gaming addiction
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China to curb gaming addiction by imposing time limits on younger players
The issue of whether young people spend too much time in front of screens is a common concern around the world, especially in China where officials have introduced regulations to rein in youngsters' gaming habits. As reported by the New York Times, the Chinese government is going one step further by imposing limits on how much time children and teens spend playing computer games.
Tencent adds age-based playtime limits to ‘League of Legends’ in China
In the face of pressure from the Chinese government, Tencent and Riot Games have added age-based time limits to League of Legends in China, Polygon reports. Minors now get booted from the game after two hours of play, and the companies use China's national ID numbers -- which are used to make accounts -- to verify ages. Supposedly, the new rules are an attempt to curb gaming addiction.
HBO documentary on gaming addiction, Love Child, airs tonight
HBO takes a sobering look at the consequences of gaming addiction tonight with the premiere of Love Child, a documentary film that explores the tragic circumstances behind the death of an infant girl as her parents battled MMORPG addiction. The death of three-month old Sarang ("Love" in Korean) made national headlines when it was revealed that her malnutrition was a direct result of her parents' gaming habits. Sarang's parents, living in poverty, spent the majority of their waking hours gold farming in the now-shuttered MMORPG Prius Online as their primary source of income, caring for in-game children while their own daughter starved. Love Child speaks to detectives, game developers, and psychiatrists for their perspective on gaming addiction in South Korea and worldwide. The Sundance-featured documentary makes its HBO debut tonight at 9:00 p.m. EST. [Image: HBO / Love Child]
Gaming addiction documentary 'Love Child' premieres at Sundance
The ongoing Sundance Film Festival recently saw the debut of Love Child, a film that explores South Korea's prominent, widespread online culture and the aftereffects of what can happen when gaming addiction causes irreparable harm. In 2010 South Korean gamers Kim Yoo-chul and Choi Mi-sun were partially absolved of blame in the starving death of their infant daughter due to a court's ruling that both were intractably addicted to an online roleplaying game called "Prius." Documentarian Valerie Veatch traveled to South Korea to examine the couple's story following the incident, and discovered that while the two parents have seemingly recovered - they no longer play games and are now raising two additional children - South Korea maintains a deep, cultural fascination with online gaming. "Korean culture is all about collective organization in groups, and online gaming is the best example of such group activities," the film's producer, Dong Hyun Kim, told IndieWire. "Most people prefer playing online games with their existing real-world friends in PC bangs." "The gaming industry has such a complex economy and is based on this immersion," stated Veatch. "We're not trying to induce fear, but we're trying to open up a conversation. The Korean government itself isn't hoping to be a killjoy. They, amongst others, realize that we do need to think about these issues."
Player documents the two-headed monster of his own WoW addiction
The slow, viscous slide into a life consumed by gaming has become a media tale standard, usually including a bleary-eyed shot of the player blinking in the thin light of the computer monitor. Penned by journalists unfamiliar with the enveloping nature of MMOs, these stories skitter across the surface of a passion turned fixation. Without an understanding of the many positive forces of games like World of Warcraft, writers are unable to do more than entwine readers within a Lovecraftian tangle of gaming's most mind-numbing temptations, pushing them back into the light at the end with a complete, triumphant rebuke of the game in question. The tale of Sevrin's descent into and return from Azeroth takes a different turn. A third-year film production student from the United Kingdom, Sevrin hasn't blocked World of Warcraft from his every thought -- instead, he spent months poring over his experiences to create a documentary of his experience. IRL: In Real Life, a short film featured last week on WoW Moviewatch (watch it again after the break), takes a frank look at how incessant gaming nearly pulled a young man's life off track -- and then provided the fuel for the creative project that's helping him move on. If anyone could understand this kind of rise and fall, this dance with the glamors that wetly suck players into the virtual vortex, only to spit them out coughing and gasping with a renewed appreciation for life, it's fellow WoW Insider reader Keelhaul, aka The Mogfather, the player who racked up an incredible 1 million gold only to turn around and give it all away. "Brilliant," he commented simply on last week's Moviewatch showing of Sevrin's video. "Change a bit of the storyline and that's me as well." We suspect it's many of us, to some degree. Let's look inside at Sevrin's take.
