What is Digg?150 Comments
- justrasputin, on 01/03/2009, -1/+110I think that gaming is a widely misunderstood phenomenon, probably largely because today's "experts" grew up and were educated before the onset of 3D gaming. The human mind is fascinated with complex things that can be manipulated, especially when there is some sort of reward. A successful team-oriented strategy in a multiplayer game can be as intellectually rewarding as a successfully solved Rubik's cube, though in different ways. If a kid were to start solving a Rubik's cube for an hour or two a day, nobody would call him "addicted" and say that he needs help, but the same is not true for videogames.
tl;dr all this ***** about videogames, addictiveness, and violence (the latter wasn't mentioned) will disappear once teenage gamers grow up and become "experts" in their fields. - coldeh, on 01/03/2009, -4/+66Who cares - I prefer gaming to real life
- NixiePixel, on 01/03/2009, -0/+56Hey, there are worse addictions one could be pursuing as "symptoms." At least it is cheaper and healthier than crack.
- blktooth420, on 01/03/2009, -1/+30"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."
heres the kicker.
Socrates (469–399 B.C.) so i don't buy this bull. they've been saying the same stuff for years. literally - inactive, on 01/03/2009, -1/+29so is drinking, sex and drugs...... If some people and i emphasis in the term "some" are trying to fill in a void then Video game is just another avenue. At least they are not binge drinking while snorting coke off of a hookers ass.
- ryrocker, on 01/03/2009, -1/+28
i dont see why this has to be labeled an addiction...
why cant ppl just like things anymore? - NaokoAmaya, on 01/03/2009, -1/+25personally, i think gaming may help depressed people by giving them something that they love to do. playing game is better than being depressed. why taking games away from them?
- bossm4n, on 01/03/2009, -1/+25I really wanted to finish reading that, but I need to kill some zombies.
- solstice21, on 01/03/2009, -0/+21snorting coke of a hooker's ass sounds way more fun than waiting in que for my realm :)
- Spamcan, on 01/03/2009, -1/+22Anyone who commonly neglects taking any food or bathroom breaks in a 12 hour or longer session is a gaming addict. People who would rather leave their computer then have their bladder explode are not. It's that simple.
- bigfatphony19, on 01/03/2009, -1/+16I welcome the government to start a program teaching proper capitalization.
Also, that is a ***** idea. Do you want the government to intervene on every single thing that can negatively affect a person? - humanawho, on 01/03/2009, -1/+16i reject the premise that rubik's cube solving is a well accepted hobby
- DocSquidly, on 01/03/2009, -1/+14I can see why this is probably more of a problem for men, to paraphrase Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, who can't find fulfillment in the emasculated, conformist culture prevalent in this country.
- SanTe, on 01/04/2009, -0/+12It hurts book sales.
- fxu1989, on 01/03/2009, -0/+11I rather be addicted to games than to drugs, alcohol, or sex... wait, scratch that last one.
- lemur, on 01/03/2009, -0/+11I have this kind of addiction to the Internet, but I actually take my computer with me when I have to leave my desk to eat and stuff, so I'm still totally functional.
- jason221, on 01/03/2009, -0/+10Cross their legs? lmao
- mpn401, on 01/03/2009, -1/+11Mr. Smith, I don't know how to tell you this, but your addiction is actually a classic symptom of the psychological condition known as "nerdiness." I'm sorry to say that it carries debilitating lifetime effects, the major one being difficulty establishing relationships with the opposite sex.
Treatment options are fairly limited, but a recent study did show minor improvement when the subject was moved out of his parents' basement... - Phalanxia, on 01/03/2009, -1/+10Is an addiction to Digg a symptom of the same thing, or just virginity?
- nikkon, on 01/04/2009, -0/+9Gaming is no worse than watching TV (I'm looking at you, baby boomers!). Actually, it is better, as TV watching is purely passive activity. Gaming is active, involves more of your brain, and many games have you interacting with other people (unlike TV).
