Patch 5.2 interview with Dave Kosak
Inside an old alt's vault
The latest patch 5.2 news
All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsDr. Phil confronts WoW players
by Mike Schramm 
Oct 22nd 2008 at 3:30PM
Yes, Oprah's psychologist (actually, I heard just the other day on Wait Wait that Dr. Phil was originally hired as a jury consultant on Oprah's beef slander case) has turned his mustachioed and Texas-accented attention to MMO gamers, and it's the usual rundown: someone's been playing the game way too much, and it's time for Dr. Phil to draw out the stereotype to anyone who finds a little fun in the online world of Azeroth.To be fair, I haven't seen the show itself, so maybe Phil does admit that millions of people around the world play these games in their free time, and that the vast majority of them have paying jobs, lead healthy lives and have happy relationships. But he doesn't feature any of those on his website -- instead, he's got the story of lives ruined over and over again because folks without self control took their game too far. And all the usual TV culprits are there -- flash cuts of chaotic keyboard and controller pressing, blurred video, and pictures of pasty gamers playing late into the night while the rest of their lives go ignored. Worried that you might be addicted? Dr. Phil's also got a "gaming behavior audit" that will let you know, in just ten questions, whether you're an addict or not. Here's a helpful question: do you feel you play online games to deal with anxiety or depression in your life? If so, you may have anxiety or depression in your life! Thanks, Dr. Phil!
In all seriousness, sure, it's possible to play these games too much, and if you're playing the game even after you've lost a job or sacrificed a relationship, it's time to get help (or even better, just unplug the computer). But it would be nice to see a healthy gamer on these shows once in a while -- there's definitely plenty of them around, too.
[via BlizzPlanet]
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, Virtual selves, Odds and ends, Blizzard, Humor
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 5)
MechChef Oct 22nd 2008 4:50PM
If there's anything about WoW hurting my life, it's Achievements. Every unfulfilled achievement just sits there taunting me. "You're not done yet! There's still more for you to do!"
/giggle
infection Oct 22nd 2008 4:52PM
I actually watched the show because my wife had it on during supper.
Here's the deal....
He talks down on the game because the guest he had on the show actually QUIT their jobs, was choosing the game over LIFE.
Jesus christ??? How is it not hard to bash something that "potentially" has that kind of effect.
You could just as easily take someone that plays basketball to much and never gets their chores done and won't come home due to being on the court playing all the time.
Get a clue??? It's the person's decision to stop having a life and to be a burden on society. There are plenty of people that do it every day that don't play wow.. it's call welfare. (yes, welfare is there for a reason, but not around where i live. almost every person exploits it)
Where is the episode for that one?
Video games doesn't produce a booming career against something like pro basketball. So get to bash video games easily.
In the end, the episode was mainly about the dudes that play it being morons. It has nothing to do with the game itself being dangerous.
You pick any topic, ANYTHING at all that has 10 million people doing it, and see if you can't find at MINIMUM 10 to 20% of people that are complete idiots that make that "said" thing a bad thing.
To see the guy post about the fact that dr phil left out a lot of key issues and things that went on during the program, makes it even funnier and sad at the same time.
Kolonus Oct 22nd 2008 4:58PM
Hey Dr. Phil,
You mess with WoW, you get the W's!
Agent StanSmith Oct 22nd 2008 5:14PM
Woohoo! I'm addicted. Oh well, it keeps me off crack.
You know how long one attempt at a Mt. Hyjal boss takes? Thats a long time to go without hitting the pipe.
zappo Oct 22nd 2008 5:17PM
One thing I wonder, is that they make a point about they guy not having a job. Now lets say the guy goes out and gets a job as a professional gamer (yes they do exist). He still games, and it's his job - and he's obsessed with his job. Now if you substitute something like stock broker for gamer, you pretty much have the same thing.
No real news here aside that Fred is a loser who is hiding from reality. Also his wife needs to kick him out. I think the teenage son is the only one in that entire family that is sane, although I do sympathize with the wife to some extent.
Apoc Oct 22nd 2008 7:28PM
Yea, in my opinion there is no such thing as an "addiction". It's all based on willpower and your own strength to pull yourself away or not. It's just that simple...
Xtyle Oct 22nd 2008 5:22PM
/stand
Hi, my name is Ed... and I'm ABPTG.
/wave
(http://www.drphil.com/articles/article/573)
Fugmug Oct 22nd 2008 5:28PM
Same old Phil doesn't even BEGIN to cover it.
Take his addiction test. Remove the references to gaming, and put in television watching.
Or better yet, put in golf, or fishing, or any other hobby that people have where someone else in their lives is bitter because that person happens to be a pain in the ass, and the hobby happens to be more enjoyable then spending time with the pain in the ass.
Turn Oprah off. She's covered everything already. It's all a re-run.
Thanks,
Fug
Wody Oct 22nd 2008 5:34PM
Methinks I detect some defensiveness? Sure we aren't all addicted, but let's face it, some people are addicted to this game. The questions on the linked page are substantive. Addiction exists, whether you like Dr. Phil or not. Just keep in mind that while it is easy for you to walk away from, it may not be so easy for someone with less mental toughness.
Ashes Oct 22nd 2008 5:47PM
I think the defensiveness comes from the fact that folks like Tyra and Dr. Phil have painted us all with a very broad brush, and make it sound like we're all like that, when we're not.
How many of us have heard people comment about how ALL gamers are nerdy, overweight, live in their mom's basement, have no life, no girlfriends, no real friends in general, etc etc etc? Now we're being told that we're essentially downing crack too, and we're too irresponsible to stop when we need to.
