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Gaming is an Addiction
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
Gaming is an Addiction
If you look closely at the definition of Gambling Disorder (6C50) and Gaming Disorder (6C51) they mirror each other almost identically. Gambling Disorder or Pathological Gambling first showed up in the ICD in 2015. So what took so long for Gaming Disorder to be added to the ICD if it is at its core, it is Gambling Disorder? Do we have the rampant loot box craze to blame or was it just a matter of time before it was added?
Comments
The snowflake world we live in everyone. It's never the individual fault.
like Holds said, anything that is fun can become addicting if done too much.
and like we said anything can be a addiction, but I doubt someone would complain if you was addicted to work, or shopping, people only complain if they don't see the appeal or give then nothing out of it
Once addiction has at least been realized, it must be understood that as an addict you remain precariously on the razor's edge of addiction daily. Find a healthy hobby and use perspective. Always remember you are important to someone. Always. Stay "tuned in" to the world around you.
It sucks. However, we as responsible gamers must be a positive influence on those out there that need to be connected to the real world outside of the machine world they have become lost inside. This article is important and I challenge the journalists on this site to research and report as much as possible. There may be people that frequent this site that are hurting or lost due to losing their way.
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth
John Lennon
But not many.
There are also both chemical and psychological addictions. You can have both, if the subject of the addiction is a substance.
I accept that Gaming Disorder is a thing. That doesn't mean I am ready to see gaming regulated more.
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
I played a game called Unreal Tournament for YEARS... 8 hours per day... every single day. It was bad. It was the community and drama that kept me hooked.
Moreover, I find no ties to "gambling" as it's written above. I hate the idea of gambling with real money and would never do it... even if I had an endless supply of greenbacks.
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Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Even now, i feel horrible if i game too much. When im addicted, ill play like 40+ hours a week on top of my 60+ hour a week job and a wife and kid.
For example, in my days off from work, i end up going into work so i dont waste my time playing video games.
When bad things happen in my life i wall myself off and play video games to forget about the world. I had a patient die on me in september and spent the next month playing path of exile just so i wouldnt think about it.
Overall, video gaming is an addiction for me, i can barely control it honestly. I also think im the addiction type because i only play 1 game at a time, if im switching between games, the truth is, i dont like either.
Any thing in life can be addicting and i think gaming is a legit venue to get addicted to.
You can see my sci-fi/WW2 book recommendations.
As such, it isn't going to get any better by pointing it out, unfortunately.
For most playing games isn't addictive, even if the amount of time devoted to the hobby by some may seem extreme to others.
Addiction goes beyond such in that an activity, no matter what it may be, is compulsively pursued to such an extent that it impairs the ability of that person to function in life, and in the most extreme cases the life of that person itself.
Aloha Mr Hand !
And one addiction isn't equal to another of the same severity but a different subject. An addiction to cocaine is a lot more dangerous than an addiction to Netflix and the two really shouldn't be stigmatized on the same level.
Where I take umbridge with the topic of game addiction is that it is specifically being used to further stereotype, devalue, and even bully a group of people who have always stereotypically been devalued and bullied.
Then people pulled the politically correct card and said its rude blah blah to say or think that. Fact is, look at alcoholics. Yes some drink alone but there are tons that get drunk daily or weekly with the same people over and over.
Just because you are playing a game doesnt mean it doesnt have the same addictive and self-destructive behavior that an alcoholic and his buddies would have...
Waiting for accusations of "going after staff" for this post.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Also, alcohol contributes to the death of thousands of non-alcoholics in car accidents caused by drunk drivers every year. Gaming does not.
Like who the hell plays games on a 2 inch screen anyhow and ALL of those games are garbage as well,you couldn't pay me to play them because it would be a painful experience.
As to the rest of the people that like gaming,idk if we can cal it an addiction because it falls under the same ideals that ANYTHING we like in life,we want to do it and do it often.
it is only an addiction if you give up far more important things to game,like work,paying the bills,feed the kids etc etc.
A gambling addiction,some of those people would spend their last dollar before feeding the kids or paying the bills.I would be far more concerned with GREED and why greed is changing all facets of life for everyone.
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Fin.
Hmmm, there's a lot of vocabulary being somewhat recklessly used. The WHO has some pretty strict definitions for the terms they use. I think many of us don't understand what, specifically, those terms mean, terms like addictive, addiction and disorder.
A simple example is that we all have addictions, but that doesn't make them disorders. And not all disorders make us unhealthy or dysfunctional. Some disorders can make us even more "functional", in certain environments.
Another issue is how we react to disorders. Many react to addiction in the negative, stigmatizing and punishing the behavior. These negative reactions can make these behaviors worse and more dangerous. Like the author states, we need to be there for each other.
Admitting to having a disorder does not free one from responsibility, as some imply. Admitting to a problem helps individuals take action and find solutions. Every addiction treatment emphasizes the need to make choices.
I think something that needs to be explored are the different motivations for addiction. My addiction to nicotine is caused by a myriad of things unrelated to my addiction to MMOs. In fact, I am still trying to understand my addiction to MMOs...
TSW, LotRO, EQ2, SWTOR, GW2, V:SoH, Neverwinter, ArchAge, EQ, UO, DAoC, WAR, DDO, AoC, MO, BDO, SotA, B&S, ESO,