peer-mentor
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Got an MMO addiction? Just /shout "LF Counselor!"
Out of the hojillions of World of Warcraft players in the world, there are undoubtedly some that love the game just a little too much. Perhaps some of these addicted players would find it easier to ween themselves off WoW with a bit of professional help from a therapist of some sort. But then again, how the heck is anyone going to convince them to stop playing long enough to go and seek help? According to Dr. Richard Graham, a consultant psychiatrist at the Tavistock Centre in London who was recently interviewed by Telegraph, we shouldn't have to. Why not just treat them right there in-game?Dr. Graham is doing more than simply posing his idea to the psychiatric world; he's kicking this plan into action. "We will be launching this project by the end of the year. I think it's already clear that psychiatrists will have to stay within the parameters of the game. They certainly wouldn't be wandering around the game in white coats and would have to use the same characters available to other players." He has appealed to Blizzard to get discounted or waived fees for his counselors but hasn't heard back from them yet. He also recognizes that while his team might be good therapists, they might not be good gamers. As such, he'd like to get some sort of "peer mentor" system going, with existing WoW players helping out. So, who's in?[Via GamePolitics]
