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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsAddiction therapists trying to help addicted in the game
by Mike Schramm 
Jul 27th 2009 at 5:00PM
Britain's Telegraph newspaper has news about addiction therapists joining the game themselves, specifically to find and seek out players who might meet the definition of addicted to World of Warcraft. They're actually looking for official Blizzard support, too. I'm not sure how much help you can actually provide by chatting with a player in the game ("Hello, it looks like you've been online for the last 16 hours, are you addicted?"), but they want to do it.Dr. Richard Graham wants to launch a program by the end of the year that includes some in-game outreach, and even he agrees that it'll be tough sell. Then again, maybe the guy just wants to play some WoW for free:
"While a psychiatrist may excel in what they do in the real world, they're probably not going to be very good at playing World of Warcraft. We may have to work at that if we are going to get through to those who play this game for hours at end."
Right. "Work.".
Seriously, sure, this is definitely an issue -- I have a psychologist friend, and he's done some work with people addicted to video games before, including World of Warcraft. But even he tells me that video game addiction is almost always a byproduct of some other form of addiction -- people already have the capability for a debilitating addiction, and they just find an outlet in Blizzard's game. From that point of view, these therapists might have more luck wandering around bars or casinos than actually looking for players in Azeroth.
I'm all for helping people who might have issues with addiction, but diving into the game and trying to both find and help people that way doesn't really seem like the best way to do it. Odds are that a WoW addiction will end up manifesting itself elsewhere in the person's life, and that's probably a better place for these guys to look
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Guilds, Odds and ends, Blizzard
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 6)
brownyboi Jul 28th 2009 5:07AM
Yeah, it is actually possible to play WoW, read and reply to posts on WoW.com, whilst not being addicted and maintaining a healthy, responsible attitude to the game.
Drag's point seemed perfectly appropriate to me; if it seemed like it cut too close to home, maybe you should re-evaluate your relationship to the game.
Wrayth Jul 28th 2009 9:34AM
Drag's comment was deliberately confrontational, insulting, and without any foundation. In other words, a 'troll'.
An ad-hominem counter is therefore entirely appropriate, if a little guilty of 'descending to his level'.
Drag Jul 28th 2009 1:33PM
"Drag's point seemed perfectly appropriate to me; if it seemed like it cut too close to home, maybe you should re-evaluate your relationship to the game."
That ^
Also, not a troll. I was serious about the second part, joking about the first. I think it's very, very amusing how everyone in this article's comments is defending their beloved game like they do.
It's just a game, and to the people who take it as more than a game, everyone should be happy that someone wants to help them.
Dan Jul 28th 2009 3:08PM
"An ad-hominem counter is therefore entirely appropriate"
I don't mean to rip this quote out of context, but... really? I can't think of a case where it would be appropriate. The indication that you can't consider the other side without being immediately defensive is a classic symptom of addiction. Just saying.
Gusshanks Jul 27th 2009 5:13PM
Wouldn't it be just awesome if the psychotherapist gets more addicted than the people he is trying to help and encouraging his patients to play a bit longer to get his epic loots?
catharsis80 Jul 27th 2009 5:21PM
Haha, yeah. I was thinking that this is a great cover for psychologists wanting to game. GG, shrinks.
Deadly. Off. Topic. Jul 28th 2009 2:12PM
I wouldn't be surprised if the excuse for them to play is "we're gonna try to help them," when the reality is, "We just wanna play while at work."
Ailian Jul 28th 2009 12:37PM
Main Entry: ad·dic·tion
Pronunciation: &-'dik-sh&n
Function: noun
: compulsive physiological need for and use of a habit-formingsubstance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly : persistent compulsive use of a substanceknown by the user to be physically, psychologically, or socially harmful
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Addiction
Taken from the Medical Definition. Now, WoW withdrawal symptoms? I call blasphemy.
Rubitard Jul 27th 2009 5:26PM
I'm a licensed anulrapist, so I'm getting a kick out of these replies.
-Tobias F.
snarkygoldfish Jul 27th 2009 5:16PM
This will all be well and good, until those therapists end up getting hooked on the game, too. ;)
Lesserheal Jul 27th 2009 5:19PM
I've been going through this for years. It really started to affect my life, and I've only recently been able to get it mostly under control.
There *are* more adverse addictions out there, but just because there are addictions that affect people to a greater degree than this does not necessarily mean that it's not worth a professional's time to attempt to set up a treatment for it. That's like saying just because having a staph infection can be less serious than pancreatic cancer, there is no reason to bother developing new antibiotics to ward off staph.
I wrote up my experiences with Online Gaming Addiction for World of Matticus a while back:
http://www.worldofmatticus.com/2009/07/02/online-gaming-addiction-part-1-my-experience/
impurezero Jul 27th 2009 5:36PM
Thank you very much. Your analogy is perfect. If these doctors feel that their specific methods might be most useful with these players, there's no reason for people to scream out, "Go council drug addicts! L2Psyche Noob!"
