Slashdot Mirror
90% of Gaming Addiction Patients Not Addicted
phorm writes "BBC is carrying an article which states that 90% of visitors to Europe's 'video game addiction clinic' are not, in fact, addicted. The problem is a social one rather than a psychological issue. In other words, the patients have turned to heavy gaming because they felt they didn't fit in elsewhere, or that they fit in better 'in the game' than elsewhere in 'the real world.' This has been discussed before, with arguments ranging from gaming being a good way to socialize, the clinical definition of gaming addiction, and claims than males are wired for video-game addiction."
Yeah, that was kinda unclear. Let me clarify:
It's politically incorrect to say that some ghetto druggie "isn't addicted, but just likes getting high more than working". So, to make it more palatable, ghetto druggies are classified as "psychologically addicted, beyond their control".
On the other hand, video game addicts ... come on, man! It's just a bunch of white kids that need to get their act together and stop spending so much time on the Xbox! That's clearly not a psychological addiction! Come on, they're old enough to handle their problems on their own. They just need a good dose of "tough love"!
"Video game addiction! *snort* You gotta be joking, right?"
Information theory is life. The rest is just the KL divergence.