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Internet Gaming Disorder - Do you have it?

mgilbrtsnmgilbrtsn Member EpicPosts: 3,430
I'm not sure if they are referring to gamers who play too much, or gamers who get on forums who appear to have some kind of disorder ;)

"Can video games be addictive? One U.S. expert has no doubts."

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/06/health/video-games-addiction-gentile-feat/?iid=ob_homepage_tech_pool&i

I self identify as a monkey.

Comments

  • Adjuvant1Adjuvant1 Member RarePosts: 2,100
    edited January 2016
    The propensity for addictive mentality exists before the medium. A particular "game" can also be tailored to specifically appeal, as bells and whistles, more to appropriate reward centers.

    Can a person be addicted to things? yes.
    Can a person be addicted specifically to problem solving? yes.
    Can a game be made to specifically exploit a given population? I think, yes.
    Is a targeted person virtually powerless to this intentional exploit of his brain chemicals? I think, maybe.

    This is a subject I've brought up several times. It's always met with derision, for a few reasons. A ) The people who know this is true, and are benefiting, want to keep it quiet. B ) People don't want to admit there's a possibility their will can be manipulated. C ) Not all people have brains which work "in this manner" and the idea, to them, is preposterous. D ) Truly, also existing are genuinely dumb people, and most want to make this all-inclusive with "people who get suckered", even if there is genuinely a very real, refarious, chemical process manipulation.

    edit: All kinds of things affect our "reward centers". Are they all bad? Of course not. Some are pretty important, like eating and procreation. It's when these rewards are set to overdrive, for whatever reason or intent, we become ill.


  • IAmMMOIAmMMO Member UncommonPosts: 1,462
    edited January 2016
    Some do some don't. Too much gaming does affect mental health, it tends to start making people highly strung and aggressive.
  • IselinIselin Member LegendaryPosts: 18,719
    edited January 2016
    Yes I believe that people can get addicted to internet gaming and that it's being exploited by some companies to make millions off the back of those addicted, however...

    It is still not a recognized mental disorder in the DSM5, This is what the APA has to say about it a couple of years ago:

    By listing Internet Gaming Disorder in DSM’5 Section III, APA hopes to encourage research to determine whether the condition should be added to the manual as a disorder.

    And it'll take more than one little superficial article in CNN citing some unknown psychologist to get it recognized.

    After all, Ethan Couch's defense team found a psychologist for hire willing to testify in court about "affluenza" being a real illness, and sold it to the judge.

    And speaking of companies and ways of encouraging more cash shop purchases, have you guys seen the current big budget ad campaign Clash of Clans is running using Christoph Walz? I see it in Canada all the time especially when watching NHL hockey games. There are several but this one struck me as being particularly blatant appealing to our "giving selves" to buy and gift stuff:

    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”

    ― Umberto Eco

    “Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” 
    ― CD PROJEKT RED

  • mgilbrtsnmgilbrtsn Member EpicPosts: 3,430
    Iselin said:
    Yes I believe that people can get addicted to internet gaming and that it's being exploited by some companies to make millions off the back of those addicted, however...

    It is still not a recognized mental disorder in the DSM5, This is what the APA has to say about it a couple of years ago:

    By listing Internet Gaming Disorder in DSM’5 Section III, APA hopes to encourage research to determine whether the condition should be added to the manual as a disorder.

    And it'll take more than one little superficial article in CNN citing some unknown psychologist to get it recognized.

    After all, Ethan Couch's defense team found a psychologist for hire willing to testify in court about "affluenza" being a real illness, and sold it to the judge.
    The DSM-V, like any such document requires constant updating.  I think it's pretty well recognized that people can be addicted to the virtual sphere (be it gaming, texting, news watching, etc).  The key question is whether addictions to this realm be considered separate and distinct from current recognized diagnoses.

    In addition, just because it isn't in the DSM-V, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.  The mind is ever evolving, for better and worse.  My inclination is that online addiction is a credible condition, separate and distinct.  The reason that I believe this is that I can see how to apply it.  I'll give you a personal example.

    I go to bed with my cellphone, tablet (go android), and my kindle.  I find that every few minutes, I want to check news, forums, G+, etc.  I can do this for several hours if I don't force myself to stop.  However, I do want to keep checking.  Thankfully, I am able to stop, but I can see this being a problem for people who aren't able to do this.

    I self identify as a monkey.

  • IselinIselin Member LegendaryPosts: 18,719
    mgilbrtsn said:

    In addition, just because it isn't in the DSM-V, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.  The mind is ever evolving, for better and worse.  My inclination is that online addiction is a credible condition, separate and distinct.  The reason that I believe this is that I can see how to apply it.  I'll give you a personal example.

    What the DSM5 says is that they don't recognize it as separate and distinct mental disorder. Can people get addicted to anything that is habit forming? Of course.

    But there's a big difference when talking about cause and effect with respect to video games. Do the games intrinsically do this to an otherwise healthy person or are those addicted to video games the same people who could be addicted to the home shopping network or anything else you can think of?

    Mass consumption media has been pointing fingers at video games for years and trying to cast it in the light of the cause of all kinds of aberrant behavior. Neither I nor the AMA agree with that. 
    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”

    ― Umberto Eco

    “Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” 
    ― CD PROJEKT RED

  • mgilbrtsnmgilbrtsn Member EpicPosts: 3,430
    Iselin said:
    mgilbrtsn said:

    In addition, just because it isn't in the DSM-V, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.  The mind is ever evolving, for better and worse.  My inclination is that online addiction is a credible condition, separate and distinct.  The reason that I believe this is that I can see how to apply it.  I'll give you a personal example.

