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9Sep 09

A potentially huge problem for the industry

Over the last couple of years I've noticed the swelling of a quiet storm that if left unaddressed could lead to a serious problem for the video game industry as a whole. Recent headlines have drawn my attention again to this issue.

The problem I'm describing is video game addiction.

This week President Obama addressed schoolchildren about the importance of a focused education. Included in his speech was this interesting sentence.

"I've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox."

Obviously this is sound advice. No one should spend every waking hour doing any one thing. However this is troubling from Microsoft's perspective because the most powerful person in the world has just decried overuse of one of their most important products. By name. This, of course, could be extrapolated to any console and thus shows the rising undercurrent of video game push-back.

The popular view of video gaming as a time-waster is certainly not new. From its infancy the industry has struggled with acceptance as a legitimate medium worthy of artistic value and commercial success. However the mostly benign and passive attitudes towards the "childish" hobby have in recent years turned into a popular whipping-boy to explain all sorts of negative behaviors by pre-teens, teens and adults alike.

Now advocacy and medical groups have produced more studies to attempt to officially identify a problem. One study conducted by the National Institute for Media and the Family, finds that 8.5% of gamers exhibit 6 of the 11 symptoms of a as-yet to be medically accepted video game "addiction". Included symptoms of the study are "lying about playing time", "trying to play less and failing" and "irritability when trying to reduce or stop playing".

With criteria like this any sort of behavior could conceivably draw the ire of advocacy groups like the National Institute for Media and the Family. Today it's video games. Tomorrow it could be fishing.

To date the American Psychological Association and the American Medical Association have rejected video game addiction as a legitimate medical diagnosis.

Taking the most heat have been Massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPG – I really hate that name. I realize it completely describes the genre, but it's still just too clunky. How about "Online Role-playing games" or "Online RPG's" since most, if not all online rpgs are Massively multi-player). Because these games occur in "real-time" there is more incentive for players to stay constantly connected.

It doesn't help that portions of Asia and Europe have reported deaths from "video game exhaustion" where many gamers spend significant amounts of time in LAN houses gaming to the exclusion of other activities like eating, sleeping and exercise. These occurrences might explain a recent rise in denunciations from civic, religious and community leaders.

I personally feel that the problem is more cultural than psychological or medical. However, I'll gladly accept any well-researched, properly conducted medical theories which include systemic cerebral responses to known addiction centers.

To me, excessive video game playing is akin to excessive television watching, book reading, fly-fishing, marathon running, car-driving or any other sort of activity that only has intrinsic value to those who enjoy engaging in it.

Video gaming still holds the stigma of depressed, socially awkward and inept teenage males cut off from the real world in their parents' basements. This stereotype like all others may possibly never go away despite the industry's proven ability for economic success, culture relevance and artistic merits.

Unless the video game industry can exact a certain sense of legitimacy in an ever-saturated media climate they could potentially find themselves on the wrong end of a scientifically accepted stereotype.

Or, perhaps the problem lies in well-adjusted educated adults who sub-consciously feel guilty about their contempt and inability to find value in something that seems so accepted by a large audience.

Maybe.

  • Posted Sep 9, 2009 12:19 pm PT
  • Category: Editorial
  • 217 Comments

217 Comments

  • Rottenwood

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 1:05 pm PT

    I believe the problems of video game addiction is an avenue well worth exploring. Some of us in the gaming community have a legitimate problem, and it's better to put it out there and deal with it, rather than our usual reflexive responses of anger and/or sarcasm. Escapism is a very potent drug, and video games are one of the easiest ways to get a good strong dose.

    "Or, perhaps the problem lies in well-adjusted educated adults who sub-consciously feel guilty about their contempt and inability to find value in something that seems so accepted by a large audience."

    A well-written point, and well-taken. Video gaming's black-sheep status in the entertainment world will always be an issue, and many will assume the worst regardless of the facts, because to most lawmakers and community leaders, video games are an alien language they know nothing about. Regardless, the industry must extend the olive branch and help to solve any addiction crisis that may or may not exist.

  • masterpinky2000

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 1:22 pm PT

    There are some pretty frightening documentaries out there attesting to the addictive potential of games like World of Warcraft.

