Expert: 40 Percent of World of Warcraft Players Addicted - Page 5

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Boo!!!

I spend at least 16 hours a day on a computer during any given day. That is what makes me content. This is a hobby / passion. If you want to call that an addiction, by all means. I am a GEEK. This geek plays WoW. This geek is a programmer. This geek is not going to any kind of ridiculous social gathering for talking about your "problems with computer addiction". Instead people ask this geek to help solve problems with their computers!

I can agree here to a point. However, I would like to see this "doctor's" proof that 40% of people are addicted to wow.. She has no evidence what so ever.

What it looks like to me is she is trying to make a name for herself and is using warcraft as a way to do it.

Yes I agree there are damaged people that play warcraft and it causes them some issues.. but if not warcraft what other addiction would they have? because they WOULD have one.

For me I play WoW about 15-20 hours a week for fun. I work 40 hours a week, I have a wife and make about 60k a year myself so my life is good, And i still play 20 hours a week and dont feel addicted at all. I find it a good release at the end of a hectic day.

To this "doctor" go try and find your fortune elsewhere.

Larry

First off, this lady is far too old to remember, let alone compile an accurate accusation.

Second, she says 40% of the 6 million players are addicted to WoW. According to Blizzard (The maker of World of Warcraft) 90% of their player base is casual. Casual as in: they play 1-2 times a week. I don't know about you but 1-2 times a week sure does not seem like an addiction, and this is 90% of the population we're talking about here. Hell if that's an addiction, then Football players who play 5+ times a week have to be addicted that sport as well, but you don't see them being written about.

Third she's replacing the "fun" aspect of a game with "addiction." Like my previous example: Do most football players have a "Football" mental disorder? Ask any expert this question, i garuntee you 95% of the time the expert will say no. This applies for MMORPG's as well. Companies attempt to make a game fun, and yes, they do attempt to put an addicting aspect of it in there, i'm not denying that. But what you need to understand, is, 1. yes there are those who are addicted, but 2. These people who are addicted are placing a game in front of their lives: According to this Orzack this is deteriorating every aspect of their lives.

If this were true, (Peoples lives being deteriorated) Blizzard would not still hold their 6.5 Million subscriber base. Supposedly 40% of them should be far too poor, or too mentaly hurt in order to live an average live style that revolves around working, getting money, and continuing to live in a house. According to Orzack, 40% of WoW cannot manage these things. If this is so, then why in the world is World of Warcraft still holding it's 6.5 million subscriber base? And when blizzard says 6.5 million, this includes the people who play 1-2 times a month.

I'm sorry but i find the statements that she made, are not backed up what so ever, not researched in any way, and are all around ludicrous. If she were to bring up these topics with reliable background information, it may be more believable, but deffinetly not with the level of comprehension she's invested in her work.

This is very simple.

This "doctor" has created a niche by creating a new disease and being there to treat it.

We've seen it before with the likes of diagnosing every child with ADD, blaming genetics for kids wanting to eat french fries instead of healthy foods, and even the infamous Twinkie defense and from the eighties. Hell, look at DR. Ruth. She was a fossil, yet was a self named sex expert and sold millions of books and videos.

We also see it with all the crazy new diets that "experts" create and sell.

She made a product, game addicts, and is selling her services to fix them.

Fools will go to her and pay her to fix them, while the rest of us will either stop playing or enjoy the game we bought.

The best way to stop her is to completely ignore her since even bad publicity is good publicity now.

most of the recent posts are restatements of what has already been said. Please read what has been said first before restating the same arguments over and over.

A person's age has nothing to do with good science....

I can agree with that...on some levels.

There are certain subjects that only people of a certain generation can really understand. Unfortunately technology is one of them.

Some of us "younger" folks have had the opportunity to grow up with this sort of development occuring around us whereas others aren't used to this sort of environment and lash out in different ways.

I'll bet her grandson / granddaughter plays video games consistently if not with a sporadic consistency.

I think part of the issue here is simply a lack of understanding. In all the sessions that this doctor has had with people, they have probably been under the impression that they have a "problem" they need to deal with. I wonder what her reaction in this forum would be. Or if she were to meet face to face with some stubborn debators on this topic. Would they be purely scientific with proven and accepted evidence or just conspiracies with pointed fingers and past experiences...

once again thanks for restating for the millionth time the same point:

bla bla people are unfairly criticizing video games bla bla. they just want to make money off of them because bla bla.

Some (alot) of those people who "want" help were impressioned to have the desire to change for others who request the change. Often I find people trying to impress ideas or thought processes on me that conflict with my true contentment. You see it everywhere too, advertisements, media, doctors etc. People are trying to make you believe a certain thing (like you are addicted and you need help) even if it's not the case.

