First Gaming Detox Center Opened in the Netherlands

[Lemur]

I think this is funny, but I can't be sure. Do you need help kicking the habit? (Sounds like an MMORPG detox center, really.)

Kicking the Habit

The first step, as always, is admitting you have a problem. Most gamers have encountered the issue, whether through anecdotes, in their own lives or via the stream of alarmist news of far eastern gamers' fatal marathon play-sessions, and now the Netherlands' Smith & Jones centre believes it might have the answer.

Founded as a house for 12-step programs of varying addictions, the centre is undergoing preparations for a new treatment residential program covering games. From the centre's website: "We began to see a need for such attention in this area in 2005, when a small number of clients being admitted into the WILD HORSES CENTER for drug and alcohol addictions were also telling us about their compulsive gaming behavior. [. . .] We had never heard of people spending up to 16 hours on a game trying to 'level up'."

Smith & Jones is just as forthcoming as to its method of treatment, claiming it has observed "withdrawal symptoms as chemically dependent people" and have concluded that the truly game-addicted have no other option than to give up the gaming ghost entirely, by means of replacing those "time warp" hours with real-life high-adrenaline replacements.

More information on the centre and its gaming program, set to open this July, is available at their website.

[Husar]

No, noooooo, I´m not sick, no really....I don´t need help.....my gaming has nothing to do with my heroin......it´s a whole different matter........no, leave me alone.......go away!!!!111!11.....please........nono..I will stop playing now....I ...erm...have..many friends....I can count them on my hand.....one......erm.......no, not a psychiatric....I´m fine thanks......thanks for the offer, but I´m not sick......no, I don´t need a doctor, my PC is only running for 40 hours now.......yes, I ate some...crisps.....water?....yes, there is water in Cola...right?........nono, my sentence building is alright, like my just gmarmar.....

Yeah, i think it´s funny, but obviously I don´t need it.

[The_Emperor]

Having played World of Warcraft for a while last year I can honestly say that gaming addiction does exist and I have seen its effects on others (as well as myself).

Games like that do destroy lives and stories have surfaced about people who literally died in front of their keyboards playing...

Needless to say I was smart enough to stop, but after seeing the effects of a rank 14 honour system grind on a friend of mine I can see how destructive these things can be on someone. (he stopped at rank 11)

All that said, the vast majority of gamers do not have a problem and playing can be a great passtime, but it is not always the case. Gaming, like drinking or eating needs to be done in moderation.

There is of course always the temptation to go a little overboard. MMO games though of course thrive on addiction and providing players with a lengthy grind to level up, a genre to stay away from imo.

[Husar]

All that said, the vast majority of gamers do not have a problem and playing can be a great passtime, but it is not always the case. Gaming, like drinking or eating needs to be done in moderation.

Exactly, I can ignore being hungry or thirsty for two hours maybe, but then I will definitely need to eat/drink, that´s why I can´t understand people playing until they die of exhaustion, there´s also no fun playing with closed eyes because you´re so tired.

[The_Emperor]

Exactly, I can ignore being hungry or thirsty for two hours maybe, but then I will definitely need to eat/drink, that´s why I can´t understand people playing until they die of exhaustion, there´s also no fun playing with closed eyes because you´re so tired.

yep and thats what i realised when i examined the pvp system in wow more closely.

In that game they have a pvp ranking system of items being purchasable when you reach a certain rank. Ranking happens weekly and your rank can decay if you do not get enough points by winning battlegrounds or killing the enemy.

As a system though your rank is calculated on how much you personally contribute to the global points pool vs everyone else in your faction, that means you need to get a flat percentage of the total faction share each rank for your advancement to be calculated.

Advancement starts off fast (one rank per week fast) and slows up as you get higher to the point where ranking up from 13 to the final 14 takes close to a month and a half.
But the worst aspect of this system is that your severely punished by points decay. I won't bore you with the calculations but in this system if you take a week off and do no pvp for that week it will literally take a month's worth of pvp to make up for the loss in rank points for that week.

The end result is players being forced to play for every hour avaliable to them in order to stay ahead in the points race. This happens every day, every week for close to 3 months to reach High Warlord of your faction to be able to buy the best gear...

I knew of guys who worked a 9 til 5 job and played all evenings til midnight and all day on weekends until similar times for months and they always cutoff at around rank 11 out of 14. (thats doing nothing but playing pvp in this game when your not working or sleeping)
Rank 14 is a 24/7 playing grind for months and it has screwed people up. Its also the reason why Blizzard are getting sued by the parents of a kid that died in front of his computer due to this lunacy.

