You Need Help Kicking Your Internet & Gaming Obsessions

Boston.com says that some people need help kicking their internet and gaming obsessions. Probably because articles like this are published online…where the addicts must use a computer and the internet to read this...anyone else see the pattern?

Their worried parents bring them to the doctor, fearing drug abuse or depression, but the evaluations come up empty. A doctor at Children’s Hospital Boston says something else may be at work. “We see kids who are just gaming, and they appear to their parents to have all of the signs and symptoms of drug use,’’ Dr. Michael Rich said about the seductive world of online games.

lolwut?

I'm addicted to breathing as well

The only thing the kids need kicking is an old fashion ass kickin'.

Originally Posted by Steve

Boston.com says that some people need help kicking their internet and gaming obsessions. Probably because articles like this are published online…where the addicts must use a computer and the internet to read this...anyone else see the pattern?

Yes I do Steve and the truth is that any activity that creates a habit can become an addiction. Is in the hands of people to be wise and responsible to avoid falling into an addiction but that doesn't automatically excludes video games from becoming and addiction. Also, just because some people irrationally want to attack video games doesn't mean that video games are actually excused from becoming addictive.
I personally think your post was made in a way that totally lacks any seriousness.

Hell No!

I get scared when I hear internet memes repeated in real life, to be honest. Some people could use help! If i hear one more girl go "Oh em gee!" I'm going to have to kill a kitten.

Originally Posted by Motivator

I get scared when I hear internet memes repeated in real life, to be honest. Some people could use help! If i hear one more girl go "Oh em gee!" I'm going to have to kill a kitten.

"OH EM GEE" I was at my bro's house doing a Halloween party for the kids. We were watching "Stupidest Stunts" on Fox and one of the wives would constantly say "OH EM GEE" every time some stunt would go badly. I just wanted to pickup a pumpkin and smash it over her head. 'Like OH EM GEE'

"Their worried parents bring them to the doctor, fearing drug abuse or depression, but the evaluations come up empty. A doctor at Children’s Hospital Boston says something else may be at work. "We see kids who are just gaming, and they appear to their parents to have all of the signs and symptoms of drug use,’’ Dr. Michael Rich said about the seductive world of online games. "

[sarcasm]
Did you hear? Last I heard, fun was addictive. They have clinics now to suck the fun right out of you while you're young and impressionable. Someone please medicate me, I'm having too much fun.. [/sarcasm]

Why don't they make drugs for over protective hypochondriac parents? Maybe they'd actually have some fun (gasp).

Consider for a moment what in abstract they're calling an addiction.

1) Social media, aka, socializing. Our species is the most social of all species, and we rely heavily, for basic survival, on those around us, at all times. Separated or isolated from our society, we either die from physical inadequacies on our part (food, water, disease, injury, and other problems we can't necessarily rectify on our own) or we go bat shit crazy from being alone (which we readily observe from solitary confinement in prisons). It is in our best interest, instinctually, to constantly seek out social contact with those around us. Social media is just an extension of something we already need on a regular basis - social interaction. Whether this happens in person or via some sort of remote media doesn't seem to matter. What we arbitrarily ascribe to "healthy" social interaction (e.g., bowling with someone in person is commonly thought to be far healthier socially than perhaps playing virtual bowling with someone) is no more fact than other strange societal norms, such as a middle finger, which in all reality, is a digit on a hand, but in some societies holds some arbitrary offensive meaning.

2) Entertainment. Consider media designed to hold your attention. Something that is particularly interesting, past that of more mundane tasks such as sleeping (depending on how tired you are), eating (depending on how hungry you are), going to work (depending on how much you value your job :P). Most people have the cognitive capacity to make decisions on which activities to engage in, weighing the pros and cons rather naturally (I go to work even though I'd rather stay home and play UT 3 because it is necessary for my survival within society, and I eat when hunger overwhelms my desire or need to do other tasks as it's essential to my physical well being).

It would stand to reason that it could be that entertainment doesn't necessarily create behavioral disorders, but rather exposes pre-existing deficiencies in one's ability to categorize daily tasks by their importance. Now, this importance is relative to the individual (someone might choose to watch a movie over going to class as the class is easy to catch up on, not all would agree this is a good choice), but I'm fairly certain that most will agree that if survival is threatened, most well functioning humans would react in a manner that they think would preserve themselves (e.g., not starving to death while playing Diablo II).

I should disclaim that this is all speculation. The field of psychology doesn't seem to know the difference between that and real inquiry :P. Sometimes I just think psychologists try to ride a wave of shocking language to get attention. Using the term addiction implies that a heroine addict and a person with a facebook profile have similarly destructive problems. Misleading, at best.

Originally Posted by AlcoJaguar

....................not starving to death while playing Diablo II).
........................

I don't know about this one. Them WoW players seems crazy to me. I bet if food wasn't close to them (within the house), they would go hungry.

All I have to say is, WoW!

With all the emotional games girls play, why don't they do a PSR on that instead of blasting Mario Kart?

errr... I meant PSA. Public Service Announcement.

This is about as bad as people telling me I am going to hell.

I have a job
I have a girlfriend
I have friends
I make a living
I play video games
I surf the internet
I am CANADIAN... errr I mean >.> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRI-A3vakVg

Yeah, anyways. I'm quite happy where I am.

Originally Posted by BloodyIron

This is about as bad as people telling me I am going to hell.

I have a job
I have a girlfriend
I have friends
I make a living
I play video games
I surf the internet
I am CANADIAN... errr I mean >.> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRI-A3vakVg

Yeah, anyways. I'm quite happy where I am.

^ all of the above except for the Canadian part.

heh i work about as much as im online. but damn some kids these days do let themselves go to hell because of computer and console gaming. im house/kid sitting for a friend and his 13 year old is close to if not 200 pounds! he sits in his chair and screams at the tv or monitor when he dies, throws the controller. Every time he does that he has to put the battery back in, and yells at the controller some more while it has a delay connecting. Seriously? my friend let his kid get this bad... Im not a parent but jeez this is horrible.

No way! I can quit whenever I want! You don't know me! Get off me!

Originally Posted by the-one1

I don't know about this one. Them WoW players seems crazy to me. I bet if food wasn't close to them (within the house), they would go hungry.

In the house? Does that mean I have to leave my computer to go downstairs?

Originally Posted by the-one1

The only thing the kids need kicking is an old fashion ass kickin'.

QFT! Well, worked wonders for me anyways...