Stephen Hawking

"Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious."
Stephen Hawking

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Extreme Gaming Must Be Acknowledged as an Addiction so That Those Afflicted Can Receive the Appropriate Help

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We live in a world where are least one form of technology is available in almost every American household. Thus, the temptation to use these technologies for pleasure or work is always existent. Unfortunately, this obsession with using technology can create harmful addictions. One notable addiction that has made great strides in taking over the lives of many, is gaming. After various incidents where obsessive gaming has resulted in morbid obesity, dangerous acts, and other issues, society has begun to wonder whether it may be a bigger problem that imagined. Despite this, people still fail to take more action against obsessive gaming, and give it the appropriate attention. Thus, society needs to become more informed about this issue and realize that it is a growing phenomena among people of all ages, and then take the appropriate measures to combat it.

Video Games Mimic the Reward of Taking Drugs, and Males Prove to be More Prone to the Influence


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A common feature of video games is that they are deliberately ineffective and intentionally postpone the ultimate moment of gratification. Most games require a series of steps that must be accomplished to advance to the next level. After the player finally beats one level, they can feel a moment of satisfaction, but must do it all over again for the next level. This repetitive behavior of wanting to achieve a goal, getting a minor reward, and then having the ultimate gratification postponed, is what ultimately creates a dependency on gaming. This is quite similar to the sensations of taking a drug. The user will feel the instant gratification of pleasure, but that sensation is only temporary and so the user will want to re-create the feeling even more. This cycle is what makes gaming so dangerous, as well as what keeps the public so blind. Only those who truly look at the issue will see this pattern, and so obsessive gaming has never been realized by a large group of the public until recently.

Ultimately, males are the ones that are most influenced by this pattern. Studies show that 3 out of every 5 gamers are male, and so males are at a higher risk of developing an addiction.  Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, Kent Norman, explains this fact in more depth.



Many Argue that Gaming Cannot be Classified as a Proper Addiction Because it is A Form of Enjoyment

Despite the tell-tale signs, many are still wary of classifying intensive gaming as an addiction because of their definition of an addiction. An addiction is considered to be a strong and urgent need to constantly have something. Most people equate this to a substance addiction, like that of drugs or alcohol. People may think this way because gaming is often viewed as a form of relaxation and enjoyment, and so they do not want to admit that it is developing into something more than that. It turns out that gaming falls under a different addiction classification, and that is a behavioral addiction. Professor Norman provides more insight into the differences between the two types of addiction.

Thus, gaming shares many of the same characteristics as someone with a substance addiction. The differences lie in the fact that gaming involves more thoughts about the subject, rather than physical attachment.

A Gaming Addict Feels the Same Sensations that are Felt by Substance Addicts

One of the biggest questions that comes to mind is how something that is meant to provide enjoyment and leisure can be comparable to something incomprehensible as an alcohol or drug addiction. The world "game" indicates that the player will enjoy themselves and reach some sort of accomplishment by the end, but that is not always the case. Gaming can lead to obsessive, reclusive, obese and violent qualities in a player, many of the same characteristics of a substance addict. Especially now with the thousands of games that are available to people of any age, the side-effects of the gaming world have begun to reveal themselves; so much that gaming should be classified as a real addiction so that the appropriate measures can be taken to alleviate people of it.


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Having a TV in the Bedroom Increases the Dependency on a Game By Almost Double

One unifying feature that separates gamers from non-gamers is having a gaming system located in their room. Statistics show that 70% of pathological gamers ended up having a gaming system in their room, compared to around 40% for non-pathological gamers. Pathological gamers would be those that unable to control their addiction, while non-pathological gamers are those that have control over their time.  Therefore, when a gamer is constantly being exposed to a gaming device, they will constantly think about what they need to do next in their game. This allows their behaviors, and even more extremely, their lives,  to revolve around the plot of the game.

New Technologies May Provide the Illusion of Control, but Are in Reality Eroding Control.

As technology develops, gaming industries are creating more devices that give the player the illusion of being in the game. In later 2005, Nintendo unveiled a new device called the Wii Remote, which allowed the player to control the game with movement. The goal of this device was to suggest increased participation by allowing the player a way into the gaming world. Instead, this entrance into the cyber world has only creased dependency on video games. The user know that in the end, they will ultimately feel power or euphoria, so they continue to play. Once again, these also happen to be the same experiences that a drug addict would feel, which only highlights the immediacy of giving a gaming addiction more attention.

For example, in 2012, authorities found a Taiwanese boy dead in the farthest corner of an internet cafe, still in the position he assumed while playing the popular internet game, League of Legends. Cases like this are becoming more and more common in Asia, and even more notably in Taiwan, due to the large numbers of being that are entering the realm of video gaming. Chen Ron Yu's death was confirmed by his doctor, to be a result of his incessant gaming. Dr. Ta-Chen Su explained that "video games can generate a great deal of tension in the human body. The player's blood pressure and heart rate rise. If this excessive tension is maintained for more than ten hours, it can result in cardiac arrhythmia". Thus, it was proven by this statement that gaming can cause worse effects than just eye-strain or headaches.

The Many Gaming Conventions That are Held Worldwide Only Encourage People to Continue Down the Path to Addiction

The problem of limiting gaming nowadays is only proving to be more challenging because of the many events and activities that encourage people to continue playing their games. In the past, gaming addictions were seen in milder forms where people would play Arcade games like Pacman. Now, gaming systems are available in most stores, which allows for easy access. This new gaming industry has also led to the rise of national competitions for gamers. Large conventions take place all over the world, such as the annual Gamescom in Cologne, Germany. Gamescom is the largest gaming event where game developers come to display their newest games and game-related technologies. It attracts about 335,000 visitors from over 88 countries. Events like these take gaming to a whole different level, motivating the need to participate in gaming. Unfortunately, the risk of becoming addicted also rises with the growth of the gaming industry.

An Intervention May Be an Option When Confronting an Individual With an Addiction

Due to the clear similarities between a substance addiction and gaming , there can be no denying that obsessive gaming should be classified as an addiction. Thus, gaming should also be treated in a similar manner. One possible solution was suggested by Professor Norman.




By staging an intervention, the goal is that the individual will acknowledge the fact that they have a problem. Hopefully then the individual will take the steps needed to prevent it from getting any worse than it already is. If the individual is unable to admit their problem, the other option could be to seek professional help, such as therapy or rehab. 

Once the Addiction is Accepted by the Public, the Next Step Would be to Take Preventative Measures Like Issue Warning Labels on Gaming Boxes.

Due to the increasing number of deaths, one possible fix might be to start printing warning labels on gaming devices and games. This will increase more awareness to the addiction, as well as prevent any future cases. The warning label could warn players than the games should not be played for a specified number of hours, or else they may lead to negative thoughts, obesity, other and unhealthy behaviors. 

Thus in summation, gaming can no longer be viewed as the fun pastime it once was, due to the high chances of developing an addiction. While the number of addicts aren't that high yet, the numbers will only continue to rise with new technologies being developed daily combined with the lure of temporary achievement. Thus, the only reasonable measure is to create more awareness for this affliction and classify it as an addiction. This can be done through warning labels, mandating some sort of intervention, or even rehab. By doing this, people will begin to pay it more attention, which may greatly reduce  any more cases of obesity, violence, and death. 

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