Gaming Addictions

It is believed by many, in particular gamers themselves, that online-gaming is as much as an addiction as drinking, gambling or smoking. After scouring the web, I have found a lot of stories of how people have gained weight, lost friends and have moved away from social activity.

Here is one of many arcticle's which tells the story of a University English Professor whose life was affected by World of Warcraft...

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/aug/29/world-of-warcraft-video-game-addict

"All that tethered me to anything meaningful during this time was WoW, which I clung to for dear life,"

It's worrying to read about gamers whose addictions have basically become their reason for living. Having experienced a lifetime of gaming myself, I have never found one game have such an impact in my 'real life', although I have found that gaming is an easy way to pass time and would often play for 4-5 hours. In conclusion, should these games have restrictions on how long you are allowed to play for or when you are allowed to be logged on?

The following documentary gives a brief and accessible look at players engaging in online-gaming who tell the audience how WoW has affected them. (Notice, the demographic/representation of these gamers are very similar, i.e glasses, age, gender, etc)




 "This has become such an issue in China, that the Chinese government have passed a law requiring Warcraft have an in-game timer that restricts the play time of its users!"