Also, as much as I can understand that people want to defend their hobbies, they need to understand that some things are more condusive to addiction than others. Sure, it's obvious that people "could" get addicted to anything. But let's face it...more people "do" get addicted to certain things over other things.
Wither Jul 27th 2009 5:53PM
I can get slightly obsessive about activities myself, although I'm not sure if this is synonymous with having a susceptibility for addiction.
In the article it states:
"Odds are that a WoW addiction will end up manifesting itself elsewhere in the person's life, and that's probably a better place for these guys to look"
Which subtly implies that people who are susceptible will usually end up with worse cases (gambling, alcohol, drugs). I'm not sure that is necessarily true?
What the difference between obsession and addition? Being obsessed with several healthy activities in often highly regarded, particularly if you become obsessed with a sport. Many of the world's scientific discoveries and great musical works were created through an obsession for a subject.
So my question is (as I'm a novice to psychology) - can those with a predilection for addiction turn it into a positive obsession or is it only a force for the bad ? If they can turn it to good use, then receiving help with WoW would be a good thing...
Dah Jul 27th 2009 5:47PM
I can see it now: I go afk for a long while, leaving my character logged in and come back to some shrink asking me about my childhood. lol!
Duder Jul 27th 2009 5:26PM
I'm finally glad to see a topic worth discussing here on WoW.com!
"video game addiction is almost always a byproduct of some other form of addiction" - I agree completely. As someone who stuggles with alcohol abuse myself, I find that drinking became a catalyst for my WoW addiction. As a direct result of my increased drinking, my play time went up and my enjoyment of the game went down. Let's face it, you have to do something all day while sitting around drinking until you pass out. WoW is just that type of time killer, there is no end to the game and one can play for (literally) days without running out of something to do. Furthurmore, since being an alcoholic is debilitating socially, WoW creates a type of pseduo social network (your guild friends, talking to people in trade/general or over vent) that spurs one to furthur shut down, shut in and spiral out of control. For anyone thinking that WoW itself is the true issue of addiction; I'm not saying it's not possible (as anything is possible within the realm of the human psyche) but I have to say FROM EXPERIENCE that a WoW addiction is just an indicating factor and the tip of the iceberg.
If you ever think you may be playing the game too much (or have had friends/family claim so), go speak to someone about it. It may be a peer IRL, a religion figure, a counselor, or a doctor. See if there are underlying issues that are reducing your enjoyment for the game and for life in general. Sure you may play the game less, but you may enjoy it more. In the end enjoying all life has to offer (WoW included) in a healthy way is really what it's all about.
Chris A Jul 27th 2009 5:25PM
I guess knitting, model airplanes, playing cards, and coin collecting can be classified addictions too if they consider Warcraft one.
For real though, Warcraft is a hobby just like any other hobby. It's fun. And there's nothing wrong with having fun.
Win Jul 28th 2009 5:31PM
Yeah, there is nothing wrong with having fun, but this is talking about people who are addicted. People who have neglected their real lives for the game. People who slowly lose their jobs, friends, and other relationships because they only want to play the game.
There's a difference between just having fun and being clearly addicted to the point where your outside life starts to decay.
Leviathon Jul 27th 2009 5:26PM
They could also work on getting the people who sit 15 hours in front of a TV watching some reality crap some help too.... wait television isn't as demonized as video games now days and is harder to get people to back you for.
nih Jul 27th 2009 6:46PM
Is TV worse than WoW?
I like to think that WoW promotes some social interaction and its gameplay fosters good memory habits, teamwork, etc. Unfortunately once these skills arrive, you have nothing of value left to garner from playing WoW. Then your simplified and cliche social interactions form the basis for social dependance making it much, much harder to put down than TV.
If we're talking about WoW addiction being damaging, let's look at what actually happens: relationships end over it, false and shallow relationships form to replace the one they lost, all of a player's close friends slowly become words on a screen, your only social interaction is festered with the kind of behaviour the internet is famous for, etc.
"Getting out" and "having friends" is all too easy to trade in for some cheap thrills and the ease of not having to go anywhere to get your social substitute. It's just not as real and for most people doesn't really hold much benefit in the long run. Sure, there's lots of evidence that people who wouldn't socialise normally can blossom online, but do most people really want to take a step back and use an unnecessary crutch?
We need to start thinking of MMOs as a vehicle for codependant behaviour. They're the mental equivalent of losing the use of your legs through inaction.
danawhitaker Jul 27th 2009 7:26PM
""Getting out" and "having friends" is all too easy to trade in for some cheap thrills and the ease of not having to go anywhere to get your social substitute."
Have you stopped to consider that some of us who play *can't* get out? I'm the mother of a toddler. The only other adult interaction I get is general other 'mommy' talk, which gets on my nerves after about five minutes. When I'm playing (which is usually when my daughter is asleep) I'd rather not have to pay a babysitter so I can go out and...what? Drink? Sit around some lame club? I'm grateful to have WoW as a social outlet - and I use it to socialize with friends I've had since well before WoW ever came out.