Last June, we reported on a detox clinic in Netherlands for gaming addicts. Now, a hospital in the United States offers pretty much the same thing. Located in Newton, Mass., the McLean Hospital actually has a "Computer Addiction Services" department, that aims to help people who are hopelessly immersed in video games.
The said department's coordinator, Dr. Maressa Orzack, believes that "game addiction is a true mental disorder." According to Orzack who has treated all types of addictions for 15 years, there's little difference between drug use, gambling and video game addiction. She adds that video games work on a theory pretty similar to gambling, called the "variable ratio reinforcement.
"Basically, it means that players will set a goal (like finish a particularly a hard mission), and will keep playing until they accomplish it, even if they fail doing it a couple of times. However, they would still keep playing even if they reach the said goal. Thing is, before the players know it, they're addicted. They're already immersed in that "particular gaming world," and see it as a way to escape problems in real life.
Orzack's prescription? "Video game addicts" should accept their problem and be willing to change. And therein lies probably the biggest problem as most people don't%2
From: http://www.qj.net/Game-Addiction-Actually-a-Mental-Problem-/pg/49/aid/61206
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2 comments:
The "variable ratio rienforcement" states that the rienforcement (reward) is given on a random basis. None of the Video Games that I have ever played seem to fit into this category. However the "goal setting" does fit. Trying to accomplish a certain mission and attemtping it until successful has happened many times. The feeling of accomplishment you get when completing a challenging goal is rewarding, so I can understand how people can become addicted.
I think that video games today have become an increasing problem with children and teenagers across America. I firmly believe that video games are a bad influence on the people who engage in a game and that video games are addictive. Video games have been said to be one of the main reasons why there is such bad bullying at schools and violence in the neighborhoods. If a child insists on playing video games I believe that it is the parents obligation to supervise how long their child is playing the games. Too much of video games can be a very bad thing and it should be limited to an hour a day at the most.
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