Yes, there is addiction, but Dr. Phil's way of treating it doesn't do much to help.
William Oct 23rd 2008 11:15AM
Ashes hit the nail on the head. Perfectly articulated.
Hoggersbud Oct 22nd 2008 5:43PM
I assure you my life was even more worthless and empty BEFORE WOW!
Jon Oct 22nd 2008 5:46PM
I am self employed, and enjoy playing WoW when I am not working. I don't have any interest in getting married or having children, or going to bars and drinking. WoW is what I do with my free time. I do play 40+ hours per week, but it's my free time and I can do whatever I want with it. I am not hurting anyone, and all my customers always come first when it comes to running my business. According to "Dr." Phil, there is something wrong with me because I choose to play WoW instead of working at a traditional job, and devoting my live to making babies.
William Oct 23rd 2008 11:21AM
I'm a single parent who works a normal 9-5. My son comes first in the evening and we often do things together, coloring, board games, books, etc. Once he's in bed however, it's time to Wow it up! Turns out being a single parent isn't conducive to going out and hanging out with friends between the hours of 8PM and Midnight... Wow lets me hang out with real people, play a game, even talk about some real life stuff (some of my relatives play too). I play 3 hours a night usually and up to 6 hours a night, monday-friday, when nothing else comes up. Am I an addict? Or am I just finding a different way to have a social life since my circumstances don't permit me a "typical" one?
ravenice Oct 22nd 2008 6:22PM
Dr. Phil is a douche, a panderer, and a sham, but he does have a legitimate point about addictive behavior in general. His 10-question survey is a good detector for making an addiction out of *anything*. Frankly, if you find yourself saying yes to many of the questions, you should probably spend some time and honestly evaluate you priorities. Hell, if you're that obsessive about doing *anything*, it can be a warning sign. You may very well have an addictive personally (which BTW is really handy if channeled constructively, e.g. being a software tester), and you need to be aware of that, or at least get it to a point where you're making conscious rational decisions that you won't end up regretting later.
Having said that, on the scale of potential addictive activities (or any activities) gaming is very very harmless. There are far more dangerous addictions out there (like drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling) that can actually damage your life far more irrevocably than 4-hours-a-night of WoW could ever hope to do, and unlike those activities, it's a lot easier to quit WoW. At the very least, WoW is a very social activity, requires lots of conscious thinking (unlike TV), and (if you are a guild master or raid leader) potentially requires you to be very organized. In fact, for an elderly person, gaming is one of the best things they can do to stay active and healthy.
We, as a society, just need to address Gaming in a rational manner. Older non-gamers need to stop freaking out and stereotyping gamers as anti-social and dangerous, and younger gamers need to stop lashing out negatively and educate people about the positives of gaming and WoW instead of acting threatened. If you are one of those gamers who happen to be self-destructive, please do yourself and everyone else a favor, get your sh*t together, and stop propagating the stereotype.
VSUReaper Oct 22nd 2008 6:24PM
Dr. Phil is just a talk show bully that likes to stroke his ego by belittling other people.
I bet if he did play wow, he would be one of those tards that run around at max lvl and gank and camp people leveling just so he can feel powerful.
Wody Oct 22nd 2008 6:49PM
Who are we defending our actions against? I somehow doubt Dr. Phil frequents Wowinsider. In some cases, more likely, individuals are defending their actions from themselves. The fact that we have to rationalize our behavior to our fellow players (and ourselves) is an indication that their may be some addiction at play here.
I am acutely aware of this, because for a time I was (and to a lesser degree still am) addicted to WoW. About a year ago I deleted my toons (epicced 70's included) and uninstalled the game from my computer. Addiction doesn't feel like you think it might. At no point while playing did I think my actions were irrational. I just felt like I was really into the game. Blizzard has done such an amazing job that it was easy (and enjoyable) to spend almost all of my free time playing the game. It is incredibly hard to play in moderation. I have gotten back into the game as an attempt to learn self-control, but I have to admit, it is not going well.
It is up to each person to try to objectively examine themselves, and to decide whether or not their life is what they want it to be. We frequently point at the couch-potato t.v. watchers and say "What about them? Why aren't you pestering them?" I believe that WoW players have nothing in common with t.v. watchers. We need active participation, and increased mental stimulation. We are a different kind of person altogether, and we are exercising our creativity in a quite unproductive way.
SeanOr101 Oct 22nd 2008 6:40PM
...If I don't play WoW every 8 hours, then I get all jittery and pale, feel sick to my stomach and feel life is not worth living. And then I sit around and complain "why, oh why can't i just play a little WoW!?!"
I'm addicted to the World of Warcrack!
XD
Seriously, why doesn't Dr.Phil deal with some of the more serious issues affecting society today. Like, say, Heroin or Crack addiction. I've lost many a friend to hard drugs over the years, but gained far more friends through WoW. He makes it sounds like WoW players are crackheads or something.
jim carey Oct 22nd 2008 6:55PM
dr. phil didnt completely ignore the fact that the game itself isnt evil... he mentioned it.. once.. i think....
the part where he asked what the guys avatar was was the best part of the show:
Dr Phil: so what are you in the game.. a monster, human?
Man: i play a resto shaman
Dr Phil: uhh... a what? *laughs at the man like he's an idiot*
me:................noob..........
Matt Oct 22nd 2008 7:01PM
It's actually illegal for him to do any psychology, so everything is now advice. He lost his "doctorate" years ago.