neils clark

Violence and addiction. What better recipe for press attention and funding than to research not one, but two sensationalist topics at once!? Excessive Computer Game Playing: Evidence for Addiction and Aggression? Published in last month’s CyberPsychology & Behavior, beat us all to it. While the claim that these researchers have staked seems enticing, how much value is there in asking these sorts of questions? Does it help the therapists, researchers, gamers and their loved ones, or is it possible for these questions to take everyone further away from actually being able to deliver that help?

Before we get to big sweeping questions, there’s a key problem that I just don’t see being addressed in a study which compares addiction against violence, and that’s causality. And I’m not just talking about whether the violence caused the addiction, or visa versa. How do you establish that gaming was the real driving force behind Lee Seung Seop’s fatal 50+ hour gaming binge, or behind the Columbine massacre, rather than the established psychological models which incorporate the biology, psychology and socialization of a person exhibiting truly excessive or troubled behaviors? This is key, and it’s glossed over in almost every single study of gamer violence and gamer addiction to date.

I think that a much more telling piece of research is the article to be released soon by Dr. Jerald Block, who was on this blog late last month talking about Columbine. Jerald noted that,

“The Columbine shooter, Eric Harris, only began making actual plans to blow up his school after his parents banned him from computer access for about a month, on the advice of a therapist.”

So what, then, is the relationship between addiction and violence? It’s unique, because people are unique. There are important distinctions that we only really see once we understand a game, and many therapists just aren’t willing to take that step. A great many therapists are waking up to the complexity of games, but many more still only barely use email. When somebody like Kimberly Young says that gaming is a problem to be stamped out, many otherwise excellent therapists are apt to listen – not because she’s actually credible and informed, but because they don’t have the first clue about what happens inside of a game - let alone the various ways that problems might manifest themselves. They may even have their own fears and stereotypes associated with the technology - and the bottom line is grim. Many problem gamers who seek mental help aren’t getting a high enough level of care, and all gamers, healthy and not, are further stereotyped.

What do we really learn from asking a question like this? Even with perfect methodology, sampling and analysis, it would have said that addicts are or are not also violent. That doesn’t seem to me the question of someone with a blank slate, ready to figure out where gaming actually connects with addiction and violence. Instead, we’re exploiting societal fear and focusing on issues which hold the greatest amount of prejudice against people who use technology. Is this research about helping a gamer, their family, and their loved ones – or is it about giving fodder to politicians, justifying society’s fears, and meanwhile providing therapists with tools that are flawed in their reckless simplicity?

Honestly, I’m not sure. I haven’t read their article yet!

Continue Reading »

Neils Clark :: May.19.2007 :: Game Addiction, Research :: 4 Comments »

The oldest profession in the world finally caught up with MMO worlds, when a 31 year old Manhattan woman publicly sold her body over Craigslist for 5000 World of Warcraft gold, valued at USD 300-400$ on her server. The post begins, “Hello I need 5000 world of gold for my epic flying mount. In return you can mount me.”

A moment of silence, please.

Sure, there might be legal implications, serious analysis. I for one am going to bask in stunned and amused silence, pondering the many meanings of the term “escort quest.”

I’m hosting a JPEG of the Craigslist screenshots above. It’s *not safe for work* due to some graphic sexuality in the text. It shows her original post, as well as her post-mounting post. Someone was also kind enough to insert goofy gold coin pictures. Thanks, someone. You’ve made a difference.

Neils Clark :: May.12.2007 :: Game Addiction, Games :: 2 Comments »

I recently read the autopsy findings for that one famous Korean guy. You know, the one who died after playing 86 straight hours in an Internet cafe.

He died of a fatal pulmonary embolism, caused by deep vein thrombosis (DVT). In simple terms, sitting killed him. See, a lot of sitting caused a blood clot to form in the “deep” veins of his legs. The blood clot then got loose, creating what’s called an embolism. These clots “can lodge in the brain, lungs, heart, or other organs, causing severe damage to those organs.” (1) We’ve observed fatal embolism linked to sitting for over 60 years, but only just now have studies begun linking the condition to computer use and gaming.

The New Zealand Medical Journal recently rounded up 5 people with similar conditions. (2) All 5 were under 40, and had no other risk factors whatsoever for DVT. There’s not enough awareness among the people using computers, but shockingly enough even among medical professionals. Until we get that,

GET SOME EXERCISE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!

If you’ve got 6 hours to do your important business on the computer, then you’ve got 30 minutes to exercise. At the very least, you have 5 minutes to walk your legs every hour.

(1) Lee, H. A New Case of Fatal Pulmonary Thromboembolism Associated with Prolonged Sitting at Computer in Korea. See pictures from the autopsy here: http://www.eymj.org/2004/pdf/04349.pdf

(2) See both the editorial and article - find them by searching for “thromboembolism,” here: http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/118-1212/1398/content.pdf

Neils Clark :: Apr.29.2007 :: Game Addiction, Research :: 2 Comments »

I wanted to share Dr. Jerald Block’s excellent case study vignettes which may be of particular use to therapists new to gaming problems (as well as the intrepid researchers who read 5 articles per day). These vignettes are tailored towards helping mental health professionals, though they do show some of the complexities inherent to treatment. Is it always safe to cut gaming out of the loop? Certainly every case is different.

Something that I’ve wondered for some time is whether gamers reporting problems would have experienced problems regardless (with other problems – drugs, alcohol, you name it). Dr. Block thinks that a pre-existing disorder is the “rule rather than the exception,” and in that regard joins a number of seasoned therapists whose opinions I respect (namely my co-author and good friend Shavaun Scott). That said, I’m (very respectfully) still not convinced that it’s the rule or the exception. My brain needs concrete data, although I do recognize a few problems in proving or disproving the proposition.