    But the problem with the industry isn't the addiction itself, it's the negative media attention that gaming has received lately. After all, millions of Americans are addicted (even by medical standards) to coffee/caffeine. And that's not a problem for the coffee industry -- it's actually essential to the industry's survival!

  • Deantry

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 1:26 pm PT

    I think it is important for us as gamers to address this issue immediately and not deride it as fat greasy politicians trying to bring down the man. I think the reason why this issue is so touchy is because many people spend a considerable amount of time playing video games. And they don't want to be considered addicts anything near that. But at the end of the day there is a difference with the marathon runner or the excessive reader and the excessive gamer, running makes you healthier, live longer, more confident, better looking, less prone to health risks, and the list goes on; reading makes you smarter, more informed, and it is literally exercise for your brain. Video Games while having some benefit to hand eye coordination and arguably other functions, are more a form of entertainment than a productive activity.

  • titust755

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 1:27 pm PT

    when i heard the speech i was wowed by the fact he said "xbox" but even though, i really dont think it will hurt the gaming industry that much considering the average gamer is 16+ and by then most kids have there priorities straight. but i agree, do good in school so u can go to collage and play games 12 hours straight 7 days a week with no parents telling you to stop lol.

  • naughtygames

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 1:29 pm PT

    It's a good thing it hasn't been added as a legitimate addiction diagnosis. Internet addiction should be added first (if it hasn't been yet)...as it is becoming ever more ubiqitous with more and more internet cafes and wifi. Perhaps we'll see a solution in time.

  • retroguy02

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 1:44 pm PT

    Unfortunately, there are very few clinical treatment options for game addicts. There was a piece on GS a few weeks back that a "state-of-the-art" center for treating gaming addicts opened - and the price for the program was in the range of $14k. well, screw me senseless.

  • jakass13

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 1:53 pm PT

    yes, some1gets it, its not an ADDICTION!!! its no different from watchin tv or readin a magazine or book. its to pass the time nd have fun.

  • nicktarist

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 1:55 pm PT

    It's not the videogames that really cause problems within' the society. It's the lack of exercise. It's a natural cure for about half of your major phsycological disorders like ADHD, Depression, addiction etc. The fact that people become addicted to anything like drugs, or videogames, or movies, or even books, simply comes by lack of exercise (since it is sometimes encouraged in such groups). Religious and Community rebuke of videogames causes their illegitimacy in the minds of those who do play videogames. Therefore, they rebeliously play more videogames.

    It's exercise people! A mile everyday is really all you need.

  • terror_ninja posted Sep 9, 2009 2:19 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    terror_ninja

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 2:19 pm PT (hide)

    I hate people who think im addicted to video games partly my fault for not "letting any one in", but i specifically brought a HD tv for my PS3 the biggest tv in my house btw and my mum plays solitaire on the computer way more then i play on my PS3. Theres just a few strange people out there who do live in their mothers basement playing video games all day and night who ruin it for every one else by dieing.

  • Transilvanien

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 2:24 pm PT

    All very true, videogames are no different than reading, watching movies, fishing, etc., but I think that they adress it, because it's the thing that most people do. I think ... Besides, it's not videogames themselves, it's the fact that people abuse them, or don't exercise, or don't do anything else. On a side note: I noticed you're playing starwars TFU, are you liking it?

  • Safad0

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 2:27 pm PT

    @ Transilvanien

    I'm am playing SW:TFU. Like is such a strong word. The story is excellent. MUCH better than the prequels were. I would prefer this story line to those.

    The gameplay is not that great. For being called "The Force Unleashed" it sure doesn't unleash much. I wish you could create your own force powers instead of taking their five or six. I wouldn't pay more than 15 bucks for this game. Better yet, rent it.

  • MaZz-Da-mAsTeR

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 2:27 pm PT

    Very well written my friend but there are things I want to point out:-

    1- I think you took what Mr. Obama said too far. I mean, he did point out that children should not spend all their time in front of the TV or with the Xbox, but that was all he said. (And notice he said "or", which means he was not targeting video games, but television and other forms of entertainment) 2- That stereotype about gamers is not valid anymore, nor existent. I don't know about you, but here, outside the US, gaming is culturally significant and I never knew about the stereotype you mentioned until very recently.
    3- Video games are just like literature, film, television, and sport. Too much of any of those is a bad thing.

    Had to get that out of my system. Thank you.

