Study Claims Gamers Exhibit Behavior Similar to Drug Addicts

[Worldcrafter]

"Hello, my name is Worldcrafter..."

In unison "Hello Worldcrafter."

"...and I'm addicted to video games (http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8327&feedId=online-news_rss20) ."

excessive computer game players showed classic signs of craving when they were presented with freeze-frames from some of their favourite games – they desperately wanted to play, expected to feel better once they did, and fully intended to indulge again as soon as possible.
This sounds like nostalgia to me, but then again, there are some pretty addicted EQ players out there. Would anyone else in the group like to share, have a group hug, and go make macaroni art?

[Nite_Moogle]

I'll vouch for this being accurate.

[bone_matrix]

Everything can become addicting. Ever see a person watching Lost when the cable goes out? Run!! RUN I SAY!!!

[fitbabits]

I've had problems with being too attached to games at one point or another! Mostly back in the Spectrum days, though.

[merlinchang]

Everything can become addicting.

Agreed. Although, I once got suspended from WoW for a weekend... and yeah i wanted to die.

[Tennistoad]

"Wow Kyle like I just got smarter"

[Shifteh]

This just in: Fishing is like drugs!
So are sports, reading, and movie watching!

[Cupelix]

I agree that this is nothing astonishing. Take something that a person devotes all their time to, and then tell them they can't do it for a month. They'll all show signs of addiction. Don't tell me that I can't have my comic books every week.

[Doctor Worm]

Addicted to games? Fie and fiddlesticks.

I can give up Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town any time I want to...

[Kefkataran]

The closest I can say videogames have ever been comparable to addictive behavior for me is with World of Warcraft. Dead serious. I cancelled my account this summer intending to not return until an expansion was out (mostly due to time constraints from being busy with school). Problem? My older brother kept playing. This was fine, but every time we talked on the phone (usually at least once every other week or so) he'd bring the game up and talk about what he was doing in it. Every single time I would get a craving for the game. Finally last month it got to the point where I just burst and re-upped my subscription, even though I knew I still didn't have time to play it that much.

Immediately went on a three or four-hour binge, but beyond that, as I knew, I've barely had the time to play it. Certainly not enough time to warrant the $15 fee. Damn you, Blizzarrrrrrrrrrrrrrd!

Take something that a person devotes all their time to, and then tell them they can't do it for a month.

Well, there's the problem. People really shouldn't ever be devoting ALL of their time to a hobby like gaming. That seems immediately to reek of unhealthiness.

[Kelegacy]

This just in: Fishing is like drugs!
So are sports, reading, and movie watching!
Add masturbation for me.

[Danin]

I used to be addicted to World of Warcraft, but now that I play it four hours a day I don't feel so bad.

[Morratut]

Agreed. Although, I once got suspended from WoW for a weekend... and yeah i wanted to die.

Lol.

I've heard a lot of people putting insane amounts of time into MMORPG's.

Before i moved in with my girlfriend i played Halo2 too much. I would get up the morning after and flex my hands once or twice before they would be ok :eek:

It doesn't happen now though because i don't play for like 5 or 6 hours a night.

[The_Darr]

thats how i USED to feel towards games...until i discovered REAL drugs...hmmm heroin...

[Cha-Ka]

It doesn't happen now though because i don't play for like 5 or 6 hours a night.

and you call yourself a gamer?

[Stormwatcher]

I'm really fucking addicted. And games ARE more addictive than other entertainment stuff. Gaming is EVIL. But I love it.

[Morratut]

and you call yourself a gamer?

:D I sure do but i have to admit my gaming does vary from week to week. Depending on how busy i am. It can be nothing during a week upto 3 or 4 nights a week.

I remember i got so hooked on Resident Evil 4 whilst being very busy work and with other social things going on i got up very early weekend mornings playing from 5am till 9am. I just didn't want that game to end :(

[LilEvilFish]

I know this may sound like I'm just trying to be different, but I don't feel I've had the effects of addiction to games. Sure I may have played a lot in stints and then breaking for food or a couple of hours then jumping on it again, but that was playing with a group of friends.
Even back in the Mega Drive days I played a lot (too much according to my mum) but I never felt I needed it. For instance I would go on holiday without any computer activity and would totally forget about it as soon as I stepped out the door. Quite a feat for a 10 year old.

[MosBen]

The source of the addiction is related to the neurotransmitters related to happiness and pleasure (dopamine I think?). You get used to the positive input and then if its denied you get withdrawls.

[TheKeck]

I'm definitely not addicted to games. I mean.... there was that time we stayed up for 24 hours playing nothing but Super Mario Bros. so that I could beat the game in 5:47...... but that was before I was married. Hardly counts.

[TrackZero]

Everything can become addicting. Ever see a person watching Lost when the cable goes out? Run!! RUN I SAY!!!

I agree. Many things can be "addicting", but there are certain degrees of that. Speaking first hand on all counts, it is NOT the same thing as being addicted to a drug. Just because the behaviour may be similar, there's a large gap in the difficulty to overcome said additiction.

[TrackZero]

The closest I can say videogames have ever been comparable to addictive behavior for me is with World of Warcraft. Dead serious. I cancelled my account this summer intending to not return until an expansion was out (mostly due to time constraints from being busy with school). Problem? My older brother kept playing. This was fine, but every time we talked on the phone (usually at least once every other week or so) he'd bring the game up and talk about what he was doing in it. Every single time I would get a craving for the game. Finally last month it got to the point where I just burst and re-upped my subscription, even though I knew I still didn't have time to play it that much.

Immediately went on a three or four-hour binge, but beyond that, as I knew, I've barely had the time to play it. Certainly not enough time to warrant the $15 fee. Damn you, Blizzarrrrrrrrrrrrrrd!


