Online gaming addiction discussion/debate

[ThinkTank]

My thoughts on how online gaming can ruin your life

 

Many of you may think that playing online games can be harmless, its just a bit of escapism and fun, but what if I was to say to you that playing them from a young age can be damaging to your life?

 

Its true, I have learnt from first-hand experience that online gaming can detract your attention from what is important in life. At times when you should be concentrating on friends, family, hobbies, interests and even career, online gaming can distract you from all of these important things. Thus distancing you from real life and can render you helpless when attempting to straighten yourself out after realising such things later in life.

 

My advice is to get out whilst you can, you must realise how important friends and family are to you and dont lose that bond because of a stupid online game, and also dont lose sight of what you are good at outside of the gaming world, who cares how quickly you can level your RPG character, or who gets to which level faster, none of that is important and I mean NONE of it!!!!!!!!!! Its just one big waste of time, I strongly advise maintaining hobbies and interests outside of the online world, these are valued much more highly by employers and are often much more interesting to the outside world when it comes to socialising.

 

I dont write this as a means to patronise the older people who play games online, as you have more life experience than the younger people who play, but it is important that they realise the risks they can be putting their life under by playing online constantly and having no real contact with the outside world. Addiction comes in many forms and online gaming is the new crack of the computer world, if you find any of this rings true to you then you must stop and try and get your life back on track, dont lose yourself in the pit of MMORPGs, this time should be used to work out who you are as a person, what your personality traits are, who your friends are, your likes and dislikes.

 

It is all too easy to turn on your computer and waste your life on games such as Runescape, Everquest, World of Warcraft. Try to distance yourself from these online traps, real life is hard but once you have real life aims instead of virtual aims, the reward will be much more satisfying AND beneficial!

 

Online gaming has no end result, these games will continue to grow and expand so playing them is pointless, theres generally no real intelligence required to play, transferrable skills from online gaming range from little to none, the little being the ability to type and mild computer literacy skills may be acquired, but these games are so detached from reality and so addictive that they are dangerous. You learn nothing useful from playing these games, you forget what is important in life, its an extreme version of escapism and addiction and can be extremely harmful.

 

I wish I hadnt wasted my time with them, Im glad Ive got out, Im never going back. Like many bad habits it should be kicked, nipped in the bud and burnt (uninstalled!).

 

 

 

Before we start I'd just like to say this quote was plucked from a forum similar to this one, and it has alot of strong issues and concerns aimed towards online gaming and how it can affect your life.

 

 

 

I'd like to use the above quote as a guideline to the debate. How many of you agree with it? Are there parts you agree with and parts you don't? Which are they? Can you relate to whats being said?

 

 

 

I'd like to start by saying I'm in agreement with what is being said, online gaming can be dangerous, but no more than anything else in high consumption, sitting watching television whilst eating too much can lead to obesity and such; reading too many pornography magazines can lead to the tendancy to become excessively perverse etcetera...

 

 

 

Do you think enough people are aware of the risks?

 

 

 

I expect some people may become defensive, so I'd like to point out this is not a personal attack on anyone, I am just intrigued to find out your thoughts on the matter.

 

 

 

Discuss :).

 

TT

[Giordano]

Online gaming can be addictive? No wai. :shock:

 

 

 

This is a pointless article and debate. (Change the title, every other thread here is a debate, yours isn't the only one) Moderation is the key, the author of the article takes one extreme when the idiot should be thinking in the middle.

[ThinkTank]

I totally agree, it's down to the user. But what if the game was played from a young age and that person became 'consumed' (so to speak), before the age of maturity and the formation of priorities?

[Giordano]

I totally agree, it's down to the user. But what if the game was played from a young age and that person became 'consumed' (so to speak), before the age of maturity and the formation of priorities?

 

His fault. When responsibilities come you have to do them whether you like them or not. I'm really not seeing the victim here.

[The Dark Lord]

I kind of agree with this article. I think that if you played as a more mature person rather than from an earlier age, it's easier to moderate your time spent on the game. However, if you played since an age where priorities didn't matter as much, it's significantly harder to focus on life.

[ThinkTank]

His fault. When responsibilities come you have to do them whether you like them or not. I'm really not seeing the victim here.

 

Thats also true.

 

Although online gaming addiction has many similarities to those involving drugs and other forms of addiction, people find it hard to live without.

 

It's not that uncommon to find people who have played online games for 5+ years, and on some occassions for more than 14 hours a day.

 

I found an article which mentioned online gaming addiction leading to neglection of self hygene, nutrition and also can lead to sleep deprivation.

 

So with this in mind, what warnings are out there? If you aren't aware of the risk then how can you prepare for it?

 

Is rehab a possibility for these people, or should it be?