  • raahsnavj

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 2:32 pm PT

    I find going to game sites is a bigger time waster than playing games... I read blogs and forums and more and more... I think I have an internet addiction toward gaming... and that is worse by 10x... I have to go work.

  • Safad0

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 2:33 pm PT

    @ MaZz-Da-mAsTeR

    I'm pretty sure I made all those same points. Valid or not that stereotype is a perception that is still very much alive and well. Thanks for the compliment.

  • concealedview

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 2:37 pm PT

    "To me, excessive video game playing is akin to excessive television watching, book reading, fly-fishing, marathon running, car-driving or any other sort of activity that only has intrinsic value to those who enjoy engaging in it."

    Couldn't have said it better myself. I'll take video game addiction seriously when people start vomiting and shivering because they can't play. And on a side note:
    Irritability is barely a "symptom" of anything. I can get irritable just by having a bad day at work. Seriously....

  • Samson089

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 2:40 pm PT

    It isn't exactly like the fulfilment you get from a good book or flyfishing, and car driving and marathon runners mostly do it for a rush or endorphin "high". The addiction isn't so much attached to the games themselves but the fulfilment and sence of achievement that you get from playing games. It's definatly sociological and connected directly to personal competition and the desire to be better than others at something. The reason that it isn't considered an addiction is the same reason you can't consider a workaholic an addict, there is no treatment to "cure" you to strive to be better than others. It's hardwired in our heads.

  • concealedview

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 2:44 pm PT

    "I think it is important for us as gamers to address this issue immediately and not deride it as fat greasy politicians trying to bring down the man. I think the reason why this issue is so touchy is because many people spend a considerable amount of time playing video games. And they don't want to be considered addicts anything near that. But at the end of the day there is a difference with the marathon runner or the excessive reader and the excessive gamer, running makes you healthier, live longer, more confident, better looking, less prone to health risks, and the list goes on; reading makes you smarter, more informed, and it is literally exercise for your brain. Video Games while having some benefit to hand eye coordination and arguably other functions, are more a form of entertainment than a productive activity. "
    @Deantry
    So you're saying it's OK to get addicted to something that's seen as healthy or good? That's probably the most simple minded thing I've heard in a really long time. If a guy read a book for hours a day without sleeping or eating, I'm sure his friends and family would have a problem with it. I doubt they'd all be like, "Nah it's cool, he's just reading a book, it's a good thing."

    The obvious problem here is that some people don't know how to MODERATE. These video game "addicts" could be addicted to anything. It's just a matter of their lack of comprehension.

  • concealedview

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 2:49 pm PT

    @Rottenwood
    The people that have a video game addiction problem just don't have self-control. I'm sure if you handed them a cup and ball with a string tied to it they'd probably do that for hours a day.

  • dbpvivi

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 3:10 pm PT

    It's all about balance. Too much of one thing is never good. Be it work or play. Not being able to do that makes you an addict; be it games or anything else.

  • samissleman17

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 3:10 pm PT

    I'm more addicted to video games than anything else really... it really can be a problem in ruining people's social lives. But seriously, people lie about their tv hours, and their time on the internet all the time. And if you take someone's computer away, they'll throw a fit too.

  • alexLmx6

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 3:32 pm PT

    moderation is the key to everything, theres nothing wrong with videogames as long as you do other things to keep your life well rounded, i mean you shouldn't spend all your time studying or playing baseball either

  • thebaconthief

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 3:50 pm PT

    The idea of having a gaming addiction is plausible. Just about everything else, one can dedicate too much time on one thing; gambling, television, running, working, just to name a few. I think the best example akin to gaming is gambling. Often times people would spend a little here and there in Vegas, Atlantic City, or on the lottery but the thing is gambling addiction more mainstream to everyone than the likes of gaming addiction (and the downsides are more noticeable). If you spoke with a parent in the baby boomers generation, spending only a few hours a day is considered gaming addiction to them. I think the only way gaming addiction will be recognized is to close the generation gap first through education. Teaching that anything can be abused like alcohol and gambling may, just may, get the point across.

  • PepitoneConQues

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 3:52 pm PT

    Phew...
    I guess Obama is okay with Playstation.

  • cyborg100000

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 4:00 pm PT

    Like people say take it in moderation and it'll be fine.

