Internet & Video Game “Addictions”
Came across an interesting article today about Internet addiction in China, and what authorities there are doing about it. The story, by Ariana Eunjung Cha, originally ran in the Washington Post and discussed a treatment center for young people “addicted” to the Internet. Of course video games were mentioned, thanks to the explosion in popularity of MMORPGs. One patient said he spent up to 15 hours a day in online computer games before receiving treatment at the center. Treatments were harsh, with extensive time devoted to discussions concerning why excessive computer use is wrong. Cha begins the article describing how a patient is awakened early in the morning by a soldier screaming, “This is for your own good!” Four patients escaped by taxi one time and made it to the train station before soldiers detained them and brought them back.
When I hear discussion about “Internet addiction” or “video game addiction,” I have to wonder if these are true addictions in the traditional sense. When I think of addictions, I think of chemical addictions. A video game “addiction” seems a temporary obsession with a pleasant pastime. Internet “addiction” may be more than temporary, since the Internet opens up a vast variety of pursuits. One can spend months on end doing many things online. But, is this really an addiction requiring treatment, or is it just an obsession that can be overcome by the individual without intervention? For instance, in the 1950s, concern centered on children becoming “addicted” to comic books. But was this a true addiction, or just strong childhood enjoyment that eventually trails off when children move to other pursuits or learn self-constraint on their own?
Such distinctions become important when discussing educational video games. If a naysayer paints with a broad brush, and makes aspersions toward the “addictive nature of video games,” promoting their educational benefits becomes that much more difficult.
In the meantime, the Asian approach appears to be heavy-handed. Cha writes that China, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam are taking steps to limit youth access to Internet cafes, and to limit their time in online games.
American attempts at regulating game use among youth have focused more on preventing young people from buying violent games. This approach seems off the mark, too, since there is zero control over the game once it leaves stores. Thus, children will continue to play all kinds of games across the ratings spectrum since the games will be installed in homes, not stores. Eric Bangeman over at Ars Technica today writes in an article entitled, “States Wising Up? Video Game Bills Drop Like Flies,” that Mississippi, Utah, and Indiana are ceding the fight for state legislative efforts to restrict the sale of certain titles to minors. This follows legal defeats on constitutional grounds. Also, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has been winning attorneys fees from the states when they lose in court, which quickly adds up. Put it all together, according to Bangeman, and states are quietly giving up the whole regulation idea.
We’ll see what happens, but I have an idea where this will lead. No one worries about addiction to comic books anymore.
References
Bangeman, E. (2007, February 23). States wising up? Video game bills drop like flies. Ars Technica. [Online.] Available:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070223-8915.html
Cha, A.E. (2007, February 22). In China, stern treatment for young internet ‘addicts’. Washington Post, A01.
February 27, 2007 at 9:47 am
In the field of psychology, one of the main differences between an “addiction” and an “enjoyable pasttime” is the effect of the activity on the participant and significant others. Most (outside of certain religious groups) would agree that drinking, gambling, TV watching, etc. in moderation are OK activities but taken to excess are not good things.
I believe the same is true of the Internet, video games, pinball games (which I frittered away much of my childhood and my allowance on), TV, etc. I don’t believe a Sunday afternoon spent relaxing with a football classic or playing videogames is what the discussion is about when we’re talking addiction.
Addictions affect your family, your job performance, etc. There are many people so addicted that almost all other activities in their lives cease to exist. There are kids who steal to support their gaming “habit” (and that’s pretty much what it is). I’m not anti-gaming or anti-Internet. I spend much of my work day there doing work - not Internet shopping (another new major area of addiction).
It’s those individuals who, like complusive gamblers and addicted smokers, say they “can quit anytime” but who can’t that I’m worried about. I’m also concerned about the lack of productivity of these individuals who lose a massive amount of hours to such pursuits (I’ve looked up to realize that I’ve lost 2 hours just playing “one more game” of Spider Solitaire.
These activities occur on a broad spectrum and it is those on the high end that concern me, not the moderate “drinker.”
February 28, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Lemoyne, I’ll concede your point that an addiction can be defined as anything that interferes with daily living to the detriment of the person and people around them. This seems a reasonable definition, and could of course include gambling and other things that, taken to excess, could harm individuals and their loved ones.
I think my broader point was that the average person thinks of addiction in terms of substance abuse such as drugs and alcohol. Playing a video game all day (or reading a book straight through, or watching an entire season of a TV show on DVD all in one sitting) should not fall under this harsher definition of addiction that is commonly held by John Q. Public.
Anyhow, it’s a good debate. I wonder how it could be framed in terms of a research question. If an individual plays a game to the point of detriment (assuming we can define what constitutes detriment), how long should that person be playing before we can label them “addicted?” Would a person who looked up and discovered they had been playing two hours on Spider Solitaire (as you have professed) be considered “addicted?” Or, would a person have to be so involved in a game that they stop eating regularly for days on end? Where should the line be drawn? Hmm.
April 12, 2007 at 4:31 am
Ich besichtige deinen Aufstellungsort wieder bald fur sicheres!
April 23, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Bitte.
June 14, 2007 at 6:49 pm
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