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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."
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In the same way that you can train a dog to salivate at the sound of a bell, you can train people to react in certain ways to various stimuli. That's not drugs, that's Pavlov.
Gamers (and, dare I say it, many web surfers) have trained themselves to forego real work and real life in favor of a game. In fact, games are especially conducive to this kind of training. The reward/punishment system is more or less random which increases the players' propensity to keep at it in hopes of success.
Rats who are fed every time they press a button will only press the button when they are hungry. However rats that are fed sometimes and not fed other times when they press a button will press the button all day long.
Jesus saved me from my past. He can save you as well.
The reason people get addicted to substances is that their body adapts so that only that substance can trigger the release of dopamine (i.e. the chemical that makes you feel happy). The point of TFA is that psychological triggers (e.g. gaming) can cause the same adaptation. In this way, gaming addiction is no less "physical" than drug addiction.
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
From my own experience, I believe this study to be true, but only for certain games. For instance, I've played and beaten DooM, and walked away. I've beaten D2X, but I still continue to play it. What's the difference? The open-endedness.
A "beatable" game, like DooM, is largely unaddictive. Once you've trashed it on Nightmare Mode, that's it, game over, endostory. Sure, there are timetrial and such, but they're the exceptiont hat proves the rule.
However a game like Diablo II, one that you can't truly beat, is addictive. Sure, you could kill Baal on Hell and call it a day, but who does that? Everybody keeps playing, building their characters up more and more and more, until you have a level 93 Hammerdin with all the trimmings- and like addicts, my brother and I kept playing.
(I should note here that I don't consider gaming with friends that you can see addictive behavior. What makes it less socially acceptible than dropping 10 bucks on a movie?)
I do have one issue with the study. Who's to say that the gamers had less ocular reaction because they were conditioned to having a sudden surprise from gaming itself? I hardly blink anymore when a baddie comes flying out from nowhere.
Well I know you were probably joking, but really after reading the article, they're talking about different mechanisms in the brain.
:/
The article talks about how stimuli related to an addictive game/substance can trigger strong desires and reactions in addicted people. However, if you show my mother (a devout Catholic and Sunday school teacher) a cross, she doesn't get the urge to suddenly go to chuch and pray.
On the other hand, if I watch a Japanese Guilty Gear match, I really do feel restless and end up firing up my Xbox for some sweet, sweet release.
Now if you'll excuse me I gotta go play some Guilty Gear
WARNING: If accidentally read, induce vomiting.
I remember for a couple years in high school I'd be able to log in about 50 hours over the weekend playing UO (there are ~64 playable hours between when school gets out on friday and restarts on monday.) By the time I went off to college I really felt like I had some social catching-up to do. It really did have about the same influence on my life as a drug addiction would have. I cut off most social ties which didn't involve game-playing, my school work went to sh*t, and it caused all kinds of friction between my parents and I.
Luckly, once I went off to college I started bartending... and it's hard not to make friends or get dates when you get people drunk for a living!
Any coping mechanism can easily become addictive (which, iirc, is exactly what the study says).
Nail biting.
Sex.
Reading slashdot at midnight listening to moxy fruvous and lou bega.
Dominoes.
Correcting people's grammar.
Shopping.
Auto-erotic asphyxiation.
This just in: Studies show that being addicted to something is like being addicted to something else!
~More at 11.
Learning is recognised as an important underlying mechanism of addiction. In becoming addicted, people start to associate cues that are normally neutral with the object of their craving. To a crack addict, for instance, a building in which they have used the drug is more than just a place they have been - it becomes a trigger for craving and can, on its own, reignite a need to use the drug again after months of abstinence.
Although, failing to mention that any repitive action/experience, or even a first would trigger memories. A normal human reaction to anything.
~--~
Do not mind the one with the crazy, for he is sane
Something doesn't have to be "real" to generate a self reinforcing chemical change in the brain. Meditation would be an example. Stress can kill even if the object that generates the stress is imagined.
If I could, I'd destroy you all.
The psychopathology of compulsive gambling has been studied in great depth and differs significantly from a drug addiction. I really don't see any basis for this group's outlandish claims. What they are describing is hedonism, not an addiction in the same context of drugs. Just because they may share symptoms does not equate them biologically.
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."
;-)) As for the robbing well that's those who visit .ru websites !
So what nerds will start to go around robbing and beating people up just to get their latest fix! Apart from beating up some spotty kid behind the the till at the local kmart/dixons/pcworld etc I don't see most nerds being that succesfull with the beating part! Mind you if your talking about game fixes then beating up the local kmart loser is probably all that is required to get the fix
From TFA:
...)? Gee, I wonder how evolution missed that one. In related news, the human body reacts similarly to getting hit by a baseball bat as getting hit by a cricket bat. No kidding ... the same mechanism! :)
Grüsser says that addictions stem from relying too heavily on one coping strategy, which eventually becomes the only activity that can activate the dopamine system and bring a person relief. "It's the same mechanism in all addicts," she says.