Amateur documentary tackles online game addiction
Countless documentaries have investigated gaming addiction and the supposed dangers lurking in massively multiplayer titles, but it's not often that someone who's experienced an addiction talks about it himself. Third year film student and ex World of Warcraft junkie Anthony Rosner looks back on his six years in the game in a new short documentary on the effects of MMO addiction. With help from friends Dave Novis and Arron Amo, Anthony produced, directed, wrote, and edited the film himself, ensuring that he had the opportunity to tell his whole story and tell it from his own perspective. Titled IRL - In Real Life, the film takes a largely light-hearted look at Anthony's past but still manages to tackle the big issues. "I used to wake up early, log on, play all day, and then go to sleep," Anthony recalls, adding the sobering note that this was his routine "for over 400 days of my life." Most of us can sympathise with people who feel isolated in the most social type of game there is, or who feel like running a guild is a full-time job. Anthony tackles these issues and talks about how he dragged himself out of them. The film's high production quality and authentic voice offer a glimpse into a world to which we can all relate. Check out the full video after the cut.
Chinese couple sell their kids to pay for online gaming
It's time for the omg-that's-bloody-awful story of the week (and no we're not talking about the price of Star Wars: The Old Republic's collector's edition). According to ABC News, a Chinese couple has been apprehended for selling three children to bankroll their online gaming activities. Li Lin and Li Juan sold their baby daughter for approximately $500 as well as two sons for $4,600 each. The Sanxiang City News reported that the couple were turned over to authorities by Li Lin's mother. The newspaper also stated that the couple were unaware that they were breaking any laws, and said that "we don't want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money."
15 Minutes of Fame: Psychologist and games researcher John Hopson
From Hollywood celebrities to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? We're giving each approach its own 15 Minutes of Fame. What keeps gamers hooked on their game of choice? Chances are, it's an element of the gameplay that was teased out with the help of games researcher John Hopson. The experimental psychologist and beta program head for Microsoft Game Studios examines what makes gamers do the things they do and then designs ways to keep them happily doing just that -- most recently, in titles such as Shadow Complex, Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach. All that, and he's a WoW player to the core. "I mostly play in the two semi-official Microsoft WoW guilds, and lately I've been a hardcore player in a casual's body," he notes. "My wife and I had our first child a few months ago, so we've both dropped raiding and have been levelling alts instead since that doesn't require a fixed schedule. So far, we're both up to 5 level 80s apiece. :)" We thought it was time to turn the tables on Hopson, a loyal reader and occasional commenter at WoW.com, and ask him for his perspectives on WoW from the inside out.
South Korea increases counseling programs for compulsive gamers
Stories of internet and gaming addiction in South Korea are, unfortunately, not that unusual. The South Korean government has been working with its teenagers for several years through counseling programs, and the success of these programs is shown in the decreasing numbers of teens showing symptoms of internet addiction. While teens have been getting the help they need, another part of South Korean society has not -- those in their 20s and 30s. A series of tragic stories, like that of the 32-year-old man who died of exhaustion after a five-day gaming spree, has the government looking for a solution. According to the New York Times, the South Korean government has "plans to open rehabilitation centers for adult addicts and expand counseling for students and the unemployed, groups considered the most vulnerable to compulsive gaming." It's certainly a growing problem; psychiatrist Dr. Ha Jee-hyun says that he is currently treating an average of four adults a month for this problem, as opposed to one a month two years ago. Take a look at the New York Times article for the full story.
South Korea seeks to impose gaming curfew, makes computers 'edgy' and 'cool' in the process
Seems like China and the UK aren't the only countries worried about their kid's computing habits. According to the BBC, the South Korean government is currently mulling over plans to regulate just how much time -- and at what time -- kids play video games. It seems that a number of services are ready to follow through with suggestions made by the country's Ministry of Culture, including: Maple Story, Mabinogi (no access granted to school-age gamers between midnight and 8 am) and Dungeon and Fighter (slowing down user's connection after they've been logged in for a certain period of time). Nineteen games are said to be included in total, which is a significant portion of the country's online gaming market. This will inevitably force kids to build their own underground games on disused servers, like Chia and her friends did in William Gibson's Idoru. They'll need to do something with those 1Gbps connections, right?