Now, I'm not saying that too much TV, or gaming, or email, or whatever isn't a problem. Over 8 hours of the same activity every day is a problem. - jhsnowboard, on 01/03/2009, -3/+11personally, i dont see any difference in activities such as reading and gaming.
for some extremely odd reason most people think reading is somehow healthier...which is way wrong.
i think its time for people to investigate why they have such a problem with gaming in general...hypocritical basts
if people and animals evolve, why the ***** wouldnt our activities - Daxx22, on 01/04/2009, -1/+9RELOADING!
- drewbe121212, on 01/03/2009, -0/+8... preferably all actionable at the same time.
- Cheesasaurus, on 01/03/2009, -1/+8Additionally, its an outlet for people who hate their lives or aspects of it. Online they're no longer "what's-her-name", but the character they choose. This can lead to people neglecting their outside life in order to find fulfillment in their virtual world, however.
I've personally had a situation like that happen before. I was bullied and sought gaming as a refuge because it's something I was good at. I outgrew that phase, but I do think gaming is beneficial to people who feel they can't "take" the real world. - inactive, on 02/25/2009, -0/+7and paper-print newspapers sales as well.
For one, my prehistoric father still buys and reads print newspapers and considers online news sites garbage (or fake even).
Change is hard for some people to accept. But those who accept change does benefit from it.
If video game is considered an addiction, why are airlines pilots forced to sit in front of a damn video game (FAA certified though) with multimllion dollar exact replicas of actual aircraft instruments, knobs, controls, levers etc connected to it and then practice simulated-failures for hours?
I was once flying from Bangladesh to Thailand in 2006. Upon arrival, I was to go to my hotel with the flight crews of the flight I was on. On way to the hotel, I heard their chit-chat, and here goes a brief summary of what they were talking about:
"First Officer complaining to Captain Y: Sir, I was supposed to fly with Mr Capt. Z today, but he was too afraid to fly with me after evaluating my recent practice flight in the simulator at Bangkok where I failed two critical tests. Therefore, he removed me from his flight and made me fly with you. I'm pissed."
Capt Y: "don't worry. mistakes happen. on your next simulator practice, show him your worth"
Not to mention Capt Z was a certified instructor of my airlines and an accomplished pilot, but Capt Y was anything but a pussy and and doesn't develop a rash when flying with rookies who have just joined the airlines, and also that I know Capt Y since I was a kid
Video games are being considered widely by parents as addictions, and in many cases we have seen parents firmly denying their kids their right to play games (many recent horrific incidents come to mind), yet a pilot and airlines instructor with 40 years of experience under his belt refused to fly a route with someone because he failed a test while playing a damn video game designed by the same damn people who desgined X-Plane?
A Denzel Washington quote from the movie Training Day just struck me: "Ninety percent of what you see in this newspaper is *****. But it's entertaining. That's why I read it" - drewbe121212, on 01/03/2009, -0/+7I know. You would think children would no longer be children by now, I guess.
- Shaggy3, on 01/03/2009, -0/+7To add to your thoughts, a kids parents would probably call their kid a genius for sitting around solving puzzles such as a Rubik's cube.
- fxu1989, on 01/03/2009, -0/+6It's cheaper if you download the games.
$50-$60 per game? -_-' - loggedout, on 01/03/2009, -1/+7when will the description actually be a description an not just the rambling first pararaph?
- solstice21, on 01/03/2009, -0/+6i prefer being addicted to all 4
- Sloi, on 01/04/2009, -1/+7Grabbin' peeeels!
- onimusha115, on 01/04/2009, -0/+6I dont see why its a big question of why are these people playing games as escape. Its not a huge surprise, life in general for most people is pretty repetitive and boring. I tend to lead the same life day to day, get up go to work, come home go online do the same stuff i normally do. On the weekends I'll go places but with friends that I always see and to places I always go. A video game can prove to be an escape to a new world with new adventures to entertain your mind for even a few hours. I think some people just decide they enjoy those worlds far better than their own. I think alot of it has to do with the general image video games bring to mind. Who ever says their kid is addicted to reading? I knew a few people in school that always seemed to have a book in front of them, same escape just a different media.
