When to Worry About Possible Computer Game Addiction

Parents Forum
21

<p>"One thing about WoW is that there are many large scale quests that can take 1-2 hours so it's important to allow enough time at a sitting to finish."</p>

<p>Thanks, that is what DS tells me and why he gets so frantic if interrupted during his sessions. I think he is at about level 60, so hopefully it gets less interesting. He tells me that if you get off abruptly then you develop a reputation for unrelibaility which somehow hurts. </p>

<p>He did tell me that he thought if he just scheduled it right, he could avoid making his parents and perhaps GF concerned.</p>

22

<p>Your son is correct about finishing the quests. It is very poor etiquette to quit a quest before completion. They take quite a while and each member of the quest is important to the successful completion. People that have a poor reputation for quitting find it very difficult to get into quests in the future.</p>

23

<p>You might be right to worry about a computer game addiction, but you might also wonder what he is escaping from when he spends endless hours at home playing games at the expense of seeing old friends or new ones. It could be he is concerned about his grades, or his future, or his social skills. I don't know, but if you have good communications with him you might ask</p>

24

<p>Mystified - there are currently 6 million active subscriptions to WoW. The reason that people play these games is that they are fun - not because they are escaping from reality. </p>

<p>That said, some people do seem to have addiction problems with these games and have a hard time seperating from them. It's similar to gambling - most people have no problem but for some people it becomes a compulsion. It is those addictive type behaviors that are a problem and should be closely monitored.</p>

25

<p>Mystified, I am just as mystified about this as you are. Half the time I was hoping that he was just doing the equivalent of watching endless hours of mindless TV, which I could understand after weeks of being busy, and the constant exposure to people in a dormitory. </p>

<p>It is interesting to see an adult gamer's perspective.</p>

26

<p>Two of the most brilliant software programmers I knew were obssessive gamers. For the 30th birthday of one of them they set up a room with 20 huge workstations equipped with latest and greatest network and graphics cards. They and their friends all played.</p>

<p>It's an odd world, but hey, at 1000 posts and counting on a forum devoted to college apps when I have a D who's a freshman in college and an S who is only a sophomore - who am I to question it?</p>

27

<p>I have posted about online gaming in the past, and more specifically about Everquest and WOW. In a nutshell, the games' design and social component make them attractive and VERY addictive. I mentioned the social component because, contary to popular belief, the games are not really targeted at loners or social inepts. They target EVERYONE and with great success: while your typical gamers is a teenager, you'll find a ton of adults, mant housewives, and even famous athletes such as Kurt Schilling. </p>

<p>As far as getting boring, the game IS a unending set of repetitions and a major timesink. As you grow in strength or reputation, most everyone will be invited to join a "fraternity" aka guild. While not all guilds are similar, most will REQUIRE dedicated playing time most every night. This is when the guild joins up in an attempt to kill ever stronger monsters. However, the guild also expect the members to level up (acquiring and maintaining a certain level PLUS specific attributes and abilities.) Remaining a top level player -which everyone aspires to become- requires an ENORMOUS amount of time. </p>

<p>During a typical gaming lifetime, a player may get bored or find out he misses much of Real Life. However, the guild members will keep calling and talking you out of leaving. Please be aware that it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to play "just a bit" for fun. Peer pressure to join on a specific quest or speciifc kill is EVER present. IMHO the only way to quit is cold turkey, by deleting the character -although that may backfire as characters can be revived! </p>

<p>I do not want to disappoint you, but in addition to be impossible for a PLAYER to control gametime or quit. it is even harder to FORCE someone to quit. As Jmmom wrote, my account was personal. I played for a long time and successfully fooled my parents, coaches, and teachers. I started playing in middle school. I never missed homework, I still participated in all sports and activities. However, I did do the bare minimum to keep my grades up and quickly learned to function on 1 to 3 hours of sleep. And as we know, that is not enough for anyone to be competitive. </p>

<p>I finally walked away during my junior year and that was one of the BEST decision I ever made. But, do not get me wrong, the attraction is still there. I still think about the game ... most every day. As far as inducements to play in moderation, I do not think anything will work in college. At home, my only suggestion is to invest in an internet monitoring system that shuts off at night or whenever you allow play. One last suggestion is to create an account and start playing: you'll find out about the game and even find a way to communicate with your playing students. The problem is that you may soon get as addicted. </p>

<p>If you look for a silver lining, please note that several of my online friends parlayed their addiction into EXTREMELY lucrative careers in the online industry. The fancy italian cars parked in front of their offices in Socal are sure signs of success. And they are still addicted! :)</p>

28

<p>My son has always been an X-box addict. He recently started playing CounterStrike on the computer. I don't know much about it but he hasn't touched the X-Box in weeks. He plays every chance he gets. So far his grades are staying strong. But I do worry when he goes off to college. He is now only a junior but I could see it being a problem. With Counterstrike he paid a certain amount to download the game but I haven't heard from him that it has a monthly charge. Does anyone know?
He also just bought a headset that he uses to talk to his friends who are also playing the game. It is all beyond me.
We also have set the computer to have a password that he doesn't know that we sign off on when we go to bed or he would spend the whole night playing.</p>

29

<p>kathieP: What is this "lock" thing that you bought for your computer that turn off internet at scheduled times? Would love to have one. Is it easy to install? Do you buy one for each computer or can one be used at the modem level?</p>

30

<p>We tried a software version but Wow requires administrative privileges, which means the user can disable it, so that didn't work. So then my husband got a 7 day household timer that shuts off the modem to the whole house and he enclosed the outlet, timer and adapter plug in a sturdy plastic box with a padlock on it. It can be overriden easily and he can also change it for each day if he wanted to. He says for $100 he'll make one for you! The bummer is that all of us have to be done by 10:00. Both of my boys play video games with headsets and mic's. And my daughter (home on break) says that lots of guys play on-line games at her LAC.</p>

