90% of "game addicts" actually not addicted

[trekgeezer]

Seems it's societal problem.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7746471.stm

[ghouck]

Not surprising at all. When interviewed with the same questions as one would be asked to see if they were alcoholics, a huge percentage of people determined to be 'sex addicts' answered very few questions positively.

I don't know about the rest of the world, but here in America, if we don't like something someone else is doing, we find a way to condemn it, but often indirectly. People here in AK don't like the noise of snowmobiles, so they take a stand against them, , not based on the noise, but rather that they are toxic to and tear up the environment (which is quite ridicules). A person plays alot of videogames or watches alot of TV, they're an 'addict'. Someone doesn't know how to manage their money, and they're 'addicted' to shopping.

When the Internet first came to be, there was quite a bit of talk about people 'addicted' to it, I was one of the accused. But, let's put it into context: Let's say I had a few things to do: Write a letter to Mom, buy my sister something for her birthday, find a recipe for something to cook for dinner, figure out why the heater fan in my car only worked on the highest two settings, and get rid of a few things that have been laying around the house collecting dust. Now, I personally can do NONE of those easier WITHOUT the internet that I can WITH the internet, so, does that make me an addict? To some it did.

I know of a guy that spent a lot of time at home playing video games. His wife complained and called him an addict. He gave up the games, therefor had to find something else to do. He did, and of course, it was ANOTHER thing his wife didn't want to participate in. So what happened? He got out, met some people with common interests, and left his wife for one of them. You get what you ask for sometimes.

Funny though, if a person spent the same amount of time woodworking, mechanicing, reading, fishing, bull-riding, mountain-climbing or WHATEVER else, they'd rarely be accused of being an 'addict' of any of those,  but video games is an easy one to get people to buy into, since it's possible existence already has some acceptance.

OTOH, there ARE people that are addicted. Anyone that pees into a soda can because they don't want to get up from their chair while playing WOW, needs their head examined.

[Trevor]

OTOH, there ARE people that are addicted. Anyone that pees into a soda can because they don't want to get up from their chair while playing WOW, needs their head examined.

Also, if that same guy takes a sip from that same can later without thinking.....

[Jack]

I remember the good old days when you actually had to go to the video arcade to play video games.  Then you'd meet some friends and you could hang out and smoke pot together.  I suppose parents would find something to complain about there as well.

[Derf]

OTOH, there ARE people that are addicted. Anyone that pees into a soda can because they don't want to get up from their chair while playing WOW, needs their head examined.

Also, if that same guy takes a sip from that same can later without thinking.....

If it's a Mountain Dew can, how could you tell the difference? 

On topic, I've always had a bit of a problem with calling any voluntary action an "addiction." I know people have compulsions and weaknesses that drive them towards certain things, be it gaming, gambling, internet surfing, etc., but addiction seems to have more an aspect of physical need (like drug addiction). In other words, the body becomes hooked on an ingested substance. That I can understand. But an action? I'm not in a position to say that I absolutely don't buy action addictions, but they seem at best dubious to me. I would be more inclined to call it a compulsion than an addiction, but since I am not a psychologist (I don't even play one on TV), there are likely things about addictions I don't fully understand. Then again, there are things about addiction that psychologists don't understand, either, so maybe I'm not so far off base.

[Trevor]

Also, if that same guy takes a sip from that same can later without thinking.....

If it's a Mountain Dew can, how could you tell the difference?  :tongueout

 

[Rev. Powell]

OTOH, there ARE people that are addicted. Anyone that pees into a soda can because they don't want to get up from their chair while playing WOW, needs their head examined.

Also, if that same guy takes a sip from that same can later without thinking.....

If it's a Mountain Dew can, how could you tell the difference? 

On topic, I've always had a bit of a problem with calling any voluntary action an "addiction." I know people have compulsions and weaknesses that drive them towards certain things, be it gaming, gambling, internet surfing, etc., but addiction seems to have more an aspect of physical need (like drug addiction). In other words, the body becomes hooked on an ingested substance. That I can understand. But an action? I'm not in a position to say that I absolutely don't buy action addictions, but they seem at best dubious to me. I would be more inclined to call it a compulsion than an addiction, but since I am not a psychologist (I don't even play one on TV), there are likely things about addictions I don't fully understand. Then again, there are things about addiction that psychologists don't understand, either, so maybe I'm not so far off base.

I think the idea behind psychological addictions is that when you consistently overindulge in some sort of pleasurable activity, you can "rewire" the reward centers of your brain.   Basically, you end up fooling your own brain into thinking some activity (sex, gambling, gaming) is necessary for survival, rather than an indulgence.  Therefore, when the brain doesn't get enough of the rewarding activity, it starts to panic, and you go through something that resembles drug withdrawal.  So there is a physical component to psychological dependence, because we're constantly rewiring our neural pathways based on feedback we get from our environment.

In other words, our brains aren't very smart and we need to out-think them.   