You mean the brain doesn't have completely separate mechanisms for addictions to video games and drugs (and gambling, and sex
Cheers,
IT
Power corrupts. PowerPoint corrupts absolutely.
You are here --> Step 1. Denial But seriously, most any activity can be an addiction, in some sense, if you do it compulsively to the detriment to the well being of the rest of your life.
I spent 6 months in rehad many years ago when I was 18. Any comparison between "gaming addiction" and drug addiction is silly, and moreso insulting. I have lost several friends to overdose and hiv as a result of drug abuse. I have lost no friends to "gaming addiction".... Chemical Dependence run in my family, and has impacted many lives within my family alone. Gaming addiction doesn't.
In our next article.... Studies Say, Trauma Cause By Paper Cuts Comparable To Road Traffic Accidents.
Wankers.
Leo Laporte mentioned recently on the excellent podcast TWIT (This Week In Tech) in extended discussion with his old chronies from when TechTV's ScreenSavers was in its hayday (in otherwords before G4 TV bought it, moved it from the Bay area, replaced everyone who wasn't telegenic with pretty faces staring stiff and stupid into the camera - in short made it suck donkey ass) observed that Blizzzard's World of Warcraft redered one "Only _marginally_ functional as an adult"
A fact to which my level 31 Mage can readily attest. Apparently Leo has a level *blah* Paladin in that game.
Also, of note in that same podcast it was mentioned that there are "Latin American sweatshops" where US citizens pay those less of the less fortunate nations to spend the hours on end it takes to "level up" their character so that when they log in "voila"! They can stomp around the land of Azeroth as a Level 60 fill in the blank. Now, I may be an addict, but where the hell is the fun in that? Also, as in other games is the amazing fact that people are selling characters, equipment and "gold" for umtpeen _hundreds_ to a _thousand_ or more real US 'Mercian DOLLARS!
The Cyberworld never ceases to shock and amaze...
Quod scripsi, scripsi.
A repeat of the "Religion - Opiate of the Masses" bumper sticker slogan is +5 Insightful?
A belief or world view that includes beings of non-earthly origin, transcending the self-centeredness of secular humanism and corresponding to reality doesn't necessarily contain or lead to qualities of addiction.
Granted we've all seen so-called Christian churches do bizarre things to seek the Lord on high through emotional states of quasi-consciousness in the name of new testament worship.
In the US, if you are considered very religious, it generally means that you go to church or a similar event once a week, for a few hours each time.
I'd like you to show me a WoW addict who plays only a few hours at a time, and that only once per week.
Behavour is chemical. You can just as easily become addicted to natural chemical highs, like people who race cars or jump from plains and and buildings then you can to "chemical" drugs. Suprise suprise it creates a pleasureable chemical reaction in the brain.
Effective drugs tend to mimic natural brain chemicals, having enough of a similar structure to activate receptors in the brain.
Everything is a chemical reaction and in my mind addiction is not something to be scared of.
It's this natural reaction which has keept us going all these years.
It's pretty healthy to have an addiction to regularly eating and having sex, they both satisfy a chemical dependancy in the brain and both vital to the future of the human race. Look at how often men masturbate when they can't shag, it dosn't serve any purpose except for feeling good. It's an addiction to the chemical rush anything can become associated with, but is it bad? No.
Gaming for many modern people can simulate the rush of the hunt. It's just fulfilling the other half of you that wants to vanquish. Not something every person living in this modern crazy world feel they can't do in real life. Yes it may become a chemical addiction, should we be suprised? No. is it something to worry about? No.
Oh my god! I'm flushing Privateer and Myst down the toilet as I type this (don't ask). Once the Singapore government reads this post we'll all be hanged for sure!
Well, WoW charges $15/mo. No, it's not 1/10 of the income of a person who can afford a computer to play WoW, an internet connection to use to play it, etc., etc.
BUT... you can't argue that it's not similar...
It is very serious, I agree. I have two brothers, 25 and 26, and one at least goes out to work for 8 hours a day, but spends 12 hours a day on Everquest Online. My 25 year old brother spends 20-22 hours a day on EO. He only gets off long enough to eat one meal a day and sometimes passes out for an hour or two. They always lived with my mom, and the last two years ignored her completely. When she died at the hospital I was the only one with her, they never visited her while she was there and cried a little when they found out, and then went straight back to their game.
They are still living in the same house, somehow paying rent, but the 25 year old never leaves the house for any reason and will not get a job, and the 26 year old works and gets groceries, but that is it. I can't get them off for anything. When I come by to visit with my wife and two kids (I'm 27), they just sit down in the basement and ignore us. I finally am just leaving them alone, I visit once every couple of weeks just to see that they are still alive. It is so sad, and I can't get them to realize there is a whole world to explore outside if they would just take the time.
