Gaming Fanatics Show Hallmarks of Drug Addiction

Game_addict writes "There's a story over at New Scientist saying that a new study has found that game addiction has the same effects on people as drug addiction."

Comments

Re:Big Effing Deal

[Dimensio]

Therefor I don't think a person can be addicted to religion, how can you be addicted to something that is not real?

God-belief and adherence to dogma are quite real, regardless of the reality of the gods in question and regardless of the validity of the dogma.

Re:Duh!

[patonw]

I think it's more that nonconformist habits are considered harmful to journalists... whatever they are. Excessive socializing can be addictive (not that any of us here are in danger here). Going to work every morning and getting your paycheck every other week is habit forming... I know many people who want to break the habit and just can't.

Re:No Joke

[modecx]

That's the biggest crock of shit statement that I've ever heard. If you're very religious, then your church/instution owns your ass, and most likely for the duration of your life. And, of course, they expect you to pitch in with your time and money. Then, your thoughts should be occupied with the theology constantly, and how to progress further in it. Thats not too much different than how I lusted after some of the rarer unique items in Diablo2. I even had a dream about it, pathetic, yes, but regardless I'm sure I was hooked in a way.

You can go and look at some of the mega churches that are springing up around the US. They're a self-contained lifestyle, not entirely unlike those Arcologies units you could get in SimCity. Every aspect of many of these people's lives revolves around this giant metal and glass dispenser of salvation, but that's not so different than it has been in the past, is it? Rip one of these people out of their lifestyle, and they're going to suffer!

There is no such thing as a highly religious person that goes to church only once a week, and dosen't think about it between those periods. Such a person is a Homer Simpson, he goes mostly because EVERYONE else would think that much worse of him if he didn't. Especially Jebus. Of course, there are spiritual people who reject the institution, but not necessairly the enlightenment. Being religious is as much about being married to the institution as it is about following the faith, as I see it.