I don't understand what makes a person to allow themselves to be pushed that far by a game, but it happens... And unrestricted systems being implemented like this "Honor system" just make it worse.

[Husar]

Advancement starts off fast (one rank per week fast) and slows up as you get higher to the point where ranking up from 13 to the final 14 takes close to a month and a half.
But the worst aspect of this system is that your severely punished by points decay. I won't bore you with the calculations but in this system if you take a week off and do no pvp for that week it will literally take a month's worth of pvp to make up for the loss in rank points for that week.

The end result is players being forced to play for every hour avaliable to them in order to stay ahead in the points race. This happens every day, every week for close to 3 months to reach High Warlord of your faction to be able to buy the best gear...

I knew of guys who worked a 9 til 5 job and played all evenings til midnight and all day on weekends until similar times for months and they always cutoff at around rank 11 out of 14. (thats doing nothing but playing pvp in this game when your not working or sleeping)
Rank 14 is a 24/7 playing grind for months and it has screwed people up. Its also the reason why Blizzard are getting sued by the parents of a kid that died in front of his computer due to this lunacy.

I don't understand what makes a person to allow themselves to be pushed that far by a game, but it happens... And unrestricted systems being implemented like this "Honor system" just make it worse.

Yes, I hate WoW, it kinda destroyed a clan I was in...
I never played it myself and don´t plan to, some people play it in the university on their laptops, I watched a bit, and still don´t want it.
The pvp system as you describe it sounds really bad, no wonder people play for very long. I play Americas Army from time to time, but at least I know I won´t lose any points for not playing for a month or two. Still, if I would, I wouldn´t care much.
It´s good to hear people sue Blizzard for that, I don´t think such a system is of any good, it sounds more like something that ensures people keep playing and making Blizzard rich.

[doc_bean]

Anyone got a link to an article about the kid that died from playing WoW ?

[English assassin]

If a lord of the rings MMORPG's was addictive does that make it hobbit forming?

Ahem.

[Fragony]

Yay another useless institution because people with beards and sandals need jobs and tax money needs to be spend

[Lemur]

Anyone got a link to an article about the kid that died from playing WoW ?

Let's see, there's the Korean couple that allowed their baby to die of neglect while playing WoW, then there's the Chinese kid whose death was linked to WoW. Not sure about any other cases ...

[Lehesu]

Everything in moderation. Playing computer games a lot is only okay if you do something else during the week, preferably a sport or exercise of some sort. I game a lot, but I also run, lift weights, play the violin and piano, and work. Balance.

[Boohugh]

I don't know about other MMORPG's, but WoW is certainly very addictive, and I think people could very easily become hooked on it. If you're in a guild that does the end-game 40-man content, you often feel compelled to raid every night, especially if you play an important class such as the main tank (who will have the best gear and so can't be replaced easily) or a healer (of which there always seems a shortage). This can have a massive impact on your social life and your school/work. How do I know this? Because it happened to me .

I was normally very sociable and an active sportsman (I play waterpolo for 2 clubs) but I increasingly found I skipped training or told my friends I had other things to do and stayed in to play WoW. I would also miss lectures during the day because I wanted to play, causing my grades to slip. This went on for about 9 months before I realised I had a fairly serious problem, and I would describe myself as addicted to the game. It took 3 more months before I finally cancelled my subscription and quit the game completely.

I've been "clean" since 1st May, and I've now got a job and am enjoying my waterpolo again (was top scorer for my uni team this year, with most of my goals coming since I quit WoW ). There have been drawbacks however. I still yearn to reactivate my account and play again, but I know its just a slippery slope so I have resisted so far. I don't really find any other games as good anymore and have basically lost my appetite to play any other computer games. I suppose these can only be described as withdrawal symptoms so I hope they will pass over time.

I don't really know why I've just said all this, I've never talked to anyone else about it (its amazing how your behaviour changes in internet chat rooms, but that a topic for another time), but it'll probably do me some good to have gotten it off my chest.

Anyway, back on topic, I think this centre is a good idea as I do believe people can become addicted to games in the same way as alcoholism or drug addiction, and although I never got to that stage, its nice to know there are people around that would actually help you should it ever happen, instead of just laughing in your face about it.