    What the DSM5 says is that they don't recognize it as separate and distinct mental disorder. Can people get addicted to anything that is habit forming? Of course.

    But there's a big difference when talking about cause and effect with respect to video games. Do the games intrinsically do this to an otherwise healthy person or are those addicted to video games the same people who could be addicted to the home shopping network or anything else you can think of?

    Mass consumption media has been pointing fingers at video games for years and trying to cast it in the light of the cause of all kinds of aberrant behavior. Neither I nor the AMA agree with that. 
    Sounds like you know it a lot better than me.  I have a passing knowledge of it in a few specific areas.  As I said in my previous post, I'm unsure.  However, I can see the problem.  Whether or not it is separate and distinct, I'll leave it to the experts.  My guess that it will eventually be added as distinct, if for no other reason than 'peer' pressure from the online world.

    I self identify as a monkey.

  • tawesstawess Member EpicPosts: 4,227
    I fail to see how we need a specific diagnosis for this. It is not any different than "gambling addictiong" or any other similar thing. 

    Or is this just a way to excuse not daring to take a fight to the social norm...? 

    This have been a good conversation

  • IselinIselin Member LegendaryPosts: 18,719
    mgilbrtsn said:
    Iselin said:
    mgilbrtsn said:

    In addition, just because it isn't in the DSM-V, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.  The mind is ever evolving, for better and worse.  My inclination is that online addiction is a credible condition, separate and distinct.  The reason that I believe this is that I can see how to apply it.  I'll give you a personal example.

    What the DSM5 says is that they don't recognize it as separate and distinct mental disorder. Can people get addicted to anything that is habit forming? Of course.

    But there's a big difference when talking about cause and effect with respect to video games. Do the games intrinsically do this to an otherwise healthy person or are those addicted to video games the same people who could be addicted to the home shopping network or anything else you can think of?

    Mass consumption media has been pointing fingers at video games for years and trying to cast it in the light of the cause of all kinds of aberrant behavior. Neither I nor the AMA agree with that. 
    Sounds like you know it a lot better than me.  I have a passing knowledge of it in a few specific areas.  As I said in my previous post, I'm unsure.  However, I can see the problem.  Whether or not it is separate and distinct, I'll leave it to the experts.  My guess that it will eventually be added as distinct, if for no other reason than 'peer' pressure from the online world.
    Yeah it probably will be added eventually. After all, pathological gambling addiction was just changed from impulse control disorders (DSM4) into the substance related and addictive disorders in DSM5:

     In the DSM-IV, pathological gambling (PG) was classified under the section titled, “Impulse Control Disorders Not Elsewhere Classified,” along with Compulsive Hair Pulling (Trichotillomania); Intermittent Explosive Disorder; Kleptomania; and Pyromania. The DSM-5 work group proposed that PG be moved to the category Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders.

    But video gaming addiction hasn't even made it into the hair pulling category yet :)
    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”

    ― Umberto Eco

    “Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” 
    ― CD PROJEKT RED

  • mgilbrtsnmgilbrtsn Member EpicPosts: 3,430
    Iselin said:
    mgilbrtsn said:
    Iselin said:
    mgilbrtsn said:

    In addition, just because it isn't in the DSM-V, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.  The mind is ever evolving, for better and worse.  My inclination is that online addiction is a credible condition, separate and distinct.  The reason that I believe this is that I can see how to apply it.  I'll give you a personal example.

    What the DSM5 says is that they don't recognize it as separate and distinct mental disorder. Can people get addicted to anything that is habit forming? Of course.

    But there's a big difference when talking about cause and effect with respect to video games. Do the games intrinsically do this to an otherwise healthy person or are those addicted to video games the same people who could be addicted to the home shopping network or anything else you can think of?

    Mass consumption media has been pointing fingers at video games for years and trying to cast it in the light of the cause of all kinds of aberrant behavior. Neither I nor the AMA agree with that. 
    Sounds like you know it a lot better than me.  I have a passing knowledge of it in a few specific areas.  As I said in my previous post, I'm unsure.  However, I can see the problem.  Whether or not it is separate and distinct, I'll leave it to the experts.  My guess that it will eventually be added as distinct, if for no other reason than 'peer' pressure from the online world.
    Yeah it probably will be added eventually. After all, pathological gambling addiction was just changed from impulse control disorders (DSM4) into the substance related and addictive disorders in DSM5:

     In the DSM-IV, pathological gambling (PG) was classified under the section titled, “Impulse Control Disorders Not Elsewhere Classified,” along with Compulsive Hair Pulling (Trichotillomania); Intermittent Explosive Disorder; Kleptomania; and Pyromania. The DSM-5 work group proposed that PG be moved to the category Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders.

    But video gaming addiction hasn't even made it into the hair pulling category yet :)
    I haven't really studied the field in depth, but I've found that some changes are made based on simple things like language.  Retarded was once a neutral, clinical term until it became stigmatized.  Then we changed the term and eventually, that will fall out of fashion and new words will replace it. 

    Not everything that is added or changed or deleted is always for a purely professional/clinical reason.

    I self identify as a monkey.

  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,435
    Thanks guys, evey now and then an intelligent and insightful discussion happens on these forums, this is one of them.

    I am no expert in this field, but someone else in these forums wrote this was in the same "class" as gambling, pornography, or other non substance related addictions with the latter being such as drugs, alcohol or even sugar.

    I devote a substantial portion of my free time to gaming and know from personal and family experience its nothing at all near substance abuse addiction.

    Is it a real problem, most likely,  but I can't see it ever being to the same degree as substance abuse.

    "True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde 

    "I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant

    Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm

    Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV

    Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™

    "This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon






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