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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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Where do I sign up for 'disability' payments?
Mooniacs for iOS and Android
That certainly makes me be more careful about this than I otherwise would have been!
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
It DOES NOT. In Fact, I can stop playing Quake any time I choose. And when I choose to I will. Just not right now. I have a couple more frags to get... NO Really... anytime I want...
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing. Emo Philips
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.
Too much of anything seems to have the same effects as a drug addiction. So far we've seen Internet addictions, other Gaming addictions, News addictions, and more.
Perhaps it's related to the definition of the word "addiction"? When somebody enjoys doing something they obviously want to do it more often. The question is just how much do they let that enjoyment interfere with their lives and possibly the lives of others?
"What do you despise? By this are you truly known." --Princess Irulan, Manual of Muad'Dib
/)
"Journalists show hallmarks of sensationalistic idiots."
Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage
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
Seems like they made the mistake of assuming the converse here. Just because drug addicts are similar to game addicts does not mean game addicts are necessarily like drug addicts.
Drug addiction, being primarily metabolic, may have a more limited set of idenitifying characteristics. Game addiction, being primarily mental (or maybe even social) has more varying charactistics as psyches and social structures have a lot of built-in variance.
I'd have a much easier time buying the argument that drug addict behavior/characteristics fit in as a subset of the acceptable behaviors/characteristics of gaming culture.
ACHow about fixing the problem they're running away from (through temporary diversion like illicit drugs or (gasp) game playing?) Of course, knowing our congress critters (for that matter, most government officials on the planet) they do just outlaw "it" and declare the problem fixed.
ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI!?
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.
... so does Slashdot!
"I'm going to f***ing bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I'm going to f***ing kill Google"
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.
... that my only addiction is to Duke Nuke'em Forever.
__ Someday, but not this morning, I'll finally learn to use the preview button.
I would have posted sooner but I was busy playing WoW. :)
I run a Debian/Kernel/Knoppix Mirror: (http|ftp|rsync)://debian.ams.sunysb.edu/
apt-get @ > 5MBps == teh win!
A whole lot of people spend around 4 to 5h in front of a TV every day of the week, mostly without interruption and that's considered normal. TV addiction is much more widespread than computer game addiction. Yet I haven't heard of a TV user anonymous. IMO most TV viewers have serious issues.
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.
Well if you define addictions by what generates a positive response in the brain, just about anything that is fun can/will become an addiction. On the other hand I'd like to quote a line from Bob Sagat in the Movie half-baked.
"Have you ever sucked cock for pot!? You don't have an addiction."
^substitute games for pot. Serious addictions can cause a serious breakdown in self-image to the point where anything is acceptable to get the next fix. When I start seeing offers for people to give the ass-secks and other such non-social openly acceptable behavior then I'll deem "game" addiction as a serious threat to the youth of the world. But honestly I don't think that will happen anytime soon.
"Hey man I'll give you head for an hour with your Xbox360...."
"If I were bound by all laws everywhere I'm sure I would have committed a capital crime somewhere."
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.
STOP MISUSING APOSTROPHES, YOU MORONS!!!
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.
- Concerned familiy members confront you with stacks of empty jewel cases and electronics store receipts.
- Making promises to yourself you can't keep ("Just one last round...").
- Tendency to play alone; preference for single-player games over socially-accepted multi-player.
- Begging the cashier at Best Buy to front you a new title ("C'mon man I'll have the $49.95 by Friday, I swear!").
Thank you, Edward Snowden.
"Arguments from authority are worthless." —Carl Sagan
Like most things that are sinfully delicous (pr0n, booze, pot) - video games provide so much satisfaction, even though its totally synthetic. Would I get a "high" reading a Tolstoy novel? Yes. Would I get a high getting wasted and watching Robot Chicken? Yes. One takes dicipline and the other is cheap, but they both work.
Can someone become addicted to any of these things? Absolutely. Anything that is enticing enough to detract from the dicipline of the daily grind can become an addiction (/. anyone?)
The article talks about "drug memories" - how about my keyboard? Man, it feels so familiar. My PS2 controller? Oh, yeah, totally an extension of my hand.
A point about video games specifically - does anyone know a casual+ gamer that hasn't gone on an 8 hour binge? I recently introduced my 30-something neighbor to video games (GT4 + logitech wheel). Sure enough, he did an 8pm-4am addict session after only two days and he'd never played video games before.
If you show me a screenshot of Super Mario Bros or Starcraft...hell yeah, I'm going to want to play that game.
One last comment - has anyone seen the Marco Brambilla exhibit called Half-Life? Its a room with three screens - the front is a 2x2 display of kids playing counter-strike and the sides are videos from the conter-striker game they're playing. Its done really well - watching their faces hit me like a rocket launcher. I had to sit down and watch it for 15 minutes or so. I almost totally broke down. All those empty souls just wanted a kill. I'm not against video game violence but you can't deny its impact on your inner being.