  • zografos123

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 4:08 pm PT

    Anything that can be overused, if overused, is bad for us. Even if we drink too much water there are going to be problems.

  • Lone_Recon

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 4:17 pm PT

    Haha nice comment you made there. (The last one.)

  • Nameme99

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 4:18 pm PT

    To much of anything can be harmful.

  • ordion2323

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 4:24 pm PT

    I don't think Obama is the most powerful person in the world but I do agree with you.

  • Rottenwood

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 4:29 pm PT

    @concealedview

    "The people that have a video game addiction problem just don't have self-control. I'm sure if you handed them a cup and ball with a string tied to it they'd probably do that for hours a day."

    I disagree. While ball-in-a-cup is good clean fun, it doesn't have any of the potentially addictive qualities that video games have. If you really look at the hobby, it's based around an attitude that borders on addiction in many ways. Going for high scores, level grinding, raid progression, rare drops, achievements, etc. The person dumping 12 hours a day into World of WarCraft is hooked on that game for a specific reason; s/he's not going to get the same satisfaction from foosball or stamps. If gaming addicts could just get addicted to any old thing, they'd have died from eating paste in grade school long ago.

    A lot of posts here where people just casually tell gaming addicts to shake it off and try moderation. I'm guessing these cats have never really dealt with an addict.

  • dracula7888

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 4:37 pm PT

    Good article, I've been advocating the same for a while, video games aren't any more of a time waste than watching reality tv.

  • GreenNinjaN

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 5:15 pm PT

    I totally agree with this article. The problem with the stereotype is that there are so many people who are living examples of it. For some reason there always seems to be more bad then good when it comes to anything but thats not really the case its just easy to get fixated on the bad examples and forget about the majority of normal people who game yet still live regular lives outside of their parents' basements. But the most common place you see this kind of "addiction" is in the MMORPG (I'm with you, that needs to be renamed) I have two roommates here at college that play WoW every time they aren't in class. I'm no shining example myself but I'm not exactly spending all of my off time gaming. Which reminds me, if anyone here is interested in this subject you would appreciate the webshow called The Guild. If you haven't seen this show its dealing with exactly this subject but in a hilarious way. Watch it at www.watchtheguild.com

  • bjareske

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 5:58 pm PT

    I think that this is just part of the intergration of gaming into the mainstream. Just like you mentioned TV is part of the dont waste your time mantra. Although games are interactive and you do actually have to think about what you're doing, rather than being passive.

  • R3NeGaDeAnGeL

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 6:03 pm PT

    "Video gaming still holds the stigma of depressed, socially awkward and inept teenage males cut off from the real world in their parents' basements."

    We all need to put that stereotype aside by showing how not true that is for most of us these days...girl gamers have risen, many gamers are now adults with their own spouses and in their own houses, and just because a person is a gamer doesn't mean they can't be an athlete or a social butterfly as well!

  • feliscele

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 6:07 pm PT

    Everyone knows Obama is a Nintendo fanboy. The man has a Wii in the White House!
    Great article.

  • cparker2510

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 6:11 pm PT

    the source of addiction is rarely an external one. since we're certainly not going to lump videogames into the same category as cocaine (or any substance that causes chemical imbalances which lead to physical withdrawal symptoms), it's almost safe to say that addiction in many cases lie more with the individual's personality than that which they have become "addicted" to. if that is the case, it's time to rethink "love the sinner, hate the sin," and focus on the psychology behind addiction instead of demonizing an outlet like videogames (or disco).

  • 1_9_9_4

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 6:49 pm PT

    I think for the vast majority of people videogames are not an addiction, just an enjoyable activity or hobby. Ironically the people that put out the kind of medical studies mentioned in the editorial above are probably addicted to the caffein in their morning cup of coffee.

  • HunterOG

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 7:33 pm PT

    Absolutely, video games are 100% completely and utterly addictive. So is sex, drugs, music, television, company, eating, and making money. Yet all these other things are an integral part of our society and their use is undeniably what defines our culture.

    The fact that video game addiction is getting wide-spread media coverage is solid proof that the industry is doing exceptionally well. Censorship was also a big concern for gamers, but that has been done away with pretty much altogether. However, though initial reactions to new uses of human energy are often knee-jerk and inclined to squash whatever it's pointed towards, contemporary American culture isn't known for the restrictions that it places on media.