That is what I am saying. And I don't think that's right.

w00t!

I can assure you that when a person goes to someone else for help with an addiction problem, that 99 if not 100% of the time these are sincere calls for help by people that feel they need help.

First addicted people go through a denial stage, and some do not ever get out of that denial. It is quite a step to admit you have an addiction problem so you should not be too worried about people being manipulated into it, like with weight loss programs or other such more mundane things.

This can be true but Big Mac's points are also true. Turning your back on someone that's asking for help is sad and tragic.

That attitude/approach can turn into a microcosmic perspective. Addictions can start out innocently, then morph over time. Two beers can become 4, then 8, then 12. Where does a skeptic such as yourself admit that the release has become addiction?

You ought to dig into the literature a bit and see the real numbers for the three most addicting substances known to man. The stats are staggering and very, very real but the phenomena are fully integrated into our global societies and because of that, addiction is socially acceptable.

I would tend to agree and think that the article's number of 40% is total BS. But I do believe that some folks are truly addicted, no doubt about it. there are worse things one could do with their time but long-term gaming addiction is probably pretty damaging.

I believe you might be misusing the word "misusing".

I'd have to do some re-searching (not to be confused with "researching" ) because I tossed my hard copy a couple of years ago. Regardless, there was an article written about 30 years ago that talked about alcohol, nicotine and caffeine being the three most addicting substances known to man. It created a bit of a stir due to the science surrounding stuff like cocaine and heroin, but the discussion that the article provoked was very invigorating to those in related fields.

My oldest son prefers the Flash simulations he's done of micronukes. Or is it "nanonukes"?

i dunno what IQ has to do with this topic but i took an IQ test at school and i got 125

I agree with the whole 40% thing, im surprised that it is only 40%... i think that doctor was trying to be nice by saying 40%... i thought it would be around 60-70%... MAN I REALLY NEED TO PLAY THIS GAME and see what the fuss is about

also i believe this doctor and the whole addiction to games

because i used to be a addicted to a game called RUNESCAPE... dont ask or laugh i know and i havnt played that game for about 6 or 7 months now


also you cant say something against this doctor, its true, the game is addictive

i have also heard this story on TV on FOX that this 30 year old man...the story---> WoW player->became extremely addicted->didnt go to work->sold his house->lived in his car->played WoW 22+ hours a day-> he played this game at some NetCafe place, and he eventually died of starvation

i was shocked when i heard this story but it is true and you can probably find it on google... though im not sure about the mans age



:!: :!: :!: i would agree with putting a warning that NOTE: THIS GAME IS ADDICTIVE

because it will help me choose which game to purchase alot easier =]...cuz who wants to play a game that isnt fun and addicitive? :!: :!: :!:

wow this was a long reply

Now I'm going to make thirteen things partially clear: I am 482 years old so I can't remember what it means to have a mind-set. I've never lived any particular way, instead choosing to sleep in the back seat of my '69 Chevy Impala. I haven't had very good bladder control ever since turning 242, so you can imagine just how funky it is back there... In spite of my old age and the urine stench I carry around with me, I could care less if you think I'm open minded because at my age, people just expect me to sit around, b!tch and fart while watching Family Feud reruns and beating the hell out of my old folk's home room-mate at Pee-knuckle. Although you might think that my old age would make me wise about this topic, I don't care enough about it to know Jack Sh!t, even though he lives right down the hall. I've been tested to have an IQ of roughly 69 and if I had to choose between your 124 and a good old fashioned 69, I'd yin my yang out the ying-yang every time.

At the Center for Internet Behavior - http://www.virtual-addiction.com/

We certainly know and understand the difference between entertainment and dependency. But sometimes new technology causes new problems. Dr. Orzack is a highly experienced specialist and a colleague with decades of experience and it is very clear that whatever you call this new phenomenon that there is a definite problem for some people when it comes to compulsive Internet use.