In fact, we probably won’t have that data within the next couple of years, if ever. If we collect data from people qualified to assess an individual as having a disorder, then (1) It’s hard to combine data from many therapists, (2) many therapists are not yet sensitized to, or even aware of even the basics of these games, and (3) not every problem gamer elects to seek therapy. I think that the last is the most important. There are a lot of gamers out there who might need to get a grip, but of those, each will have their own reasons for seeking or avoiding therapy.

I still see the problem developing as a process. It’s not just games, nor the gamers. Each brings to the table certain goods and bads, of which assessable disorders are one of many learnable and identifiable factors.

That said, read on!

Again, Dr. Block’s vignettes

Neils Clark :: Apr.25.2007 :: Game Addiction, Research :: 6 Comments »

[Note: I had made some changes to this prior to losing a large amount of data in mid Jan 2008. I'm planning an updated and expanded edition in Feb or Mar of 08]

Blah Blah Blah. I wanted to post a number of questions asked recently by a writer looking to get some background on addiction. These are questions that I get asked a lot, but I should mention that these aren’t the answers which I always give. These answers are tailored to answering the question, “Why is it that we still don’t know what’s going on?” The questions make for a fair introduction to where we’re at, but keep in mind that a few of them focus primarily on what needs to be fixed now. What I’d really like to do is regularly post good questions about “game addiction,” whether they’re good, bad, or ugly. If you have a question on gaming addiction, you can post it here, or email it to me. I always welcome emails, whether you like or hate what you see here.

What is gaming addiction?

Nobody knows, really. We’ve been listening to the same people for 10 years, people who made sketchy definitions based on gambling addiction over a decade ago. Most MMO games hadn’t even been developed yet. And still, we’ve been copying and pasting. The person who initially created it, Kimberly Young, has been criticized by one therapist, John Grohol, as having “all of the originality of a trash romance novel writer.” Originally, Young created the criteria for her “internet addiction” by almost literally copying and pasting criteria for gambling addiction, just substituting the word “gambling” for “internet addiction.” In the last few years, as online games became bigger business, she again copied the same addiction criteria from gambling to online games.

Continue Reading »

Neils Clark :: Apr.12.2007 :: Game Addiction, Games :: 14 Comments »

For the most part a safe alternative to titles like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy, MMO games could be the long-awaited cure for gaming addiction (please note link).

Neils Clark :: Apr.12.2007 :: Game Addiction, Games :: No Comments »

This via the People’s Daily Online and Slashdot’s “Thank-God-I’m-Over-18-Dept”

The Chinese govt is requiring game houses to modify MMOG’s to restrict under 18 users to 3 hours “productive” gameplay per day. This “anti-addiction” software must be in place within 4 months, with games not compliant by July 16 liable to be shut down in China…Users will have to register with their real names and Chinese identity card numbers to be allowed access to the games.”

Neils Clark :: Apr.11.2007 :: Game Addiction :: No Comments »

Not much, actually. This Harris Poll, originally linked by Game Politics and Joystiq, gave kids a quick diagnostic for ‘pathological use.’ That’s good, since addiction is such a harsh word to use. While the study claims some groundbreaking findings, that 8.5% of children qualify as pathological gamers, there are a few major reasons that the numbers aren’t saying much.

Continue Reading »

Neils Clark :: Apr.09.2007 :: Game Addiction, Research :: No Comments »

Fresh from The Korea Times [Full Article Here]. Blatant copying and pasting ensues:

A Korean venture start-up has developed an inaudible sound sequence, which it claims can prevent obsessive use of online games, thus giving hope to game addicts.

Xtive on Monday said the sound sequence is based on subliminal effects.

“We incorporated messages into an acoustic sound wave telling gamers to stop playing. The messages are told 10,000 to 20,000 times per second,’’ Xtive President Yun Yun-hae said.

“Game users can’t recognize the sounds. But their subconscious is aware of them and the chances are high they will quit playing,’’ the 35-year-old Yun said. “Tests tell us the sounds work.’’

1) Game addiction (most all addiction, for that matter) is often the result of some kind of physical or mental problem; its causes are different for everyone. Hypnosis and Subliminal messages can be a valuable tool, but really only when employed by a therapist who has background info on a patient. Random messages may help or harm, and they certainly won’t just “fix” people.

2) This is the kind of technology that would be very attractive to lawmakers looking to please voters, regardless of how effective or ineffective the technology proves to be.

3) People play games in order to have fun, and many play responsibly.
a) These games represent a creative medium, and influencing such a medium with subliminal messages represents a gross infringement on the potential of the form as well as the notion that creative expression be unregulated.
b) These games represent one of the most effective forms of leisure that we know. What if it is employed without a player’s permission or knowledge? What kinds of adverse impacts would this technology have on those who just want to enjoy themselves?

4) This program will apparently make it easy for someone to, “change the messages.” Change them to what? Buy more cheesy poofs? Each mind, each subconscious, is very different. If this technology is employed, then we would need to pay close attention to its real-world effects.

If this technology works, and it can be used judiciously, then it is worth exploring. That said, I have misgivings.

Neils Clark :: Mar.17.2007 :: Game Addiction, Research :: No Comments »

Thanks Shavaun for linking me this awesome flash game, Mouse Party. It’s probably the best explanation of the neuroscience behind different addictions, because it’s designed to be digestible. It’s also the best because it’s been basted in awesome. My favorite mouse, as you might have guessed by now, was Ecstasy mouse.

There’s no mention of what’s happening in gamer brains, but that’s a good thing. We don’t yet have much, if any verified data showing anything abnormal happening in gamer brains.

Neils Clark :: Feb.08.2007 :: Game Addiction :: 1 Comment »