Korea institutes nighttime shutdown for underaged MMO players
"You've been playing long enough, it's time to do something else now." It's a statement you'd expect to hear from your parent, but from your government? The Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has introduced a set of policies known as "nighttime shutdown" for underage users -- an enforced six hour blackout time. According to today's report in the Korean Herald, kids can choose the start time for their six hour window -- midnight, 1:00 a.m., or 2:00 a.m., and internet access will automatically shut down at that time for six hours. The point of this new "curfew" of sorts is to help curtail video game addiction among Korean citizens, a problem that's been making headlines off and on for a while. While it's only in the testing phase at the moment -- it affects four games right now, including Dungeon Fighter Online and Dragon Nest -- it will eventually expand to include 19 of the most popular online games in Korea, such as Mabinogi and MapleStory. The new policies aren't limited to nighttime shutdown, either. If an underage player is online for a significant amount of time online, a "slowdown" will come into effect, throttling back the user's connection speed and presumably making it much more difficult to play. You can read the full story in the Korean Herald. [Thanks to Amana for the tip!]
WoW.com Interview: Dr. Hilarie Cash continued
One of the thing we continually see whenever the media talks about Internet addiction and how this all works is this tendency to say it's the game's fault. Well because the government is so worried about this whole thing, the government has -- obviously a completely different kind of government, and a different kind of culture and society than we have, but because the government's worried, and because, the way I understand it, the game developers in China don't want to get in trouble with the government, they've created things like if you keep playing beyond a certain point you start losing points, and things like that.
Thai gov't shuttering gaming sites over boy's suicide
Citing "the encouragement of addictive gaming," the government of Thailand recently shut down approximately 72 websites "offering access to online gambling and games." The decision was made shortly after the tragic suicide of 12-year-old Pongsathorn Wattanabenjasopha, allegedly caused by his father banning him from playing PC games. While a variety of studies have simultaneously "proven" and "disproven" the addictive properties of video games, Bundit Sornpaisarn, director of the Rajanagarindra Child and Adolescent Mental Health Institute, told the Bangkok Post, "The boy's suicide reflected that children who were addicted to games and had an aggressive mentality were more likely to commit suicide than others." While we're not sure of the correlation with video games in Mr. Sornpaisarn's statement or why shutting down gaming/gambling websites in Thailand is the response to a child's suicide, we extend our condolences to everyone affected by the events.[Via GamePolitics]
Swedes say WoW is as addictive as crack
We've heard a few horror stories from Sweden already about excessive WoW-playing there -- we've reported on a 15-year-old collapsing after not taking any breaks, and we've even heard from a teacher in that country who's targeted World of Warcraft as a challenge to her students' attention. But now one group up there is claiming it's an epidemic -- the Youth Group Foundation has released a report comparing the game itself to cocaine, and says that of all the game addiction cases they've encountered, World of Warcraft has played a part in every one.Obviously, here at WoW Insider, we're fans of the game, and it's hard to blame an inanimate object like a computer for serious problems in someone's life -- while World of Warcraft is one of the easiest ways an addictive personality can manifest itself, millions of people around the world are able to play it and maintain healthy lives and relationships.Still, if you're playing World of Warcraft (or doing anything else) so much that it's affecting your health or social life, it's time to stop and/or get help from an organization like this. We won't blame the game for causing someone to pass out (common sense says that doing anything for 15 hours straight isn't good for you) or do poorly in school, but if either of those things are happening to you, in Sweden or anywhere else, because you're playing the game, then cut it out.
Pascal's thoughts on multiplayer games
Pascal Luban at Gamasutra is now up to part three in his series on the multiplayer megatrend in the game industry. Part one explored how game creators use multiplayer modes, online distribution, and downloadable content to increase the life span of the game. Microtransactions are also used to increase the money-making potential and also increase the speed at which "fast games" can be consumed. Finally, he explored how more interactive, believable environments enhance the gaming experience and will continue to do so as rendering abilities increase over time.The second article explored the accessibility of games and the need to play them in smaller bursts rather than long marathon sessions. This stems mainly from the types of players (meaning more casual and older players). The latest discussion is around cooperative games, quality control, mobile gaming. And then, buried on page 4 of the article, is the bit that hits us hard - asking once again if MMOs are a public health risk. There have been claims for years now that gaming addiction is a very real problem - and there have been many answers over that time. For us, we just know that we love the games and are going to continue playing them... and looking forward to the last part of this article series.
