Archive: 13 posts

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Here's an article I found on psychologytoday.com (http://www.psychologytoday.com/). Why Johnny Can't Stop Playing Video Games "I'm 18, 300 lbs., single, unemployed, friendless, and eternally tired." Published on November 8, 2010 by Ryan G. Van Cleave, Ph.D. in Unplugged "Johnny" is 18, and he can't remember the last book he read. He stopped watching TV recently because it "sucked." He dropped out of school because it's "boring." His mother got him a job at a local sandwich shop, but he stopped showing up after three days because "it got to be too much." But ask Johnny about the latest sequel to the video game Call of Duty and he's on a five-minute tirade about the pros and cons of the game's so-called improvements. He should know, after all, with as many at 80 hours a week spent playing video games on his computer, his Xbox 360, his Wii, or one of his 2 Playstation 3s. (He got a second when the first started "acting up" and he was worried he wouldn't be able to finish Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.) The American Medical Association's 2007 study found that as many as five million Johnnys (American kids 8-18) might be video game addicts. 40% of gamers are female, so there's surely some "Janes" too. But video game addiction? C'mon, that's a made-up thing, many claim. The current DSM doesn't even recognize video game addiction as a legitimate addiction. Let's examine what's happening with Johnny a bit more closely to see what's what. 1) Johnny craves more game time, no matter how much he's already played. 2) He suffers from chronic dry eyes. 3) His friends have stopped calling and coming by to hang out. 4) He sometimes doesn't shower or change clothes for days. 5) He gets extremely upset if someone suggests he might have a problem with video games. 6) He rarely leaves the house because he feels like he's missing out on something that might be happening in the games. 7) He spends his entire allowance on video game hardware and software. 8) He lies to his parents about how often he plays. 9) He sometimes skips doing his chores to keep gaming. 10) When he's not at the computer, he's irrtable and snappy. What's that all add up to? It adds up to Johnny being a video game junkie, that's what. He's hooked. Even though he admits he's tired of the games and wishes he could quit, he doesn't, and not understanding how that contradiction can exist makes him feel small, disempowered, and afraid. From there comes the inevitable shame and guilt spiral into utter despair, which he more than likely is doomed to endure alone. Johnny's suffering from video game addiction like tens of millions of other kids around the globe. China has over 200 military-style boot camps for digitally detoxing kids. South Korea has over 1,000 trained counselors to help out people hooked on video games. What's the U.S. doing about video game addiction? They're too busy laughing at him to do anything. At least the general public is. In the U.S., to admit to a problem with video game addiction is to invite ridicule, shame, and scorn. It's not [yxes]. It's not cool. To think that someone would choose a virtual existence over the pleasures of real life? It's ridiculous, most would think. And they're right. It's exactly as ridiculous as being hooked on crack, alcohol, smoking, [xes], or gambling. Johnny says, "It's depressing to know that I'm 18, 300 lbs., single, unemployed, friendless, and eternally tired." But he keeps playing because he doesn't know what else to do. We owe Johnny better than this. It starts with raising public awareness by taking crises seriously, no matter the cause. If we keep ignoring Johnny's quiet cries for help, he might become the next Shawn Woolley, who committed suicide in 2001 after being unable to overcome his addiction to Everquest. One more Shawn Woolley type of tragedy is more than we can afford. I wanted to know what everybodies thoughts on this subject were... Is it real? Are people just playing it up? If you feel comfortable with it, then post some examples of how this affects you or your friends. I made two changes in this post because I don't know if they would get it taken down... :/ The changes are in brackets. The post on psychologytoday.com (http://www.psychologytoday.com/) can be found here (http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/unplugged/201011/why-johnny-cant-stop-playing-video-games). This article was written to raise awareness for videogame addiction. Many people think that it is not real and ridicule people who believe in it or suffer from it. If you can be addicted to anything, why would videogames be excluded? The article also explains how most of the public won?t do anything to help ?Johnny? because they?re too busy laughing at him. Nobody can understand why he would choose to play videogames instead of having a real life. Videogame addiction makes the person not want to do anything else. They want to game as long as they can, as much as they can. I chose this article because it related to me. I believe this ailment is real because I am close to this point. Over the summer, I can usually get to about 14 hours a day mostly every day. I know I have a problem so I am working on playing less. This was a school assignment and this "Reflection" was copied straight from my homework.