They have three XBox's (sp?) in the basement, and 3 27" tvs and a dvd player, and a Nintendo DS. I was addicted to Ultima Online for about a year, so I understand a little of what they are going through, but I wish they would somehow realize they have a problem and quit.
Sadly, I expect one day I'll come by and they'll have killed each other over some mistake one of them made in a game, or they'll just die from lack of personal care. They will scream like 5 year olds at each other for an hour if one of them makes a mistake on Everquest. I wish there was something I could do.
Then one day I decided it was pointless to spend all day talking to virtual people, btter to do something productive. Like play computer games.
And so it started. Starcraft, Red Alert 2, I played (and beat) almost every game under the sun. Mum gave up and let me have a computer in my room, and that was the best desision she ever made (improved my relationship with her no end!)
And gradually, I stopped playing.
Two months ago I bought a brand new computer, Geforce 7800GTX, a gig of memory, and an Athlon XP x64 dual 4400. Awesome system, cost a bomb. But do you know how much I play nowadays? On a good (or bad) week, I spend maybe half an hour if I'm lucky. The rest of the time college work calls, or anything else of my shedule (part-time job training to be a shift-supervisor, volunteer teaching for a non-profit computer centre, or the occaisional really wild party). I'm saving for a visit to a refugee camp in the north of Thailand next summer as well, so that takes quite a bit of time. My point: now I have the deffinition of a fulfilled life. I chose to spend that time on chat, or playing games, it wasnt an addiction (though my mum said it was, tried to get me councilling), and now I dont play anymore. Was it hard? Not at all.
I'm not atheist, but I also haven't been to church in a long time... like a decade or so, and I'm just 27 years old. I'm not a big fan of it if you couldn't tell. Just last night I had to go online to look up "The Lords Prayer" to argue a point... I lost. But I totally agree with the parent's statement, I'm against prayer in public school, putting the Ten Commandments on state property(though I don't object to them being placed in a "public" space), pro choice. Despite all that I'm still going to send my child to religious classes(not school). Despite all my problems with the church, and the doubts I have about my own faith, I owe a lot to my Roman Catholic upbringing. That being said my biggest gripe with organized religions, particularly that of the Christian/Catholic variety, are the people that got to church go through the motions, and treat people in a (as my dad would put it) unchristian manner. That always pissed me off, the lessons
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"
"Judge not lest ye be judged yourself"
"Render unto Cesar the things that are Caesar; and to God, the things that are God's"
"Forgive us our tresspases as we forgive those that tresspass against us"
These were the foundation of my faith and the cornerstone of almost every relationship I have personal, professional, and otherwise. I'm from NY raised by New England "Blue Staters" that vote it seems to me that where a community focuses on religiously seems to dictate their political views. In NY it was the love/help thy neighbor, I'm in Miami now, and the focus seems to be a lot more
"Thou shall not, or go to hell!"
It's weird down here, jail is the answer to our "problems"... the word "problems" seems to be interchangeable with lower class/immigrants/minorities. Greed and fear seem to prevail, what's the harm in letting Cuban refugee's in? Actually compared to Hetians they have it easy... Darker skinned people scare WASP's... it's part of the definition of being a WASP. The good news is that we have highly intelligent people running the show here. It makes total sense to me that we should lower taxes on those with the most(myself included), to cut programs that help those who need the most help. Public schools suck down here, and it's not going to change because everyone "protects their own". I was a huge fan of public schooling when I lived in New England, I'll be damned before I send my kid to one of the "baby-momma" factories they call a school down here. I also refuse to ask for a tax credit just because I'm paying for my kid to go to private school. A ways north of here is the home of TBN the "Trinity Broadcast Network"... how does that song go?
"Would Jesus wear a Rolex on his television show?"
This place needs a spiritual revival... big time. I see a lot more "Sunday Christians" down here. The type that would take money from someone who truly needs it, just to line their pockets just "cause they can", have the nerve to tell you about it, and then ask.
"What church you go to?"
It never seemed that way in NY... maybe because going to church is more of "the thing to do" down here, and up in NY most people that went to church did so out of honest belief. I had a faith once, but I didn't want to be associated with a lot of the people that call themselves faithful. I don't know man I'm just ranting this subject always gets me riled up.
Long and the short of it is I agreed with you.
-manno
You're right. I play WoW about as much as most of the people I work with watch TV. But I don't watch TV. So is this bad because I can't comment on the lunch room discussion about Lost or the OC or Desperate Housewives?
I also spend at least an hour a day reading. I carry a book with me whereever I go. I even read when I make poopies. Am I addicted to reading? Is this a bad thing?
Sometimes my arms bend back.