Looks like we're in the exact same situation then Kef. I quit at the same time, vowing the same thing. I re-opened my account around mid-October, played for a few hours and then haven't really touched it again until just last week (and I only played for 3 hours at that time). I'm happily surprised that I finally am not being sucked into that game, but I still find it enjoyable.

[derjester]

Just my two cents, but I'm in the camp that believes most addicition is myth. Addiction is lack of taking responsibility for yourself. Seriously, think about it. Regardless of how you started playing, or smoking, or shooting, it all comes down to blaming addiction. In the case of many drugs there is certainly a chemical link, but this is psycho BS if oyu ask me.

[fitbabits]

Just my two cents, but I'm in the camp that believes most addicition is myth. Addiction is lack of taking responsibility for yourself. Seriously, think about it. Regardless of how you started playing, or smoking, or shooting, it all comes down to blaming addiction. In the case of many drugs there is certainly a chemical link, but this is psycho BS if oyu ask me.
Try convincing these people (http://www.addiction-ssa.org/).

[Nite_Moogle]

Just my two cents, but I'm in the camp that believes most addicition is myth. Addiction is lack of taking responsibility for yourself. Seriously, think about it. Regardless of how you started playing, or smoking, or shooting, it all comes down to blaming addiction. In the case of many drugs there is certainly a chemical link, but this is psycho BS if oyu ask me.
When you look at the first six months you dumped into World of Warcraft averaging 8 hours a night, logging on before you were out of your work clothes and going to bed pushing 2 every night, where you gained another 20 lbs, lost touch with many of the people that you dealt with in real life, suffered performance drop-off at work-- all because you wanted to play a game with a bunch of other people that you don't even neccisarily like ... yeah, I'd call something that damaging to your life an addiction.

Not that that happened to me.

[FyrionX]

Just my two cents, but I'm in the camp that believes most addicition is myth. Addiction is lack of taking responsibility for yourself. Seriously, think about it. Regardless of how you started playing, or smoking, or shooting, it all comes down to blaming addiction. In the case of many drugs there is certainly a chemical link, but this is psycho BS if oyu ask me.

Addiction can be both physical and mental. In physical addictions your body needs something, like, for example, a heroin addict is physically addicted to heroin and the nerve receptors need the heroin. Many people die when attempting to stop a physical addiction because the body cannot handle the loss of the substance. Mental addictions are when your mind thinks you need something that your body may not need, but they can be just as hard to stop. Please don't go Tom Cruise on us, saying that psychology doesn't exist either.

[PacerDawn]

http://www.quartertothree.com/inhouse/columns/41/

[Danin]

Just my two cents, but I'm in the camp that believes most addicition is myth. Addiction is lack of taking responsibility for yourself. Seriously, think about it. Regardless of how you started playing, or smoking, or shooting, it all comes down to blaming addiction. In the case of many drugs there is certainly a chemical link, but this is psycho BS if oyu ask me.

Anything that causes positive stimulus can be addicting. Repeated exposure causes your brain to expect the dopamine release caused by that stimulus--if the release doesn't occur, you experience negative reactions of varying intensity, depending on the severity of your addiction, ranging from the hankering you might get for ice cream to the coma and death that can result from severe narcotic withdrawal.

This isn't to say that you can't or shouldn't take personal responsibility for your actions--if we had no control over our addictions, nobody would ever quit smoking, for example--but addiction is a very real phenomenon. I can attest from personal experience--I quit World of Warcraft at the end of August, and experienced impulsive desires to play the game pretty much whenever it was mentioned until I finally resubscribed last week. I'm not denying responsibility--if I wanted to, I theoretically could have kept myself from playing the game indefinitely, and it was my personal choice to get back in--but the symptoms of withdrawal were definitely there, as was the symptoms of addiction the first time I played.

[endrom]

I was Addicted to D&D, my level 16 lich needed the blood of inocents every 30 minutes...

[nonchalance]

I agree with the article.

I've been addicted to a few substances, and to pornography, and to games.
I quit the porn addiction, I quit the pot, I quit the cigarettes, I can't quit the coffee, and I can't quit the games.

[Citizen Philip]

oh noes! Videogames were already making us trained killers and now we are ADDICTED trained killers?!? NoooOooOOOoooo. All games have to do now is make us godless pagans and we're all doomed!

[The Iron Weasel]

Evil Avatar is my anti-drug. THANKS EVIL AVATAR, YOU CHANGED MY LIFE!

[TrackZero]

Addiction can be both physical and mental. In physical addictions your body needs something, like, for example, a heroin addict is physically addicted to heroin and the nerve receptors need the heroin. Many people die when attempting to stop a physical addiction because the body cannot handle the loss of the substance. Mental addictions are when your mind thinks you need something that your body may not need, but they can be just as hard to stop. Please don't go Tom Cruise on us, saying that psychology doesn't exist either.

And don't forget that a physical addiction almost always leads to a mental addiction on top of it, which makes the cycle that much harder to break.

[card930]

But excessive computer game players showed classic signs of craving when they were presented with freeze-frames from some of their favourite games – they desperately wanted to play, expected to feel better once they did, and fully intended to indulge again as soon as possible.

This sounds remarkably similar to the reaction many people have with... food.

[One Sick, Sick Six]

Mmm.. FoooOOooDdd.. *drool gargling*

Waving intellectual-masturbation material before me isn't going to help suppress what the mind naturally wants: stimulus. Don't even get me started on the brain-wanking that will eventually follow. Just don't.

Oh, and I don't need the internet diagnosing what i look forward to doing everyday as "addicting." I may be an addict, but I DON'T have a problem. /house