[Zygimantas]

What makes me sad for gamers that spend 15+ hours playing a game like runescape, is that they could doa lot with their lives that does not not include games. A lot of the people that play a lot of runescape set their goals high and are very determined to get to them, thus making them play more. Now, they could use this determination and goal setting to accomplish amazing things outside of games. They could be the next great politicians, scientists, philosophers, artists and even athletes. Games just hold them back. :(

[Earth_Poet]

Even though it's not officially a disorder yet, I believe there will be cases of online addictions. However, I also believe media sources have hyped it up, and the actual number of cases that could classify as an addiction would be very small. On top of that, if you factor out the number of people who already have some underlying mental disorder, you'd probably be left with an even smaller number who could be considered having a social disorder directly linked to online games.

 

 

 

To peg online games as dangerous (and not only online games, but MMORPGs specifically?), and that you should "get out whilst you can" is highly irresponsible. This article takes a very extremist point of view in demonizing all online games, comparing it to crack. One of the big problems is the perception of addiction towards online games is very subjective. How much is too much? 5 hours a week? 10? 30? There's no number that can be put on this, because it doesn't matter. Which would show more addictive behavior: a child who blows off his friends after school because he is only allowed to play one hour a night, or somebody else with nothing to do on the weekend who plays 12 hours Saturday and Sunday?

 

 

 

And when we hear of someone playing obsessively we automatically think it's a problem. What about somebody who is handicapped, and it's very difficult for them to leave the house? To them, the internet can serve as a healthy social outlet. Are you going to chastise them for being an addict?

 

 

 

Another problem with labeling online gamers is you portray them as victims in need of help. Most of the time, you'll find it's their own fault, or the fault of the parents, and the behavior is very, very easy to correct. People who do have problems, you'll often find may already have some social disorders coupled with it, and that the online gaming is a symptom of more serious problems.

[Dexek]

I agree that you can become addicted. As with anything moderation is key. I don't have much else to add, it's a rather basic statement this fellow made.

[mister_moocky]

Gaming is not some kind of chemicial addiction. If someone lowers their standard of living becaus of a video game it's entirely their fault, and just shows a lack of self discipline.

[Zierro]

I agree that video games really aren't that important in the grand scheme of everything and all that, but when it comes down to it it's still the player who gets to decide what their priorities are. Just like with anything in the world - drugs, sex, job, television, sports, food, etc. People have been known to ignore important things because of their obsessions with those. It's the fault of the people, not the game.

 

 

 

About people not being aware of the risks, that's their duty. I don't believe other people should have to state the obvious: "If you play 24/7, that is bad for you." There are risks with everything in life, so you should familiarize yourself with the risks - especially the ones that are pretty obvious.

[Dexek]

I agree that video games really aren't that important in the grand scheme of everything and all that, but when it comes down to it it's still the player who gets to decide what their priorities are. Just like with anything in the world - drugs, sex, job, television, sports, food, etc. People have been known to ignore important things because of their obsessions with those. It's the fault of the people, not the game.

 

 

 

Wait.. those aren't the important things?

[Zygimantas]

I agree that video games really aren't that important in the grand scheme of everything and all that, but when it comes down to it it's still the player who gets to decide what their priorities are. Just like with anything in the world - drugs, sex, job, television, sports, food, etc. People have been known to ignore important things because of their obsessions with those. It's the fault of the people, not the game.

 

 

 

Wait.. those aren't the important things?

nothing is important.

[Zierro]

I agree that video games really aren't that important in the grand scheme of everything and all that, but when it comes down to it it's still the player who gets to decide what their priorities are. Just like with anything in the world - drugs, sex, job, television, sports, food, etc. People have been known to ignore important things because of their obsessions with those. It's the fault of the people, not the game.

 

 

 

Wait.. those aren't the important things?

 

 

 

They can be important, but an obsession about them isn't.

[Skull]

I agree that video games really aren't that important in the grand scheme of everything and all that, but when it comes down to it it's still the player who gets to decide what their priorities are. Just like with anything in the world - drugs, sex, job, television, sports, food, etc. People have been known to ignore important things because of their obsessions with those. It's the fault of the people, not the game.

 

 

 

Wait.. those aren't the important things?

nothing is important.

 

Nihilism for the win.

[Earth_Poet]

I agree that video games really aren't that important in the grand scheme of everything and all that, but when it comes down to it it's still the player who gets to decide what their priorities are. Just like with anything in the world - drugs, sex, job, television, sports, food, etc. People have been known to ignore important things because of their obsessions with those. It's the fault of the people, not the game.

 

 

 

Wait.. those aren't the important things?

 

 

 

:-w :-w These are a few of my favorite things... :-w :-w

 

 

 

[Zygimantas]

I agree that video games really aren't that important in the grand scheme of everything and all that, but when it comes down to it it's still the player who gets to decide what their priorities are. Just like with anything in the world - drugs, sex, job, television, sports, food, etc. People have been known to ignore important things because of their obsessions with those. It's the fault of the people, not the game.