[Husar]

I don't really know why I've just said all this, I've never talked to anyone else about it (its amazing how your behaviour changes in internet chat rooms, but that a topic for another time), but it'll probably do me some good to have gotten it off my chest.

Yeah, and nobody should laugh in your face for being honest.

Anyway, back on topic, I think this centre is a good idea as I do believe people can become addicted to games in the same way as alcoholism or drug addiction, and although I never got to that stage, its nice to know there are people around that would actually help you should it ever happen, instead of just laughing in your face about it.

It´s nice to have these people around, but I personally think there may be something wrong with World of Warcraft, I haven´t heard about someone playing a flight simulation or strategy game to death(not even an online shooter I think), maybe some regulations concerning this are required. Instead of more banana curvature guidelines the EU may try to regulate some games which destroy peoples´lives to make Blizzard and others rich.

I like long games with a lot of things to do, but those I played never required me to play in order to keep a certain statusand not being downgraded.
Besides I value my friends over any game, I still have enough spare time to play anyway.

[doc_bean]

It´s nice to have these people around, but I personally think there may be something wrong with World of Warcraft

Its MMORPGs in general, I've heard horror stories as far back as EverQuest.

Counterstrike has its addicts too I think. Basically anything with clans or guilds in it is 'dangerous' I guess.

[AntiochusIII]

Multiplayer games are arguably the only groups of games that can create such a situation, and the nature of MMORPGs will make it even more "dangerous."

Addiction to other games are, of course, possible, but will be much easier to "heal" and much less damaging in most cases.

The nature of MMORPGs that I spoke of is the creation of a virtual community and a virtual--even false--obligation. The individual will feel the need to "serve the clan," "help a friend," "gain my status (respect, in other terms)," or other activities that a game might require. The result involves retreating from the real world and neglecting his or her responsibilities. World of Warcraft being pinpointed in particular is only because it is the largest, hottest, and most prominent of games of this nature. Others can do the same.

You'll be surprised how large the scope of this problem is. Many Asian countries--those games-producing, or maybe just game-consuming ones, like Korea--have serious troubles on the issue. It's no longer an individual issue there but a social one. Unfortunately, the reaction of the old guards--ahem, the powers-that-be--more or less involve knee-jerk reactions, more useless, rights-breaking regulations, blaming its damage in a far larger scope, turning the issue into a scapegoat, especially for parents and their votes, and others which make my blood boil.

But oh well. Politicians. That word is more offensive than any cussing could ever be.

This clinic in the Netherlands seem rather useless in practical utility since its only real advantage is to give encouragements and help the individuals trapped in the addiction of MMORPGs regulate themselves. Medications? Nah.

The problem is individual by nature; far-reaching regulations? I'm gonna be a Thoreau on this one.

[edyzmedieval]

Good thing I never played WoW.....

[Lemur]

Actually, there's a good reason I've completely dropped MMORPGs from my life. To play them well, competitively, you have no choice but to devote an ungodly number of man-hours to them. And you can't just hit "pause" and go take care of your chores, loved ones, etc.

I've reverted to an entirely single-player mode when it comes to computer games.

[Husar]

Actually, there's a good reason I've completely dropped MMORPGs from my life. To play them well, competitively, you have no choice but to devote an ungodly number of man-hours to them. And you can't just hit "pause" and go take care of your chores, loved ones, etc.

I never touched them because I refuse to pay a monthly fee to play a game, simple as that. Another reson is they´re all medieval/japanese fantasy or sci-fi.

I've reverted to an entirely single-player mode when it comes to computer games.

I like playing in multiplayer, but usually against people I know already, either reallife or online friends.

[edyzmedieval]

Guild Wars is definitely the solution I think. I don't like paying a monthly fee...

[Mithradates]

Has anyone seen the instance where a guy murdered some one because he stole their online sword after he lent it to them? That is the kind of crazy things that online games can cause! Killed for a digital sword!

[The_Emperor]

Has anyone seen the instance where a guy murdered some one because he stole their online sword after he lent it to them? That is the kind of crazy things that online games can cause! Killed for a digital sword!

yeah i saw that one, the guy was lent the character and then sold the sword for cash.

[edyzmedieval]

yeah i saw that one, the guy was lent the character and then sold the sword for cash.

Oh my god...
He killed the guy for a digital sword...

[Blodrast]

The problem/cause is probably the multiplayer aspect. I've had addiction issues over 10-11 years ago, playing text-mode only muds... and it was just as bad for me and for the other people playing them at that time, as it is for people playing WoW now...