Week 6 Video Game Addiction? -> Maybe Harmful? -> Jury is Out

In essence, most of the readings supporting video game addiction were flawed. I am sighing, because I know from personal experience (not me, just people I know, haha) that video game addictive type behavior really does exist. The trouble is that there is some trouble, but no one can pin it down precisely and without bias. Cause and effect are not clear and only one author explains benefits. At the end of this post I have added how I use WoW in a way that might be considered addictive.

READINGS ANALYSIS

Hauge and Gentile (2003) researched 607 8th and 9th graders and reported several behavioral variances for students who had addictive behaviors related to video games.These researchers very precisely stated that addiction is associated with adjustment problems. However, that was their absolute last statement of the article and I think their presentation is wrong. There is no question that any addiction in that population is going to be associated with adjustment problems. In addition, that population is always going to have a percentage of adjustment problems without any addictions. While I think the survey was good, and that the researchers did find an important association, I balk at their presentation of the material. The title of such material should be pristine in its implications and not sensational at all. Perhaps a more valid title would be “Adolescent addictive behavior related to video games is associated with adjustment problems.” That is the take home truth and that should be the title. This survey gets one blip on the video game addiction radar.

Howze (2009) makes a similar argument to mine. She reported that an author (lamentably unnamed) analyzed a Harris survey and found that “8 percent of the children . . . responded in a way that fits with a clinical diagnosis of an addiction” and that they were more likely to do badly at school than “non-addicted” regardless of how much time spent playing games. Howze points out that there is not a clear cut cause and that more study is needed. While I would like to give a radar blip for addiction to this article, I think the evidence of the unnamed researcher is somewhat invalidated by (a) not attaching his name to his work (or did Howze do this to downplay the evidence?), (b) doing secondary research on primary research. In spite of this, I still think this article gets one blip on the video game addiction radar.

Eakes (n.d) as a spokesman for Mothers Against Violence in America (MAVA) clearly states the point that violent video games are an ideal environment in which to learn violence. Her main goal in this essay is to encourage parents to be aware of the content of the video games their children are playing. That is honorable, and gets one blip on radar. One of her supporting statements, however, that violence is the most prevalent health risk for children and adolescents is absolutely not true. I was able to locate the Center for Disease Control (CDC) 2005 statistics on the number of deaths from selected causes by age, and found that for the age group 5 through 14 years of age, transport injuries (mainly motor vehicle accidents) remains the most prevalent health risk. In 2005, there were 2415 transport related deaths and 613 self harm or homicide.
It makes you wonder if the kids would be safer if they stayed home playing video games.
Eakes references 3,500 research studies that mainly show that the more violence one sees the more likely one is to be violent. This may be a valid statement and deserves another blip, for a total of two blips on the addiction radar.

The World Science Staff (2008) examined a study by Ko (2008) of 20 World of Warcraft(WoW)players that compared brain scans of 10 addicted players with 10 non addicted players, stating that the “cue-induced” gaming urges draw on a network of brain pathways “similar to that of the cue-induced craving in substance dependence.” This is a fairly solid piece of evidence that World of Warcraft may have addicting qualities. The sample is very small, however, the test is very expensive. Just the same, this piece of evidence gets two blips on the addiction radar.

Leach’s (2008) concern over World of Warcraft addiction is not well substantiated. His first piece of evidence is long ques for 2nd expansion pack for WoW. He did not state that the first editions come with extras that you cannot get later. He also did not take into account how many first editions were preordered to be delivered the next day with the same perks. Furthermore, his quote from Richard Graham, is horrifying in its implications. I actually saw his quote in a box on an advertising site, but I can’t remember where and I laughed for quite a while. Graham should also be horrified. He stated that “some of my clients will discuss playing games for 14 to 16 hours a day at times without breaks and for those the consequences are severe.” It makes it sound like they are discussing these things while in treatment (maybe because I first saw the quote on a site advertising video game addiction treatment) and that there are no interventions during treatment and that those people will receive severe punishment during treatment. I doubt this is what he meant. He needs to revise his statement. This article gets no blips on the addiction radar.