Marco Brambilla link #1
Marco Brambilla link #2
"Religion is the Opiate of the Masses."
"All warfare is based on deception."
Sun Tzu, "The Art of War"
Are they going to build rehab centers for game addicts where patients can only play super mario brothers or galaxia?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4137782.stm ... like this poor guy!
MoM++ - A Classic Expanded - [Master of Magic 1.5]
http://mompp.sourceforge.net/
And this article doesn't even go near the gateway aspect of videogames. Why I never started drinking and smoking dope until I started playin'. Now it's all been downhill. After that last all-night coke binge playing Sonic the Hedgehog I figured enough was enough...it was time to turn my life around. And it all started with a few mushrooms and a crazy guy called Mario....
In the past, just like pretty much most guys involved in the computer related professions have done our fair share of gaming over the years and it is pretty much part of the culture. In fact, it is hard to socialize with fellow programmers unless you have some street credibility in Doom, Starcraft, etc. With computer use becoming as ubiquitous among the younger generation as it has always been with the "geek profession" crowd, I think that gaming addictions will continue to be a bigger and bigger problem in society.
I myself used to play an insane amount of Starcraft and Warcraft III. Do I regret all the time I spent playing those games? Sometimes yes, but hey those were fun games isn't life about having a good time so long as it is not at the expense of someone else? Then again, I am sure doing crack cocaine is fun the first few times for those who have tried it (just speculating since I have never done crack cocaine personally). Just like with any other addictable drug, gaming can consume your life and nothing else in life seems fun anymore. Before you know it you are depressed and the only thing you look forward to is gaming, but those darn dopamine receptors just won't get fired up like they used to due to the LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURNS: The greater the thrill, the harder and edgier the thrill will have to be the next time around to seem as exciting.
Now, I love playing sports, especially soccer, but you can only run around having fun kicking a ball so long before you physically get tired and the pain of sore legs outweighs the pleasure you have dribbling and passing the ball down the field and your brain tells you to stop. Unfortunately, with computer gaming the only thing telling you to stop is a parent, spouse, or your heart as it gives out playing your choice MMORPG several days straight nonstop.
But what if "gaming addiction" becomes a big enough problem to society that it causes other social problems just like many illegal drugs do when people get hooked on them. Just look at online Poker which was once a simple card game, and now has been bastardized into an internet phenomenon of largely anonymous competition. People play Poker not because they think they will get rich, but because people are addicted to the thrill of besting their neighbor. Simply put, competitive people like myself are addicted to competition and that can manifest itself in both positive and negative ways (I don't gamble BTW, because I feel gambling is a stupidity tax and I don't like being taxed in the first place).
So what should be done about gaming addiction, especially since it is not easy to just throw out your computer and function in the modern world? I know plenty of people who have thrown out their TV, but the computer? Seriously, get real. One idea is something that worked reasonably well with the arcade games when they were popular when you didn't have the Playstation 2 or the XBOX is a pay per play system. As you play more and more, the quarters you pop into the machine start to become painful after a while as you notice your wallet getting thinner and thinner. Once you are broke, you are forced to go work to get more money to play more games. Also, if you want to play games you have to make a conscious decision to spend money, whereas if you had a monthly rate of unlimited gaming (such as a Wow subscription), then you would probably overindulge in gaming just as fat people generally overindulge at all you can eat buffets.
So, one easy thing that can be done for any form of online gaming whether it be WoW or Poker or the RTS games I love is to force vendors to charge by the minute and tax that income so as to provide revenue for programs dealing with the social pollution generated from "addictive gaming". Kind of like how we tax many other vices or how we fine companies that pollute the environment under the premise that companies should be held accountable for the negative side effects their business has on society at large.
I know I will get flamed for suggesting this, but as an ardent gamer myself, I know it does not bode well for society if everyone is spending their time searching for loot in some MMORPG, rather than actually getting a good night's sleep so they can be productive at making loot in their real life.
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.
The physical habituation aspect of drug addiction is actually a fairly minor aspect of it. But there's a "middle layer" between the "purely" physical (e.g., the decline in endorphine or dopomine production for 'physically' addictive drugs that leads to withdrawal symptoms) and the "just" cognitive (you keep doing something you like for relatively 'rational' reasons) - the displacement of normal goals (by one definition or another) with those rewards created by the object of addiction, whether it is a substance or a behaviour, is the most intractable type of addiction, and the one that tends to come back the most.
90% of people who become addicted to opiates do not seek them out after they go through withdrawal and detox - their addiction is just physical.
Ultimately, remember, it is all physical, even the act of you reading these words is an electrochemical process that probably even involves the endocrine system.