31

<p>I view gaming just like any other activity a person can get addicted to, and that includes sports, music, socializing, drinking, drugs, art, reading, studying, or whatever. You name it, a person can get addicted to it. People who are at the top of their game at whatever it is they do are addicted to it. I mean, you have to be obsessed with music to practice 8 hours a day. People who go on to get PhDs are obsessed with whatever subject it is they are researching. Often times their lives are ruined in other aspects, but we acknowledge their hard work and effort with prestige. What's different about gaming, especially from sports? They're both competitive, interactive, intense activities. And games are very, very social (the online ones in particular). The only difference, to me at least, is that one helps your muscles atrophy (just kidding!). Actually, the only difference I really see is a stigma placed on computer games (and anything else that may be considered 'nerdy' or 'geeky') in American culture. The same stigma isn't as strong in Asia or Europe, for example.</p>

32

<p>I think Magus has a point, especially considering that the video game industry has surpassed the movie industry in the U.S. in terms of dollars spent. I would feel happier about my daughter's obsession if she intended to study gaming or go into development, design, etc. But she says she doesn't want to do that. I think that video gaming will eventually achieve respectability. Many colleges are starting to offer various majors in gaming.</p>

33

<p>I think we all agree that it's not playing computer games, it's playing them to the exclusion of everything else. As texdad and jmmom said, it's a matter of balance. Somehow, my son was able to get his Eagle for Boy Scouts last year but that and marching band in the fall were his only activities besides gaming.</p>

34

<p>Mom60 - CounterStrike does not carry a monthly fee to play on the PC - only if playing through Xbox is there a fee as you need to have a subscription to Xbox Live.</p>

<p>Also, CounterStrike is not a online reality game so while it's quite fun it really doesn't have the same level of addictive quality as World of Warcraft or Everquest do.</p>

35

<p>I will throw my 2 cents at this topic...We don't do online gaming here, I have bought WOW, but we haven't activated it yet, probably over the summer. My HS freshman friends are begging her to play.</p>

<p>We are all girls and we play games, including mom. What it boils down to imo, is that you have time to play them.
It is that simple. </p>

<p>We play RPG's and we are not into "sports". Video games is where our interest lies, has nothing to do with addiction. They are fun. You just have to learn self discipline as with anything else.</p>

36

<p>The best way to limit computer gaming is to actually know what you're doing with a computer and limit a child's account in XP. But that necessitates becoming knowledgable about one of those scary electronic boxes that so many parents seem to fear (I can understand why, believe me.)</p>

<p>But if you simply go in and set administrator privileges to your account, and make your child's account a guest account, there are wonderful ways of keeping them off of certain programs.</p>

<p>Or you can always just set a password in the BIOS.</p>

<p>Or just remove any decent video card and put in a really crappy card. That'll keep them off the game, since it'll become unplayable.</p>

<p>There are so many ways of doing this that so few parents look into. ;)</p>

<p>BTW, as a gamer, I learned one quarter how addictive WoW can be. I've since learned to stop playing so much, but I do have to say that for an adult child, it's sorta an exercise in futility for the 'rents to try to stop the child from doing...well...anything. Just be glad it ain't crack.</p>

37

<p>
[quote]
Please be aware that it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to play "just a bit" for fun.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I call BS on this. I play maybe two or three times a week. I made a point of joining only a relaxed guild in order to facilitate this. So far, it's nice to come back to the game once in a while, do a quest or two, then sign off. You don't have to do big instances. Plus, if I actually do an instance run, it's my WoW for the week. It's that easy.</p>

<p>Just because some people can't say no to online people doesn't mean others are the same, xiggi.</p>

38

<p>By the way, fishingmn, WoW's highest level is still 60. It won't be 70 until Burning Crusade comes out, which won't be until at least July. Trust me, I'm waiting. Molten Core is only fun so many times.</p>

39

<p>fishingmn- thank you for your answer. I can now only hope he doesn't discover WoW.</p>

40

<p>I've seen a lot of concern in this thread and even more effortful advice, but I strongly feel that the solution is still unaddressed.</p>

<p>I used to be a crazy computer gamer. I started around 8; my life used to revolve around the computer. I still cannot quit my internet addiction sometimes. In middle school, I would wake up at 3am to play games.</p>

<p>Let me bullet-point some solutions I have discovered over the years.</p>

<p>1) The kind of game played matters the most. World of Warcraft is referred to as a MMORPG - A massively multiplayer online role playing game. These tend to sap up the most time, yet are inefficient in producing enjoyment. They are wholly engaging and addictive because they simulate obligations, priorities, and most importantly, competition.</p>

<p>2) Slow-paced games and dull games take up the most time. Playing for a straight 3 hours is typical. With a faster one that requires quick thinking, fast reflexes, and satisfying resolution, 20 minutes can be more than enough. In addition, the 20 minutes can feel more rewarding and stimulating than the 3 hours. This must be left totally to the gamers control. They choose their fate.</p>

<p>3) Enjoyment and time playing is not linear. The longer one plays, the less enjoyable it is. It's like a drug; a weaker response spurs further gaming time. We all know this inside of us, but the habit easily takes hold of the wheel.</p>

<p>4) Gaming can be replaced. Athletics is an obvious, but other more passive hobbies suffice, say drawing, cooking, reading, watching movies, etc.</p>

<p>5) Female companionship can divert some attention away from the computer :).</p>