No one is blaming Blizzard for this situation - in the same way that no one is blaming Anheuser-Busch for existence of AA. Most people will play (or drink) responsibly and for fun. Some will go overboard and cross and invisible line into addiction. The friends and family are always the first to notice the problem - since they are commonly on the receiving end of any type of addictive behavior. The insidious nature or the addiction is such that it is the ONLY disease that keeps whispering into the ear of the addicted person - "You don't have a problem". It is called denial - and it is a very hard barrier to break through. Further, the bottom line is that if what we do has little or impact on the quality of our lives and those around us, then in fact there is no problem. However, most compulsive or addictive problems do indeed have a negative impact on some major sphere of our lives, e.g. parenting, school work, job, relationships/marriage, health, legal status, finances, etc.
Technology/Internet/Gaming addiction is a relatively new phenomenon. The phenomenon of addiction however is as old as humanity itself. We are always seeking ways to avoid pain and maximize pleasure. Our culture supports the concept of numbing our feelings and avoiding pain at all costs and the things we get addicted to often fit the bill. This is only human. We loose this humanity when the pattern takes on a life of its own and the human seems to get lost in the equation. Oxycontin was not even a word a decade ago. Gambling addiction took 40 years to recognize as a “real “problem.

Thank God, that we live in the day and age - when there is help available for people that need it.

Dr. David Greenfield
Michael Shelby
The Center for Internet Behavior

I read a lot of posts here and the article. I have a lot of personal experiences with addiction. Addicted to alcohol, drugs and gaming. They all have one thing in common: you usually get addicted to them to fill some sort of gap that is missing in your life. Wether it is love, a father or something in your past that went wrong. Usually a person will get a ddicted to feel wanted or good about themselves.

This is what my opinion is based on. I truely think that WoW and other games are not responsible for making someone addicted. The person she talked about ebing addicted to WoW because her parents were breaking up is a perfect example.

Thats rediculous! The issues at home, in the child's personal life involving the 2 most important people in his life is not the basis of the problem? Where did this person goto school? Its basic knowlege that Problems in families can damage a child from day one. To fill the gap of the feeling of loss or unwantedness people do different things. One is addiction.

All in all i think people are quick to blame gaming companies for stuff that is out of their control. If you want to know why someone is addicted to something, look at their life and see what void is present. Then go from there to solve your problem.

Well, well, well. Hasn't this thread sparked a plethora of arguments, as I knew it would. Some are, to say the least, rather unbelieveable--particularly those who've displayed a high level of vehemence in their presenting of their respective perspectives.

Rob, Toms would be mad--absolutely bonkas--not to do a follow-up report or two on the addictions of gaming. It is plainly obvious to all that there are hardcore partisan beliefs being displayed by the many and the vitriolic way in which some have approached this topic signifies to me the desperate need for further objective-based information regarding the overall topic of gaming addiction.

At the Center for Internet Behavior - http://www.virtual-addiction.com/

We certainly know and understand the difference between entertainment and dependency. But sometimes new technology causes new problems. Dr. Orzack is a highly experienced specialist and a colleague with decades of experience and it is very clear that whatever you call this new phenomenon that there is a definite problem for some people when it comes to compulsive Internet use.

No one is blaming Blizzard for this situation - in the same way that no one is blaming Anheuser-Busch for existence of AA. Most people will play (or drink) responsibly and for fun. Some will go overboard and cross and invisible line into addiction. The friends and family are always the first to notice the problem - since they are commonly on the receiving end of any type of addictive behavior. The insidious nature or the addiction is such that it is the ONLY disease that keeps whispering into the ear of the addicted person - "You don't have a problem". It is called denial - and it is a very hard barrier to break through. Further, the bottom line is that if what we do has little or impact on the quality of our lives and those around us, then in fact there is no problem. However, most compulsive or addictive problems do indeed have a negative impact on some major sphere of our lives, e.g. parenting, school work, job, relationships/marriage, health, legal status, finances, etc.

Technology/Internet/Gaming addiction is a relatively new phenomenon. The phenomenon of addiction however is as old as humanity itself. We are always seeking ways to avoid pain and maximize pleasure. Our culture supports the concept of numbing our feelings and avoiding pain at all costs and the things we get addicted to often fit the bill. This is only human. We loose this humanity when the pattern takes on a life of its own and the human seems to get lost in the equation. Oxycontin was not even a word a decade ago. Gambling addiction took 40 years to recognize as a “real “problem.

Thank God, that we live in the day and age - when there is help available for people that need it.