 

 

 

Wait.. those aren't the important things?

nothing is important.

 

Nihilism for the win.

I didn't know there was a name for it :P

[Sam]

It's only harmful when it isn't moderated - I'm not being defensive, but saying this as an ex-MMORPG gamer, who quit because of reasons stated in that quote.

[Adam007]

I think they're dangerous to development even when not viewed to the extreme of being an addiction. When an 11 year old gets some time off from school, video games, tv, and the computer shouldn't be the first thing he/she goes to. You just don't develop right that way.

 

 

 

I wrote an editorial on runehead 2 years ago about this topic. I'd change some things now, but in general I still stand by it:

 

There have been plenty "what are you addicted to?" type discussions on forums and websites, but I'd like to also have some discussion about how in general so many people are controlled by something. For me, this is how I came to my own realization. Last week I watched Requiem for a Dream, a great movie. A driving point in it is how so many people have some outside force in their life, some type of drug that completely takes over them, some type of addiction. After watching that I was pretty impressed by the message, but it didn't personally hit home until I watched this video. It's a short movie about how people can't concentrate on things for an extended period of time, using MTV as an example.

 

 

 

I'm not going to say that that's a great video or anything, because he takes a "how stupid do you have to be?!" approach. The point that I got from it was how unaware we all are of these kind of things. I never even realized how often TV shows change shots to ensure our attention. I thought it couldn't be that bad, but I didn't even realize just how bad it was until I turned on MTV, and low and behold, 90% of shots were under 3 seconds. I ended up staying five minutes longer just because I became entranced by the "hyper-tons-of-different-shots-flying-at-you" type of TV, that I was completely unaware of. It really can be hypnotizing.

 

 

 

Now I'm not a big TV watcher, but after I came back to my computer, I realized it's just as bad online. Ten different tabs in a browser. I get bored of one thing, I switch to another. One youtube movie ends, switch to another. Finish reading one forum, switch to another, and by the time you're done with the one you switched to the original forum is ready to re-read again. From checking five different email accounts and instant messengers to playing every game on a site to making sure you read every new article on a news site, I realized how trapping even computers are.

 

 

 

This is obviously relatable to RuneScape and MMORPG's in general. We all know how addicting they can be. There's always something new to do, and you can never run out of things that need getting done. It's a system you can never beat. Once you're in the game, there are more and more skills you need to raise, more events to go to, more friends to chat with. Sure some of these things can be positive, but they're still part of the system. They still control you. They have your attention, and they're keeping it for hours and hours. And there is nothing more valuable than your attention.

 

 

 

The internet is my drug. I'm not going to say I'm addicted to it or anything in a psychological sense, but it's just ridiculous in general how so many people let this happen to them. From streaming from one sense of entertainment to another you lose sense of time and ignore life. Going outside and just enjoying nature or whatever is going on is what creates memories. Not a constant stream of passive entertainment. As a society I think we're all under the influence of something in one way or another. And so I ask you: what's your drug?

 

 

 

It's when you realize this that you'll hopefully do something about it. I'm not saying everyone's controlled by something, but a lot of us are. My challenge to you is to escape these things. Don't let yourself put off more important things by procrastinating into these habits. See what you can do when you devote yourself to anything productive. Or go with my philosophy on life: do something that'll create a memory. Leave the trapping cycle of passive immersion and make some worthwhile memories. Because at the end of your life, that's all you have. Your memories and experiences are what define and make you who you are. You don't have much time here, so make some good ones.

[mario_sunny]

I think it affects people in different ways. The article doesn't describe everyone. Some people can still play online games and have a great social life and/or make good grades in school.

[Wisp]

Of course some people are addicted to online gaming, some people are addicted to drugs, booze, sex, a sport, their job, gambling, whatever. But all of those things can be done safely in moderation, with the exception of some hard drugs. (And with gambling, I don't mean betting a lot of money only one time is moderation, I mean getting a lotto ticket every week is moderation)

[Omar]

Not only that, but think about it, Runescape is one of the most boring games you can play!

[Zygimantas]

Not only that, but think about it, Runescape is one of the most boring games you can play!

Yep, its the goals that keep you playing.

[Star_Fox]

Not only that, but think about it, Runescape is one of the most boring games you can play!

Yep, its the goals that keep you playing.

 

 

 

the main reason for those goals is prestige.

 

 

 

so its prestige that gets you playing. hehe.

[FunPhish]

Not only that, but think about it, Runescape is one of the most boring games you can play!

Yep, its the goals that keep you playing.

 

 

 

the main reason for those goals is prestige.

 

 

 

so its prestige that gets you playing. hehe.

 

 

 

I used to play exclusively for pking, I would make just enough $ to pk, blow it all, repeat. Now that pking is ruined I havn't played in about 2 weeks, I still get on every now and then but I always just end up walking around wondering wtf to do.