2011-09-24 02:34:00 Author: Speedynutty68 Posts: 1614

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He isnt really addicted if he hasn't finished MGS4 in less than one sitting. But in all honesty, I don't think there is any difference between spending the day playing videogames, watching tv, listening to music, or reading. Yes. Reading. Media is media, all are different incarnations of each other. It wasn't long ago that televison and films were considered brain melting activities, but now are considered art. Videogames are the youngest media, and have yet to overcome stereotyping and fear mongering like this. "Johnny" has a problem, but it is a social problem, not a videogame problem. I could go further into this if you want, but the truth of the matter is that reading=videogaming.

2011-09-24 02:36:00 Author: poorjack Posts: 1806

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Any habitually repeated behaviour can become addictive. Addiction is real - but you could read a similar story from 30 years ago, before the advent of computers, only it might be about stamp collecting - or some other hobby. I think it's funny how they consider "Stopped Watching TV" as a warning sign - It's fine to be a 300lb stay at home couch potato as long as your watching good ole TV?! If I have a choice between playing a multi-million dollar developed interactive computer game online with a group of friends - or sitting on my own watching some god-awful reality TV show then it'll be gaming every time. Blame Johnny's addictive personality - not games Edit: So I just read the article - and at the end it says they don't want "Johnny" to become the next "Shawn Wooley" ; *one quick google search later* - You know the first thing that jumped out at me about the Shawn Wooley story, wasn't that he was addicted to Everquest - it was that - in his own mothers words - "Shawn struggled with learning disabilities and significant emotional problems".... But that's right - lets not blame someones complex emotional state for their suicide - lets blame a nice easy target - like a computer game Darn it - that's my weeks quota of rolleyes smiley

2011-09-24 02:55:00 Author: Macnme Posts: 1970

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Any habitually repeated behaviour can become addictive. Addiction is real - but you could read a similar story from 30 years ago, before the advent of computers, only it might be about stamp collecting - or some other hobby. I think it's funny how they consider "Stopped Watching TV" as a warning sign - It's fine to be a 300lb stay at home couch potato as long as your watching good ole TV?! If I have a choice between playing a multi-million dollar developed interactive computer game online with a group of friends - or sitting on my own watching some god-awful reality TV show then it'll be gaming every time. Blame Johnny's addictive personality - not games Edit: So I just read the article - and at the end it says they don't want "Johnny" to become the next "Shawn Wooley" ; *one quick google search later* - You know the first thing that jumped out at me about the Shawn Wooley story, wasn't that he was addicted to Everquest - it was that - in his own mothers words - "Shawn struggled with learning disabilities and significant emotional problems".... But that's right - lets not blame someones complex emotional state for their suicide - lets blame a nice easy target - like a computer game Darn it - that's my weeks quota of rolleyes smiley I don't even need to share my opinion in this thread, because you just did it for me.

2011-09-24 04:39:00 Author: xero Posts: 2419

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Several other things need to be qualified in order to make "Johnny's" story relevant aswell. Like, what does Johnny's diet consist of? I would be willing to bet that his weight has alot more to do with what he eats than what he plays. Also, how likeable is Johnny? - He might be a total ***hat, which is why he has no friends, or why they've stopped calling. The fact he doesn't wash or change his clothes is down to his own personal hygiene, rather than the fault of any games console This is stuck in the view that games are "unsociable" - when in fact, they are one of the most social forms of media out there. Diet, personal hygiene, social skills and work ethic have alot more to do with upbringing than with games consoles. But of course, it's much easier for parents to blame a games console than it is to blame themselves for raising a fat, unsociable, workshy ***hat

2011-09-24 05:02:00 Author: Macnme Posts: 1970

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The author just wanted you to think about the fact that 'Johnny' quit his job, does nothing but video games, skips household chores, doesn't talk to people in real life, etc. Remember, this was written by a psychiatrist to just get a point across. There could be MUCH more detail, but there isn't. Trying to point that out is kind of like going to a level that SUPPOSED to be made out of all cardboard and stuff and rating it down for that reason. I understand that everybody has opinions, so I'm not trying to discredit you or anything. Just reminding everybody of this fact.

2011-09-24 06:11:00 Author: Speedynutty68 Posts: 1614

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Just sounds to me like Johnny is depressed. He needs some help.