Dr. David Greenfield
Michael Shelby
The Center for Internet Behavior
http://www.virtual-addiction.com/

What a bunch of crock.
It's nothing but an installation of fear to make money off paranoid Americans. Turning a recreational activity into something so serious that its now become detrimental to our health is pathetic if you really think about it. Now we have to go see a shrink because we are really into a video game? Video games with "harmful" labels??? HAHAHA. I understand warnings of seizures - but because something is potentially addicting?? We might as well put warning labels on everything. Tell JK Rowling to put "Warning: Potentially Harmful" on her books or have warning:harmful signs on TV shows like 24 (talk about addicting). To compare "gaming addiction" with drug and gambling addiction is pretty far out there, and plain silly. Anyone would agree that it's better to have gaming addiction than to be out in the streets begging for change to buy crack, or to have people wanting to kill you because you haven't paid them back the money you borrowed and lost on the game.
Addiction here is a term used to describe overexcessiveness; and the subject of addiction is a matter of personal interest. There's people who spend all their time just reading books, or just watching television, cooking, exercising, working, etc. There's certainly cases where people have gotten so caught up in their books or television shows that they fulfill the symptoms of "addiction" Orzack mentions: "severing personal relationships and not going to work. " (which is also a bunch of crock.) These particular symptoms apply to a spectrum of other activities and hobbies, so to use these reasons as a justification for gaming addiction being a health and mental disorder is really so stupid that it makes me wonder how some people end up with degrees from Harvard. What about work addiction?? There's people who are so caught up in their jobs, they lose touch and contact with friends and family. Is THAT ok? Is THAT healthy? Do we have to be so strictly into work, studies, and social life to be considered normal functioning people??
Videogames serve as outlets for people who want to take a break from all the other crap in their lives. If they happen to be really into it, so what??? As for me, I have missed school and work before because I've stayed up to finish reading a book, to finish watching a TV show series on DVD, and because I got hooked on a bunch of video games. I've ignored people's calls, and canceled plans. Is it fair to jump to conclusions that anyone whose become disinterested in their work, studies, or social life because their interest lies elsewhere have mental problems??? Do yuo see bums on the street playing video games because they were so addicted they couldn't handle normal life? I think Orzack forgot that videogames are luxuries, and people who have to work in order to survive will most likely work over playing a videogame if it came down to it. People know that if they don't work - then they can't afford the electricity to turn on their games in the first place. So what is this bullshit about videogame addiction screwing up people's lives? Amd whose to say what kind of life we should be living, and what normal life is (work, studies, relationships blah blah blah) ?
So what if the kid Orzack talks about wants to play videogames all day because he doesn't want to deal with his crackhead mom and abusive father? If I didn't get along with any of my family members, I would be playing video games all day too. Better for him that he plays video games 24/7 than to run around in the neighborhood taking his aggression out on other people.
"People get the same type of excitement from gambling and playing video games?" And this excitement is different from any other excitement we get off doing other things?
Orzack can't blame the gaming industry for making games that people actually like. Who the fuck is this guy? I see it as pathetic as suing McDonalds for making people fat.
People should understand that we shouldn't turn our gaming hobbies and "addiction" into a big deal to the point where its become a clinical disorder. If parents dont want their children to play so much videogames, then they should learn to discipline their children better. If we assume that adults are choosing Warcraft over their jobs - then they probably wouldn't be able to afford to play the game if they no longer work. If I was a millionaire, I'd be doing nothing but playing games all day. Videogaming should be encouraged if anything, because it's better to play video games and acquire mental/eye-hand coordination skills than to be running around on the streets shooting up or shooting people . Until I start to see cases where people kill their parents, spouses, or friends because they're preventing them from playing on their PC, Xbox or Ps2, will I then start to believe that maybe video game addiction is truly lethal.

Yea, I spent all of 30 minutes on WOW last month. I'm addicted to the gills. My palms are sweating cuz I just can't break away. Please recommend a shrink to help me quick.

The posters on this thread are correct in that addiction is not being caused by the content of video games. But true addiction is happening. True addiction involves serious mental outcomes such as life altering changes in behavior.

You might have panic attacks as one outcome of this exposure rather than or in addition to addiction. Poor reactions to life situations and confrontation are other outcomes.

Psychologists are observing this and reacting to it. They don't know the true cause.

Posters are missing a key piece of information. In the 1960's designers accidentally discovered a 'conflict in the physiology of sight' related to the vision startle reflex. Office workers using newly designed close-spaced workstations began to have mental breaks. The cubicle was designed to prevent exposure from visual Subliminal Distraction and the mental events stopped.

Those designers did not understand what they had found. The information was only used to design Systems Furniture, cubicles. Today the problem is thought to be a harmless nuisance in the design of protected business office workspace.

Using a computer for any purpose in a location with repeating detectable movement in peripheral vision creates the "special circumstances" for exposure from SD. Computers are not necessary for the problem to happen. There were no computers in the 1960's.

As a conflict of physiology it has always been present in any human population. When man began to live in fixed single-room housing the problem would have cropped up. Mountain men in the early 1800's would live alone in tiny remote cabins rather than risk that a cabin-mate would suddenly have a berserk mental event and try to kill them. It was called Cabin Fever.