- biergutlol, on 01/03/2009, -0/+5the media just love that kind of nonsense..."the enemy is right among us! your children have probably already fallen prey to him!"
and ignorant parents like to think they understand their children's new fascination and then feel useful protecting them from it - johnruk, on 01/03/2009, -1/+6You can almost double that if you live in the UK, it's disgusting how much you have to pay for games over here!
- Cheesasaurus, on 01/03/2009, -0/+5Especially if it's a game with a good story, I agree. Video games can teach kids vocabulary (who knows how many words I learned from Pokemon in 1st grade!), and give them an interest in good storytelling.
- Tyrghast, on 01/04/2009, -2/+7All I know is WoW is the only escape from the life i have living with hyper-christian parents. I can't find enough high paying work to move out and start a life of my own, so i subsist on cheap fantasy.
- devila2208, on 01/04/2009, -1/+5A $60 game lasts a lot longer than a $10 crack rock.
- luminique, on 01/04/2009, -0/+4You don't "create" an introvert, either you are one or you're not, and it's a personality trait, not a problem.
Making friends and socializing is just as easy online as in real life - easier for many people - and just as rewarding. I will concede that you have a point about the "getting laid" part. - onimusha115, on 01/04/2009, -0/+4I agree, work is a problem.
- blktooth420, on 01/04/2009, -0/+4Fact. Bears eat beets. bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica
- lukas88, on 01/04/2009, -0/+4The people referred to in this article typically play for much more than an hour or two a day.
I was addicted to MMORPGs for about three years after highschool, spent easily 80 hours a week playing. It ended pretty abruptly after the realization that if I put this kind of effort into real life, I could probably have success there too. Four years later I am finishing up my last semester of college with a 4.0 GPA and a good job already waiting for me.
I think a little Cognitive Behavioral Therapy could have just about the same effect with many video game addicts. Once they realize they have the ability to expend effort intelligently, transferring it towards other kind of accomplishments not far out of reach. - Paulish, on 01/04/2009, -0/+4Because, at the end of the day, they are still depressed. They are dependent on the games. Video games are not a replacement for therapy.
It could be said that games might cause such people to lock themselves up and avoid people that might urge them to get help.
I know some people might not like what I said, but I am not new to video games. I played WoW for some time and still play other games, so don't think I am completely ignorant of the experiences they can provide. - 8ballblack, on 01/04/2009, -0/+4post-op or pre-op?
- greenblob, on 01/04/2009, -0/+4I'd be very concerned if my kid were to spend an hour or two working on a Rubik's cube. It should take him 15 minutes max.
- 00110100, on 01/04/2009, -1/+5other people and the inadequate civilization they have constructed are the problem. they like to turn it around and say i have the problem, but i know better.
- inactive, on 02/25/2009, -0/+4I'm addicted to oxygen. First tell your government to regulate my addiction
- deralte, on 01/03/2009, -0/+4also the second one
- Defiant001, on 01/03/2009, -0/+4Gaming addiction is a term I feel is used far too much in cases where it does not apply, different people play for different amounts of time. A lot of people fail to understand that it IS an enjoyable pass-time for many, when all they see is "a screen with pretty colours". I'm not trying to rationalize it for the truly addicted people, but for the general public it is an over used term.
- Konnnan, on 01/03/2009, -0/+4Might be of topic here, but:
I think a big problem with video-games is the stigma placed on being a 'gamer'. It is commonly viewed as a 'waste of time', and though the person participating in it may be enjoying the activity, they are conscious of this and perceive themselves in a negative manner.
This might have the effect of making them become more reclusive from other activities and become more involved in game-life, and yes, produce symptoms of addiction.
Gaming can be positive, so long as you are ready to accept that you enjoy it. You can jog your imagination watching movies, reading books, or playing video games, what's the difference? - sooska, on 01/04/2009, -0/+3What is this "get laid" you speak of?
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