2011-09-24 06:19:00 Author: poorjack Posts: 1806

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I can't speak for anybody else, but let me make an honest confession here. I am addicted to video games. This isn't as simple as "it's my hobby and I like playing them". I am actually psychologically addicted to them. When I'm playing PS3 the world around me fades and I become so absorbed in the game that I can sit there for hours, needing to eat, needing to pee or most importantly needing to fulfil my responsibilities as a husband and father, yet delaying all these things just so I can reach the next level, solve the next puzzle, win the next race, put one more finishing touch to a level, etc. When I'm not playing PS3, I'm thinking about it and yearning to play again. I feel a certain sense of unease and agitation building up inside and whatever else I'm doing just doesn't feel as satisfying or rewarding as the endorphin boost that my PS3 gives me. I have a beautiful wife who has given up waiting for me to come up to bed at night because she knows that I'll be downstairs until 3 o'clock in the morning, totally engrossed in "that ****ing thing" as she calls it, and to be frank my marriage is teetering on the edge of total collapse because of this addiction. I'm trying really hard to cut down drastically on my PS3 time, and any of my PSN friends here will have noticed that I haven't been signing in so often these days, but it's still a problem for me. Even if I'm not on my PS3 then my PS3 is still inside me, constantly gnawing at my mind. So while that article might be a somewhat sensationalist and over-exagerated view of the typical game player's psychological processes, I wouldn't hesitate to say that yes, video gaming can be highly addictive and intoxicating in the same way that drugs, gambling and the exotic lady-boys of the Phillipines are addictive. Wait...what...no! Let's just forget I mentioned that last one...

2011-09-24 11:19:00 Author: Ungreth Posts: 2130

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^ Sums me up perfectly, from my snes to my ps3

2011-09-24 13:16:00 Author: gigglecrab Posts: 232

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Video games can become an addiction? Yes. But the problem is that most people can't see the difference between "gamer" and "addicted". I admit, I play a lot of video games, but I'm between the top 5 in my grade at school, and I'm average weight. I don't have any eye or muscle issues (I'm the only one in my house who doesn't have eye problems, even my cat is cross-eyed!). And yet there's people who call me "addicted". I believe that you can only call someone "addicted" when the object in question (games, TV, internet, drugs...) is affecting the user's life in a negative way. I'm sure that's not the case of most people in LBPC (if not all).

2011-09-24 16:29:00 Author: gdn001 Posts: 5891

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I'm not going to lie and say videogame addiction doesn't exist and I'd be even a bigger liar if I said I wasn't at least a little addicted to videogames myself. Although not not quite as bad as some of the people who posted before me and not nearly as bad as "Johnny"; graduated, got a job, pretty hygenic, and in pretty **** good shape because of a deep seated fear of becoming obese myself but I'd still say I'm addicted nonetheless as playing videogames is something I enjoy doing more then almost anything else and something I'd prefer to do more of if logic and habit didn't dictate otherwise. I probably clock in about 2.5 hours each weekday and 10 or so on weekends. At the same time I'd have to agree that Johnny probably has some serious emotional/psychological issues (I would guess he has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome if videogames didn't factor in so heavily in his disfunction) beyond simple videogame addiction that has resulted in him being in such a pitiful state, not to mention his parents probably didn't raise him as well as they could have considering that he seems to have a complete lack of discipline or work ethic.

2011-09-24 19:53:00 Author: Dapiek Absaroka Posts: 512

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To add on to my response in the OP (since I'm too lazy to go edit...), I can usually clock in about 6-7 hours on a weekday, 10-12 hours on a weekend, and over school breaks I can hit anywhere from 15-30 hours straight...

2011-09-24 21:13:00 Author: Speedynutty68 Posts: 1614

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I agree with Mac. That's just his personality, it's who he is. I know so many people that play games like this, but still keep up with real life social stuff, still has friends. Games are the first thing they blame for anything, hey this place got robbed, Grand Theft Auto is to blame! Hey guys, there was a shooting, Call of Dutys fault. Someone got murdered! Let's blame all games with shooting! Because the suspect OBVIOUSLY played it. If a game made someone go out and kill someone, there had to be already something wrong. But anyway, to the main topic. My opinion is that Johnny needs some type of emotional support, he has issues so he turns to games. Instead of blaming games they need to get him some help.

2011-09-26 03:30:00 Author: Unknown User

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