Expert: 40 Percent of World of Warcraft Players Addicted
http://www.twitchguru.com/2006/08/08/world_of_warcraft_players_addicted/
This Doctor Orzack person has a lot to say about games these days. She's sort of a tamer version of Jack Thompson, repeatedly saying that "it's the game's fault" for them being so addicting. As in, clinically addicting. Like drugs and drinks addicting. I think it's a complete load of bologna.
Let's take a look at what she, herself, described as a typical case:
I was talking with a patient, a young man, the other day. He was a heavy World of Warcraft player, and I asked him what happens when he plays the game: was he simply playing a virtual character or did he feel like he was actually in the game? He told me when he plays, he is in the game completely. He had become immersed in World of Warcraft and had trouble removing himself from that virtual world. I also asked what he expected to find each time he turned on the game, and his answer was a sense of belonging. This individual came from a family that was unfortunately breaking up, and World of Warcraft was his way to escape that. This 18-year-old individual was miserable. He didn't get along with any of his family members and kept withdrawing into the game.
So this guy's family life is a total disaster, according to her, which is sad... and he wants to escape, so he plays games. To be blunt, he wouldn't need to escape if his parents thought about someone other than themselves and tried to keep the house together. But, no, the parents are causing chaos and the kids' lives are demolished in the process.
Of course it's not the parents' fault for causing this mayhem... it's certainly not lack of self-control and willpower on the part of the players. Nope, it's the game. The game makes an effort to enslave it's players into constantly playing. Yeah, whatever. She says these games are "inherently addictive" but could be "tied into other things, like family issues". Gee, ya'think? So it's fine that the guy has to escape the world of his family drama, but that he chose a videogame is bad and suddenly a serious problem. Yeah, well, I suppose he should be escaping his world with a bottle of beer in one hand and a bag of cocaine in the other?
According to her own research, 40% of World of Warcraft players are addicted. Now, the subscription database was nearing 7 million users, so 40% would be about 2.8 million addicted players. But that's all she says. "40% are addicted." ...and I should just take your word for it? Hmm. Oh! You're a psychologist? That's why? Oh, now I trust you completely.
She continues her diatribe to say that it isn't at all about willpower and restraint. No, those things would never be of any use. The games themselves are actively ensnaring people. Like, they have invisible arms that come out of the monitor and grab on peoples' heads so they can't leave, or something. I don't know what she's saying here, but it's the typical "they can't help themselves" attitude that you see everywhere. I get the feeling she's saying something like "you're too weak to fight it, so don't try without help". Right, okay. I suppose that's what you have to say to keep your job.
The solution? Well, she says, you have to WANT to stop. Well, duh. She goes on to prattle about how "videogame addiction" isn't in the uber book of mental disorders and, until it is, insurance companies won't cover treatment. Treatment... like a cigarette patch? A pill? "Here, take this pill twice every two hours." Hooray! An anti-videogame medicine! We're all saved.
She also says that publishers should put warning labels on games like the kind on boxes of cigarettes. Right, because we all know that cigarette warning labels really help people to quit. She briefly mentions that the game industry would be "up in arms" over it. Another amazing deduction by the good doctor. So there's going to be reviews about which games are addicting? "Yes, I'm from the National Committee of Videogame Addiction Rating. I'm here to test your game for it's addictive properties." Oh, oh! They can be like the ESRB Ratings! They'll pass a game as not-addicting (or a big white label saying NA) and sell it at store like Walmart, but then some user will modify the game to have addictive properties and then the NCVAR makes the publisher recall all the boxes and have it re-rated as very-extremely-incredibly-impossiblely-disproportionately-addictive (or a big white label saying VEIIDA) and then you can only buy the games when you're over 21 and at special game stores.
So, in a nutshell? She says: "Games are addicting on purpose. They're like... an artificial intelligence that keeps ensnaring you. It's impossible to escape. Don't try without help, because it won't work. It doesn't matter if your family life's a wreck! You need to stop playing these dumb games. Go to the bar and get drunk, instead. Just don't play these games. Your insurance doesn't yet recognize "videogame addiction" as a real disease, because it isn't in our special book of mental disorders, yet, but it will be soon! So don't worry about paying me! Oh, and we're trying to raise awareness by putting cigarette warning labels on all addicting videogames. We're really on top of this, so be prepared for a revolution!"
Honestly... I wonder if this happened with books. Think back a few hundred years to when they invented the ink press. People can mass produce books for the public now! Yey! Of course, it's expensive right now, but in a few years, printing shops will be commonplace and EVERYONE can enjoy books! Everyone starts buying books, everyone starts reading books. But, hmm... after a while, people start noticing that they can't put the books down. The book is just that good. You don't WANT to put it down. Oh my gosh! The book is ADDICTING?! Overpaid head shrinkers come up with a plan to limit public exposure to books because they're in danger of being hopelessly ensnared by amazing stories such as Lord of the Rings. "You can't help yourself! But we're here to help! For five easy payments of 1299.99!"
I'm not saying games are the new books, but come on...
People who can't stop playing games? It's not the game's fault! Something is making them WANT to keep playing the game. Family chaos? Parents going insane? All too common in this day and age. They happen to start playing a game that's just really, really fun and they don't want to stop playing, because they're happy. They may be addicted, but I don't believe for an instant that anyone can be hopelessly addicted to something if everything is okay in their lives, and playing videogames is a heck of a lot healthier than getting drunk and driving around the city.
Oh wait, I forgot... that's Grand Theft Auto's fault, isn't it? 