Video game players who have created this situation have a different experience from every other game player. That's why some can claim to have no problem while others are powerless to stop playing.

When my wife had a mental break in the Payroll Office of the University of Alabama I thought it would be a simple matter to find a doctor aware of the problem. I was stunned to find that this design and engineering problem is unknown in any area of mental health services.

The psychologists have it correct but not for the reason they believe. Jack Thompson sued the correct people but for the wrong reason. Video game manufacturers failed to warn players of the design problem. The same thing applies to computer and software manufacturers.

Mental breaks caused by SD happen almost everywhere. They have happened on Russian space missions, Soyuz21. The Redlake school shooter left a journal entry that explains what he did to cause exposure. Qi Gong and Kundalini Yoga users have the same mental events.

Low level long-term exposure outcomes can be observed in both exercises. Some users begin to believe they have superhuman or supernatural powers. Yoga gurus might believe they can levitate, walk through solid objects, disappear-dematerialize at will, or that they can hear you thoughts and control your actions through mental telepathy.

These outcomes are generally described as psychotic-like.

The circumstances for exposure are so simple that you can have several sources during each day. We all have some exposure. Most of it is harmless until a threshold is reached.

Visit my site and find something that interests you.

http://VisionAndPsychosis.Net

I am searching for anyone who witnessed the office phenomenon on TV segments. The last mention I have is that it appeared in a medical show on Dish Network within the last three years. You can reach me through the site contact page. Keep trying. We are having "Windows" problems with email.

Now I'm going to make thirteen things partially clear: I am 482 years old so I can't remember what it means to have a mind-set. I've never lived any particular way, instead choosing to sleep in the back seat of my '69 Chevy Impala. I haven't had very good bladder control ever since turning 242, so you can imagine just how funky it is back there... In spite of my old age and the urine stench I carry around with me, I could care less if you think I'm open minded because at my age, people just expect me to sit around, b!tch and fart while watching Family Feud reruns and beating the hell out of my old folk's home room-mate at Pee-knuckle. Although you might think that my old age would make me wise about this topic, I don't care enough about it to know Jack Sh!t, even though he lives right down the hall. I've been tested to have an IQ of roughly 69 and if I had to choose between your 124 and a good old fashioned 69, I'd yin my yang out the ying-yang every time.



Bladder control is a real problem; I'm nearly at the big 500 myself and I know what you mean... and so does everyone else around me!

Video game addiction is very real... many of the posters here are in denial.

If you're first emotional reaction to that statement was anger... seek help.

I know 3 video game addicts - and the effects are VERY detrimental.

WoW is the mother-of-all crack games.

Well, not sure if this is real or not... but others with this issue may be reading. I have experience in this arena...

First, tell him basically what you wrote here... about how this game is affecting your lives together.

Then ask him: "If you do not have an addiction to this game, stop playing for 1 month"

If he becomes hostile towards this (which he likely will), he has an addiction. If he agrees... you NEED TO monitor whether or not he stays true to the deal. He may try to sneak it (e.g. when ur asleep, going to a another place to play, coming home early from work before u get home, logging in the second you two are apart, etc.)

I'll bet he doesn't last a week.

Just be prepared for the typical denial response:
"I don't have a problem, it helps me to relax. I can stop anytime, it's just stupid to do that."

He'll also add a bunch of excuses why he can't stop right now... probably ranging from "It's a monthly fee, it would be a waste of $" (it's only a few bucks, offer to pay for it)... to "My clan/guild needs me, we're working on something"

Also, make sure he doesn't substitute it with another video game... that's like an alcoholic giving up beer for hard liquor.

Honestly, I've seen this game directly lead to break-ups... no BS.

Let us know how it goes.

yea, it's a nice compromise... BUT that will only make it MUCH worse. It's sending the wrong signal to his problem (affirming that his excessive playing is ok)... she'd be essentially a crutch. Plus, it's not the quality time together that relationship needs.

I equate it to a spouse becoming a drinking partner w/ an aloholic. A very bad idea.

I know a bunch of fathers who have a gaming problem. Since their time is finite, they teach and encourage their kids to play video games. They see it as killing 2 birds with one stone... but the reality is that they are not providing the proper type & amount of nurturing to their kids. It's very sad.

Plus, they often let their young kids play games that are much too mature for them and/or online games (everyone knows how uncensored it is online).

She needs some tough love on this...

I cannot believe that this thread is still going..... o well.

I'm not trying to deny the problems you people are talking about, but there should be enough help sites on this topic on the web by now, that cover the subject of (WOW) addiction extensively, and better than in a forum for computer games.