Computer Game Addiction Essay

ABSTRACTWith the uniform improvements in shimmer technology, ranging from graphics to new types of controllers to faster processors, there is a growing problem of computer blue habituation. In enounce to to the full understand this problem, one must define addiction. According to the Center for addiction and Mental Health, addiction is a psychological or a visible dependence on something.LITERATURE REVIEWIn this paper, we will plow the problem of computer plot of land addiction, one of the most addictive impales, and slip air to prevent or give up addiction.Massively Multi toucher Online Role- contend GamesGame addiction really started turning into a problem with the advent of Massively Multi pretender Online Role- Playing Games, or MMORPGs. While regular games would concord you entertained until you beat it, MMORPGs stool no ending, so there really is no reason to stop playing. MMORPGs immerse the player in the world and since there is no way to beat the game, the goa l is character progression. Leveling up your character and obtaining pause and better armor and weapons is usually the norm in most MMORPGs. dependance QuestionnaireDr. Kimberly Young, known as the worlds foremost Cyber-Psychologist, created a sic of eight questions to ask ones self to test for online gaming addiction.1) Do you need to play online games with increasing amounts of conviction in order to achieve the desired excitement?2) Are you preoccupied with gaming (thinking nigh it when offline, anticipating your next online session)?3) hurl you lied to friends and family members to conceal extent of your online gaming?4) Do you feel restless or irritable when attempting to excuse down or stop online gaming?5) Have you made repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop online gaming?6) Do you use gaming as a way of escaping from problems or relieve feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, or depression?7) Have you jeopardized or lost a significant relationshi p, or even risked your man and wife because of your online gaming habit?8) Have you jeopardized a job, educational, or attendinger probability because of your online gaming habit?Answering yes to any of those questions could mean that you argon accustom. whizz would think that video games are harmless, but once they start meddlesome with real life and even take precedence over it, thusly there is a real problem.Video game addiction has non received official recognition as a diagnosis in theDSM IV standard 8, but is still aconcern for many deal.Problems with addiction wholeness study done on the problems of addiction used a modified version of the formal definition of gambling addiction. 607 8th and 9th grade students where surveyed, and of these 15% where categorize as addicted. Of the addicted students, approximately 80% where male. Less than 30% of non-addicted student reputeed having been in a fight in the olden year, while almost 50% ofaddicted students reported the same. dependency also correlated with reported arguments with friends, and with teachers. Just as many students classified as addicted reported having a B average as those classified as nonaddicted. However, there where 4 ages as many F students classified as addictedas there where non-addicted, and far more non-addicted A students than addicted ones. non surprisingly, students classified as addicted averaged almost 4 times as much playtime as nonaddicted ones 7. These figures are somewhat worrying. man of Warcraft (WoW)The flow king of MMORPGs is World of Warcraft. According to a press release on snowstorms World of Warcraft webpage, World of Warcrafts subscriber home plate numbers more than 8.5 million, as of March 7, 2007, and it continues to grow every day. The elaboration pack that was recently released sold nearly 2.4 million copies worldwide secure on the first 24 hours 3. It is often referred to as World of Warcrack. Dr. Maressa Orzak, a Harvard professor and founder of Computer dependance Services at McLean hospital in Newton, MA, estimates that as many as 40% of the people who play WoW are addicted. She believes that games like World of Warcraft are designed to keep people in the game and that they are inherently addictive 4. in that respect are dozens of websites reasonable for the purpose of providing support for WoW addiction. The game has a feature where if you type /played into the chat interface, it displays how much time you have spent playing that spliticular character. Some people report that theyve spent 200 to 300 days played in the game 5. In 2004, Zhang Xiaoyi, a 13 year old Chinese boy, move suicide by jumping off a building afterplaying World of Warcraft for 36 hours straight. He left a suicide note locution that he wanted to join the heroes of the game he worshipped 6.Fig. 1 A large battle between the Alliance and the HordeIs it Addiction?According to Weimer-Hastings and Ng, many people who are excessive MMORPG users are not actually dependent on video games 8. They propose that many of these people use video games not because they are addicted, but because it is the only easygoing social medium for them. This was found through a comparison ofMMORPG player and other video game players. The MMORPG players tended to spend far more time playing, but much of that time is spent socializing. Some MMORPG players who showed long hours of playtime didnt actually show any of the signs of addiction 8. This study shows that care must be taken with the definition of addiction.ConclusionVideo game addiction is something we must come to terms with as a society. Whether it is fixed to be a read full fledged addiction, or just a compulsive behavior, it can still cause trouble in peoples lives. The problem will not go past either, it will probably only get worse, as designers get a better understanding of what makes consumers want their games. On the other hand, the problem is not as bad as it sounds at first. For many people these games are a social outlet, not an addiction. Video games are an integral part of many peoples lives now, and theyre here to stay. Lets learn to use them responsibly.References1. Center for Addiction and Mental Health What is Addiction? http//www.camh.net/About_Addiction_Mental_Health/Drug_and_Addiction_Information/Addiction_Information_Guide/addiction_what_is.html2. Center for Internet AddictionRecovery Are You an Obsessive Online Gamer?http//www.netaddiction.com/resources/online_trading.htm3. Blizzard Entertainment PressRelease.http//www.blizzard.com/press/070307.shtml4. Rob Wright mmORPGs and GameAddiction. August 8, 2006.http//www.twitchguru.com/2006/08/08/world_of_warcraft_players_addicted/5. WoW treat Ex-playerstestimonials.http//www.wowdetox.com/6. Associated Press ChineseWarcraftGame Distributor Sued Over Teens Suicide.May 12, 2006.http//www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,195236,00.html7. Hauge, Marny R. & Gentile, Douglas A. Video Game Addiction Among Adolescents Associations with Academic procedure and Aggression http//www.psychology.iastate.edu/FACULTY/dgentile/SRCD%20Video%20Game%20Addiction.pdf8. Wiemer-Hastings, Peter & NG, Brian D.Addiction to the Internet and Online manoeuvre Cyberpsychology & Behavior Vol8, Number 2 http//www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/cpb.2005.8.110