However, if this is right, there may be a very positive side. Does being a game addict mean that you aren't going to become a crack addict and become a huge nuisance to society stealing things to pay for your addiction? Or is there an "intelligence" factor in this, i.e. people who become addicted to drugs do it because they are too stupid to become addicted to something less socially harmful, like chess, computer games, share dealing or politics?
It would be interesting to know. The traditional solution to heroin addiction was to wean addicts off on methadone - which is not terribly effective. Is the answer to provide some of them with wall to wall games until they find one that makes an addiction substitute?
Anecdotally, it's interesting how some "reformed" alcoholics seem to go into politics (G W Bush, Alastair Campbell in the UK) suggesting that there is indeed some sort of crossover compensating mechanism.
I think too we need to make a distinction between the things people do in young adulthood - often very stupid and subsequently embarrassing behaviour - and what they do in later life. Young men in particular may pursue an activity obsessively, but as they grow older it takes a more balanced place in life - whether it be drinking, fishing, or the pursuit of women. Perhaps it's a "normal" addictive phase, in which case again, the less anti-social the effects, the better.
Pining for the fjords
Basically, they were dealing with a loss of their own, and that was their way of dealing with it. It took over: Their health and money problems took a toll, and they ended up passing away at a relatively young age.
You know, I get bitter every time someone comes up with this "personal responsibilty" crap that comes up every time something related to an addiction comes up. THEY TRIED THAT -- THE ADDICTION IS TOO MUCH, AND THEY NEED HELP.
I'm just angry that our society is molded in such a way that people who need help get laughed at if it's a certain kind of ailment. I just hope your family doesn't have to go through what mine did.
ShortFormBlog: Writing a little. Saying a lot.
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.
Addiction is addiction is addiction.
It doesn't matter if you are fast-twitching, snorting, drinking, praying...
Addictions can be managed in some cases. In some types of addiction, the physical need can be destructive.
TFA seems to indicate that the addictive tendency alluded to here is behavioral, unlike the chemical cravings that nicotine, alcohol*, and heroin produce.
I think the article's lead paragraphs should have been more clear on the difference between these types of addiction. I know people who are self-described as "addicted" to Marijuana. Clinically, there is no such thing.
*Based on the theory that alcohol is a disease; see also Jellinek's disease.
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.
"Gaming is not a drug. I used to suck dick for coke. Now that's an addiction. You ever suck some dick for a video game?"
Young men find a new excuse for their irresponsible behavior.
They say there is a Penny Arcade for every slashdot article.
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2002/08/28
--
The last digit of pi is four.
So do alcohol, gambling and tobacco. We regulate those things. Why not games and religion? (aside from that pesky first amendment)
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.
Just as the act of pressing controller buttons to make mario jump or master chief shoot doesn't necessarily contain or lead to qualities of addiction.
It's all subjective. Or more accurately, it's all political.
May the Maths Be with you!
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.
It's more accurate to say "gaming fanaticism" and drug addiction both show characteristics of obsessive compulsive disorder. Both exhibit mental preoccupation (obsession) and a repetitive behavior pattern(s) that may or may not be reinforced with a positive stimulus (compulsion). If the individual tries to break the compulsive behavior pattern, he/she is pressed by the obsessive thoughts and becomes uncomfortable. It's as if the brain had imported a subroutine with an ill-placed GOTO loop.
... people don't kill each other or themselves on account of Sonic Hedgehog.
Any behavior repeated constantly over a period of time that provides some sort of positive effect is going to be difficult to tear away from and may bring about OCD type symptoms. But comparing it to drug addiction is sensationalism
...I find this highly offensive!
Telltale Games: Bone, Sam and Max
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...
apparently the symptoms include :
The lights being on , but your not home ,
Your mind is apparently not your own .
Your heart sweats and your body shakes ,
You need another kiss to alleviate the symptoms
Also you can't sleep , you can't eat .
There is no doubt this is deep
You will also notice your throat is tight and you cant breath
again all you need is a kiss to alleviate symptoms
Well many like to think they are immune to this stuff , Oh Yeah!
Unfortunately it is closer to the truth to say that they can not get enough .
Gonna have to face it , You're addicted to love.
(Shoot me now)
The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
Homer Simpson stopped going to church but was almost killed by a fire and saved by Flanders (Christian). (Krusty (Jewish), and Apu (Miscellaneous*) also helped out). Because of the help of his religious friend, Homer agreed to go back to church, but he ususally sleeps when he's there.
*as designated by Rev. Lovejoy
"When the atomic bomb goes off there's devastation...but when the atomic bong goes off there's celebraaaaation!"
Wait. So people who exhibit obsessive behavior exhibit obsessive behavior? Wow! how much did THAT particular research gem cost?
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!