me) more susceptible since the dopamine release isn't regulated as well as in a non-ADHD brain?

well, judging from what you said people can become addicted, but it's rare. at least doing it to the point where it's hazardous is rare.
is it hard to stop playing a game you realy like? yeahspecialy if you realy dont have much of a reason to stop. is someone playing becuase they're bored and have nothing to do, or becuaseit's just the best damn thing in the world? i'm sure it's different for a lot of people.

not very helpful i know, but eh, that's what i ge tout of it.

I think that there is a limit of gaming before you are an addict.
Me, personally, I don't play like twenty hours a day and don't sleep at all, but I do love my gaming.

I don't think it's an addiction per se, but just like every other hobby, some people take it too far. It's the same way with the video games/violence conundrum. The people that make the news with this kind of stuff are already pretty screwed up to start with, so it's essentially using games as a focus for latent screwed-up-ness. And the vast majority of people have a minor "addiction" to SOMETHING, but the term has been butchered from its purely scientific sense to a more general and less serious state of being. i.e. "I've been seriously addicted to Halo 3 these last few days"- sure, it may be an addiction, but it's not like your body is exerting a dopamine craving as severe as say, alcoholism. Vagabond makes a great point in this matter. And the big point is: for a healthy human, it's not that particularly hard to break. And the people that truly do become addicted in the scientific sense to a video game to the points that it is popularized are WAY too mentally "challenged" (I shudder using that word, but I can't think of another non-offensive term), and should have some sort of failsafe (psychological help, a loved one keeping an eye on them, etc.), before engaging in gaming on such a level. It's just like any other disability: you don't put a heart patient on a roller coaster, or take a blind guy hunting, do you?

Being a WoW player I'm used to hearing about people who have been online for way too long e.g. strained eyes, painful necks ect. Even though I love logging on and questing with other players I wouldn't like to limit myself to one thing like that. I still need to finish Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, draw the next page of my comic and polish up my ice skating. If you're letting a game take up every hour of your day you should probably take a step back and think about all the other things you could be doing with that time. I wouldn't like to think on my death bed 'I may not have been able to find love, publish a book or get that big fat pay packet I always wanted... but atleast I reached lvl 70... *dead*'
Fingers crossed noboby takes too much offence and comes after me... I am only joking (about the last part) anyway.

Yeah, anything can be addictive, depending on who you are. I used to be an addict as a kid, but then I got the net and made some friends and now I'm a net addict. And a book addict too.

Personally, what got me was the fantasy aspect of it. The ability to be someone who does things better than you could ever achieve. Such as Link weilding the master sword and saving the world and having all those girls want him. In online games, you are that person as you make them, but in front of other people, so that they see that side of you and only think of you like that, because they don't know of any other aspect.

This is why I fear virtual reality. If you do become the person, as in taking their body and being them, won't the lines between reality and games blur until you forget which one you are? And what if you become so addicted that you lock yourself in until you starve to death?

And the thing is, this stuff has happened before. People have tried to go without sleep or food to play everquest and warcraft. Then again, these people have addictive personalities I guess. It's just who they are

Anything can be addictive, for example music in my case.

The moment I return home or wake up, first thing I start is winamp and music is playing nearly non-stop. I also like making music, but I can't do it for too long as it distracts me from listening, haha.

I'd probably do something about it if it wasn't fairly harmless (I keep volume fairly low as I have sensitive ears).

Games are worse.

Evil_Snuffkin
I wouldn't like to think on my death bed 'I may not have been able to find love, publish a book or get that big fat pay packet I always wanted... but atleast I reached lvl 70... *dead*'

Exactly! Wasted time and artificial achievements... :(