Clark’s (2006) review of video game detox is darkly intriguing. She explains game addiction as a “clinical impulse control disorder,’ an addiction in the same sense as compulsive gambling. The explanation is that the fantasy world of online role-playing games makes a player “feel better.” And that the virtual life becomes more appealing than real life. Damaging effects are the inability to develop real world coping skills. Signs of addiction were gaming to escape, lying about it, playing for long periods of time, and thinking about gaming during other activities. Of interest, Clark quotes Bakker saying that it is difficult to show somebody they’re in trouble, and that you have to show them [gamers] that they are powerless over their addiction.

At one point in my life I was very interested in addictions treatment. I spent a 90 hour internship in such a facility. My major research paper reviewed current treatment modalities and made recommendations. I was very hopeful. However, the statistics on addictions treatments are horrible. Only 1 in 7 patients is considered to be successfully treated. The rest return to their addiction. I have attended some AA meetings and some treatment meetings with a partner. I was shocked at the laxity of discussion and the lack of focus and I was horrified by the constant repetition of “substance abuse stories” told from a “Red Badge of Courage” standpoint. As such I think a video game detox center is a bad idea. If a person needs an antidepressant or an antipsychotic medication, it is much cheaper and much more humane.

Finally, Leith (2008) is obviously a gamer who enjoys WoW. He makes salient points for playing WoW and points that there should be freedom to choose what to do in leisure time. Which is a point well made. In addition, Leith seems very very happy and well adjusted. He does not support his argument with statistics, but supports the game qualitatively.

MY SUBJECTIVE REPORT ON USING WOW

The way that I have additive behavior to WoW is that I use it to generate feelings. I loved the latest expansion. There is a sweep to the geography and a beauty that is breathtaking. You have to be in it to appreciate it. For me, it feels like I am in the woods, or standing at the edge of a pristine lake. That part is like a calming meditation. Or on a lonely dark night . . . I might choose to roam in a melancholy and aimless manner across a bleak terrain. Just another meditation, really.

In addition, I use it to generate adrenalin. I have talked to other players who use it the same way. There is a clear and heady rush in the battleground game play for me.. I haven’t used recreational drugs and I have never smoked. I do drink coffee, for the caffeine. I don’t drink because I hate even the very mildest “let down” from only one drink. But the high from the battleground generates a more lasting euphoria that doesn’t seem to have a “withdrawal effect” for me. Is this any worse than any other chemical? I submit that it is better for me than antidepressants or anti anxiety medications. In the medical parlance, WoW is a “clean” drug with little chance of causing allergies, cancer, or GI upset. Its main physical side effects are likely from secondary to inactivity.

I have also used WoW as a reward for other activities. For example, when I complete a certain task (such as writing this essay) I will be able to play WoW.

Enough said, you get the idea. For me, and likely others, WoW gameplay can generate mood changes, that may or may not be beneficial. Rather than condemn WoW for this breakthrough and name it as dangerous and harmful, I think the mechanism of generation needs to be better understood and exploited for its benefits.

Other questions that should be evaluated in this discussion include: (1) Who makes the values rules? (2) Who has the right to a pursuit of happiness and how far does that go? (3) What behavior is really pathological? (4) How much to addiction treatment centers stand to earn by condemning video game addiction? (5) How much of video game addiction is really normal human behavior that is now directed to a new venue? (6) How much abnormal human behavior that would have occured anyway just happens to be associated with video game addiction?

VIDEO

The following video shows a difficult family situation. It you listen to it a couple of times you can see that the kid is clearly out of control. He demonstrates the importance of family monitoring of video game content and play. WoW is an adult game (over age 17). There is no visual on this "video." The session was recorded though Ventrilo by the child's fellow players. Please turn your volumn low before starting the video.