Compulsive gaming a social problem, not an addiction
Slowly but surely, people are finally starting to gain an actual understanding of gaming, and it's a nice thing to see. The BBC recently reported on gaming addiction with some insight from Keith Bakker, the head of a clinic in Europe targeted at helping gamers. 90% of gamers who spend long hours gaming, he says, aren't addicts at all and addiction counseling isn't the right treatment. Compulsive gaming is a social problem, not a psychological problem.This is a sentiment many gamers (the non-compulsive kind, mind you) have held for a really long time. Games aren't the problem for young gamers. Poor parental care is a problem, environment is a problem. Communication is important. Healthy environments are important. Games for teenagers tend to be an escape, a place to go where you don't necessarily need to deal with real problems at that age, like social issues, personal troubles, stress and anxiety.
European clinic admits game addiction isn't the issue
A couple of years after opening, a "game addiction" clinic in Amsterdam is still doing swift business, but its founder says he has realized that game addiction isn't really the problem. In fact, Smith & Jones Centre founder Keith Bakker says that 90 percent of those diagnosed with addiction are actually just compulsive gamers, pegging excessive gaming as a social problem rather than a psychological one. (And hey, he realized this just a little more than a year after the AMA. Great job!)Not that the clinic has stopped taking money to treat over-gaming, oh, no, no, no. They've simply focused treatment on teaching patients more social skills to help re-acclimate them to the world. Right ... so, basically, Bakker has become Mystery.[Thanks, Usman]
Recommending MMOs to friends
In his latest weekly column for GameSetMatch, Simon Parkin talks to the friend who took over his Final Fantasy XI account when he moved on from the game. Since he sent her his account information and deleted the game from his hard drive, he has been nagged by a feeling of guilt. Did he ruin her life by introducing her to the time-sucking grind of MMOs? He discovered that while she does spend large amounts of time in the game, she is happy for the time she has invested. She has made lasting friendships within the game and while she would not try other games, she doesn't regret her adventures in Vana'diel.Most of us find a balance between the total immersion of these virtual worlds and the demands of real life. And many real life friendships come from time spent in-game, which should be no surprise given that most relationships spring from common interest. On the other hand, we all know someone who spends far too much time in our shared worlds to be healthy.So here's the question: knowing how enjoyable MMOs can be, but also knowing that they have the potential to take over one's life, how comfortable are you in recommending them to your friends?
Gamers are not social misfits after all!
It's been what, three hours since we've heard the last research study on gaming addiction? It almost seems like we could feed every starving child in the world with this research money given to these studies, but with the ever-growing popularity of online gaming, the concern is certainly no surprise.In a shocking change of pace though, a recent study conducted by Australia's Victoria University psychology Honours graduate Dan Loton shows that gamers are in fact not social rejects. Out of 621 gamers -- mostly male, mostly Australian -- only 93 could be described as "problem gamers". This is defined as people who spend more than 50 hours a week playing online games. Curiously enough, Loton added, "We found that those who played Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games, such as World of Warcraft, were more likely to exhibit problematic game play." Aww, and we were so close, too.
CNN on WoW addiction
Last week CNN ran an editorial story about online game addictions. Its the typical story about how bad online games can be, and how this addiction can destroy a person's life. The article itself has some good examples of this, from both Final Fantasy and World of Warcraft. In particular, a specialist at the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery at Proctor Hospital, talks about a young man in his twenties. This poor fellow has lost numerous jobs, his girlfriend, and is quite the recluse since he became addicted to World of Warcraft. It's quite the unfortunate tale, and I'm sure we're all sympathetic to his plight.Many of us have someone in our family, or otherwise know someone who has dealt with an addiction. They can be a difficult period in everyone's life to deal with. Addictions to WoW and other games in the genera can be no less serious than an addiction to gambling. The results are all the same: people loose their jobs, their families, and can become severely depressed. When that happens disastrous things take place, such as the young man that lost his life in South Korea last year.The article on CNN doesn't go into any great detail about what you can do if you think you or a loved one has an addiction to WoW. It does give some tips to family members, but CNN is hardly the place to go to for medical advice. Instead, don't bother with anything else then going right to your doctor. Any doctor, at any clinic, anywhere, can at least point you in the right direction.I'm sure a few of our readers out there have dealt with this in the past, either directly or indirectly. What have you done? What stories do you have to tell?