    Our nation has a huge population of individuals who are in the grips of a negative addiction, human beings who are simply unable to control themselves, and slip through the cracks of society. These people exist in every generation and are the unfortunate souls whose behavior is poorly adapted to the temptations of our time. It's tragic, on an individual level, but it is also becomes the responsibility of surrounding individuals to help this person avoid such behavior (as opposed to a litigating body).

  • HunterOG

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 7:33 pm PT

    There is certainly a fear among a great many people that America is becoming a den of iniquity, where the sheer level of temptation is eventually going to reach a tipping point, as the general population finds itself unable to cope with reality due to distraction via all the sources listed above. But it's not out of any sort of strong moral stance (at least not among the truly intelligent) - but rather the xenophobic fear that a harder-working race/nationality/whatever will gain a foothold in being able to annex our society. Essentially, the push against gaming from such powerful men and women is this: those in service of large institutions attempting to cope with a threat to their metaphysical boss.

    Yet a good time has always been considered a threat to societies. Alcohol, music, films, television, music again, drugs, all these things have been met with violent and vehement opposition at times. Yet all these things have survived t this day, and are better than ever before, and have had a tremendous role in shaping our lives. France in the late 19th century was called a 'pornocracy.' The Hunchback of Notre Dame was written as a metaphor to demonstrate how the printing press was going to mean the death of great civic architecture. Some people just can't handle fun, be they at the top or bottom rungs of society.

  • glitchgeeman

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 8:42 pm PT

    Like I always say, everything in moderation. If you're really gonna play 5 hours of video games in one sitting, be sure to at least jog or work out for a few hours. It doesn't have to be anything major, just enough to remind you that you have muscles in areas other than your thumbs.

  • 06JRM06

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 8:48 pm PT

    I used to be "addicted", thankfully it tired me out and I changed my life drastically. Haven't played videogames in months, but I'm looking forward to a PS3.

  • evil_angel74

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 9:25 pm PT

    i just wanna say that was a very good read.

  • ShiningBashir10

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 10:17 pm PT

    I completely agree with your essay,u said everything on my about this matter,but i was would like to add something that in my opinion is one cause of why people play videogames too much.I think parents are the main reason why kids start playing video games in the first place and get attached to it so much,many parents fear that their children may go play on the street and meet bad friends that will teach them bad habits,get kidnapped,or get lost,or even getting into an accident(god forbidden),parent fear on their children's safety so much that they are willing to lock up their children inside the house and get them a videogame system to entertain themselves indoors instead of "indangering"themselves outdoors.And as children they can't control their habits,and since videogaming is very entertaining the child will get more and more attached to videogaming and then eventually spend Alot of time gaming.Sadly parents don't realize that issue until its too late.Every hobby that is over-excercised is dangerous,playing too much soccer will not make you healthier,it will injure your legs.

  • jbrejot

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 11:04 pm PT

    @ Rottenwood and Concealedview

    Agree with you 100% on this Rotten. You have no validity in your statement Concealed. And very well written editorial Safa. Your writing is light years above most other user written things I read on this site.

  • ropumar

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 11:06 pm PT

    Gaming will overtake the world in 25years, there is nothing family conservatives, religious, civic, communities can do about that.
    Gaming will be bigger than all sports combined in terms of reach and time people spend doing on total.
    Bigger than any entertainment industry.
    It is unavoidable.

  • zaku101

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 11:26 pm PT

    The only problem with "video game addiction" Is society is scared that these video game addicts will contribute nothing worthwhile like drug addicts and welfare monkeys. Parents don't want to see their kids become failures and generally most people don't want failures in society.

  • darkman545

    Posted Sep 10, 2009 12:35 am PT

    @Zituletz
    I totally agree. Survival of the Fittest...aka, the most fit survive. And crackheads that die because of video games...well that is just moronic. I'm not judging, but hey, stupid and ignorant people are just a nuisance.

    Great read btw. You hit the nail on the head with the whole intrinsic thing. Since it's not an extrinsic thing, where all your friends and family can participate at once and be in the same room with you, people start stereotyping "the guy that talks to his only friends on a headset", that's not me, but that is one of many video game stereotypes. Again good article! Kbeans to you sir!

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