[Derf]

I'm probably just arguing semantics here, but as an English teacher, it's my right  . I can see what you are saying, Rev., and I've heard that before, but it still sounds more like a compulsion than an actual addiction to me. The "physical" component is still not really physical, as it is with drug dependency; it is, as you say, me fooling my brain into creating endorphins. I have my own weaknesses that have led to what amount to compulsions, but I can't see them as true addictions. If I stop drinking soda, I'll have physical withdrawal symptoms. Same thing with other drugs: the body can't operate the same without that drug. I see the similarities in action "addictions," but they just strike me as being more a mental problem than an addiction. I've probably just got a narrower view of addiction than modern psychologists, and that's fine--they've studied this phenomenon far more thoroughly than I ever will, so the world should most definitely go with the psychological definition. But since I tend to live in my own little world, I'll just stick with mine.

[ghouck]

I know for ME personally, I can get myself into a rut where I come home from work and play a few minutes of a game (usually a fairly violent one, kinda gets my frustrations out), and it unwinds me a little. I can see a person that is more OCD than I am incorporating something like that into their system and it being a psudo-physical dependency. Some people need a super-solid routine to their existence and can not fully function without it (like prisoners that have become 'institutionalized'). Kinda like those of us that fall asleep better with the TV on or such. BUT, that's still a far cry from addiction, and I don't really see too many people having physiological withdrawals. People also need to know the difference between a habit and an addiction. Many see them as the same.

[Paquita]

I've never been clinically "addicted" to anything ( I wish I could be addicted to exercise), but I know from experience the video game thing.  I have been so consumed with a video game that I didn't shower for days, considered peeing myself, and even called in sick to work to continue playing. I was really just being a gross, slovenly, loser, I wouldn't consider it an addiction. 

For the record, I haven't done this in YEARS so I'm not a loser anymore, or gross and slovenly.

[Rev. Powell]

I'm probably just arguing semantics here, but as an English teacher, it's my right  . I can see what you are saying, Rev., and I've heard that before, but it still sounds more like a compulsion than an actual addiction to me. The "physical" component is still not really physical, as it is with drug dependency; it is, as you say, me fooling my brain into creating endorphins. I have my own weaknesses that have led to what amount to compulsions, but I can't see them as true addictions. If I stop drinking soda, I'll have physical withdrawal symptoms. Same thing with other drugs: the body can't operate the same without that drug. I see the similarities in action "addictions," but they just strike me as being more a mental problem than an addiction. I've probably just got a narrower view of addiction than modern psychologists, and that's fine--they've studied this phenomenon far more thoroughly than I ever will, so the world should most definitely go with the psychological definition. But since I tend to live in my own little world, I'll just stick with mine.

I agree that it's mostly semanics--and as a lawyer, I'd never argue about semantics.     My only real point is that the line between what's "physical" and what's "psychological" isn't all that clear.  Experiences we have change the structure of our brains: I would say that's a physical change.  Drugs change the structure of the brain in a different way, so there is a conceptual difference there.  I think psychologists prefer the term psychological "dependence" rather than "addiction" to make that difference clear.  "Compulsion", I believe, already has a more precise but related meaning in psychology.

The terms "habit", "compulsion", and "addiction" could be used to describe exactly the same pattern of behaviors.  But "addiction" has the most negative connotation among all the terms, conjuring up images of slovenly junkies lying in back alleys with needles stuck in their arms.  I think therefore many people prefer not to think of their "habit" as an "addiction."  But ultimately I'm not sure what the proper term should be--the line is blurry, to me. 

[ghouck]

The terms "habit", "compulsion", and "addiction" could be used to describe exactly the same pattern of behaviors. 

To a large degree I agree with you Rev. Smoking is often referred to as a 'habit', but then again, when my kid comes home from school and dumps all his junk on the floor right in everyone's way, every day, knowing he's just going to be told to pick it all up and put it in his room, that's really a HABIT, but of course it's not what one would define as 'addiction'.

I think using smoking as an example makes it pretty easy to note the differences between 'habit' and 'addiction', because it is both, and each part is treated in a different way. I used nicotine gum to get over the chemical addiction, yet I was still left with this empty feeling of having to be fiddling with something, like my hands needed something to do, which was more of a habit. Two different parts, totally different ways of treating them, yet they still overlap. I think that's where a lot of the 'addiction' accusations go wrong, as those words are often interchangeable, but not always.

[ER]

Addiction is like pornography: difficult to define what it is, but you know it when you see it.

[Mr. DS]

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/playback/playback-24/1269537

[Rev. Powell]

I think using smoking as an example makes it pretty easy to note the differences between 'habit' and 'addiction', because it is both, and each part is treated in a different way. I used nicotine gum to get over the chemical addiction, yet I was still left with this empty feeling of having to be fiddling with something, like my hands needed something to do, which was more of a habit. Two different parts, totally different ways of treating them, yet they still overlap. I think that's where a lot of the 'addiction' accusations go wrong, as those words are often interchangeable, but not always.

That's absolutely true about smoking and I was thinking of it as an example also.  I've quit smoking a couple of times.  The physical withdrawal is tough, but you can get through it with the patch, gum, etc.  But the psychological part never seems to go away.  I love smoking while having a cup of coffee or drinking a beer or after a meal.  So, even when I was past the physical part, I would still get these urges to smoke when those environmental cues came up.  And eventually, I'd give in, thinking "just this once..." And then the physical addiction set back in almost immediately.  The brain remembers these things...