If You're Addicted To World Of Warcraft, Why Not Get Therapy For It In The Game?
from the I-can-think-of-a-few-reasons-why-that's-a-bad-idea... dept
While we tend to have trouble with the idea that there's a real "addiction" issue with video gaming, there certainly are some people who have trouble leaving the game. And, there have been plenty of therapists/psychologists/psychiatrists popping up with offerings to help "video game addicts." But how does one stand out in the space? How about by treating the patients directly in the game itself? Apparently, that's the plan of one psychiatrists, who wants to start getting other therapists to join the game and treat patients within it. Wonder if they'll try to convince the offshore "gold farmers" that they need help...
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Filed Under: addiction, therapy, video games, world of warcraft
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Re: therapy for alcoholics to be held in bars
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How will they get clients
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Re: How will they get clients
We are a fun, easy going guild that currently has 4 nights progression a week. 3 nights will be in game raid content. Wednesday night is 'group therapy' night. Group therapy is required for progression raiding.
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I do love the idea of using a virtual world for research/study (some really interesting work was done on infectious disease/epidemiology), but in game therapy? Come on?!
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?
Oh yeah, that's brilliant.
"Show me on the avatar where the bad orc touched you, Johnny."
What'd be really fun is if we could get this shrinks to diagnose and treat OTHER diseases in the game. Then they could overmedicate us VIRTUALLY the same way we're overmedicated in life.
Forget gifts of gold. They could hand out gifts of Ritilin. But only to those young orcs that suffer from ADD, ADHD, PTSD, or the one I discovered: FAH-Q.
....I don't feel good about that rant. See, I just didn't commit the way I normaly do. Tell you what, I'm going to go pound a pot of coffee, come back, and we'll do this again.
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Addiction??
IMHO, i think addiction is too strong of a word to describe someones extreme interest in a game. In some cases its used as an escape from reality, just like reading an interesting book can be (just a different medium). From my experience, whether it be a video game, a sport, or some kind of time consuming activity, its used as an escape from real life problems. I'm not saying excessive video gaming isn't unhealthy, which it is. I am saying putting the label of "addiction" or "a treatable illness" is too extreme.
I'd like to hear some thoughts from others, specifically on opposing side of my opinion.
Thanks.
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As oppose to alcohol and drugs (ex. nicotine, cocaine). Which are an external source that physically alters brain chemicals and messes you up.
I think my point is that things external physical sources of addictions(which are consummed, inhaled, injected), should be seperated from these other sources. (not completely unrelated, but placed in to a different category?).
I guess if people think WoW is an addiction, they most likely will think as well that humans (or a country to and individual) has an oil addiction, a car addiction, a job addiction, a sport addiction, a computer addiction, ect. (if you are consistent with your logic). I mean where do you draw the line? Anyways thats my opinion at least.
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I see your point and also agree. =D
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I dont think either are much of an addiction, but just a self control issue. But then again, why would we want to hold people responsible for themselves??
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Re: Re: Addiction??
Isn't an addiction what occurs when someone loses the ability to control themselves?
We can debate the semantics of addiction all day. The problem is there are tons of people failing at real life to succeed in the game.
If a therapist is able to help someone get his real life on track by playing the game a little, that's great. Although, I do think whoever is paying the therapist to "work" in-game might be getting the short end of the stick.
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Re: Re: Re: Addiction??
In the strictest sense, addiction is a chemical dependency in the body. But, with the English language being an evolving language, definitions have been added to include things that are more obsession than addiction.
One douse not become addicted to coffee but caffeine. Once the withdraw symptoms start, the "fix" can be achieved from many places, like soda or caffeine tablets. This addiction can affect anyone that uses the drug in those quantities.
Obsession is more subjective. One douse not become "addicted" to games but to one specific game. One cannot get their WOW fix by playing Everquest. And, while one person may become obsessed with one game, another person who plays it the same amount of time may not. For example, I played WOW for probably about 8 hours a day for a week while I was on vacation. At this time, I haven't played for 2 weeks and don't feel any cravings for it.
Addiction and Obsession should be separated due to the differences in treatments. Addiction can be treated by going threw detox with medical doctors, but obsession needs to be treated by physiologists who get to the reason behind the obsession.
The reason we complain about the miss-use of the word is because the proper treatment isn't being applied. WOW players are going threw detox instead of finding out they use it to hide from their abusive parents, for example. If that happens than the WOW player will just find something else to run away to.
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THIS is what I'm talking about, though better explained that I could have.
Thanks you.
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Re: Addiction??
First, addiction is not too strong of a word to describe what some experience. It's embarassing, but I'll state that I was once addicted to WoW. I played it constantly, Tuesday downtime was my enemy. I ignored my family, I dropped out of school. I was VERY irritable if I could not play for some reason. These are all classic signs of addiction.
Second, drugs/alcohol alter your mental state, reward your pleasure centers disproportionately to "real life". Online games like WoW do the same. You feel more powerful, in control, not to mention wanted/desired if you are in a raiding guild.
Having said all of that, I think these therapists are just looking for an excuse to play WoW all day.
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Haha
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Re: Addiction??
Technomage is right; anything that causes endorphins to be released technically alters brain chemistry and can therefore be addicting. Case in point: masturbation/porn. While it isn't directly tweaking brain chemistry like drugs, it definitely makes you feel good, and it definitely would be a hard habit to kick for a LOT of people.
The real issue isn't whether a situation deserves a label. It is whether that situation needs to be treated. If you or the people close to you feel your habits are interfering with other, more important aspects of your life, than you should take a serious look at how to change things. This may require getting outside help, regardless of the label.
That being said, treating WoW addicts inside the game is ridiculous and bound to fail. All it does is reinforce to "addicts" that they can assimilate reality into the game, thus giving them even less motivation to ever leave it. And good luck getting insurance to cover that treatment, chump.
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Sometimes you can't help people with no ambition or sense of real life prorities. They'll use whatever makes them happy as an escape from whatever is bothering them in real life. Which is what needs to be addressed, whatever they are escaping, not where they are escaping to.
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He was the first in his family to go to college. He was quite popular in high school. He worked his ass off to get where he was. And for the first year of college, he worked hard there too. Then he started playing Everquest a lot, and I watched him gradually withdraw from everything he had worked so hard for. He ended up having to go back home to his crappy town and work a crappy job while going to community college and living with his parents again. Of course, they made him cancel his account. He sold off his characters, and with a few clicks, his other life in Everquest that he'd invested years into was gone forever. His friends, his obligations to the guild, his items and stats all gone on top of his REAL life going to crap. Can you even imagine what that would be like? You obviously don't know anyone who has gone through this. So don't try to act like an expert.
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Help is for pansies. Real men drink whiskey until the problem goes away...
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Warcraft Withdrawl
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