neils clark

This picture comes from my new article here, and quite honestly I’m regretting not mentioning mushrooms and snakes. But seriously, the picture selection and graphic design - it really pulls these articles together. Both times I’ve written for Gamasutra I’ve been suprised by the pictures and graphics selected. I don’t pick these out, and they add a very specific (and awesome) perspective on what it is that I’m writing about.

In this article, I warn against being critical of games without truly understanding them. I discuss some of the major oversights in the information, research and journalism surrounding game addiction. I then got the chance to do something really exciting, which was to talk about theoretical areas that might actually have the potential to move the research forward. Give it a read, and if you have any specific comments then they are more than welcome here.

Read the exclusive article on Gamasutra’s website.

Neils Clark :: Jan.05.2007 :: Game Addiction, Games, General :: 1 Comment »

I want to look at some of the things that set games apart as a positive force in the world. Addiction is too often some kind of evidence that games are amoral and degenerative in some sense, when it’s possible that the exact opposite is the case. For those of you ready to behold game technology as a simple and single-minded malicious force, consider just a few areas where they are being used to help people.

Continue Reading »

Neils Clark :: Jan.04.2007 :: Games :: No Comments »

This post is meant to give you very preliminary surveys of research done to date and varied approaches to treatment. It should be noted that we understand very little about excessive gaming. Most of the research is preliminary, and some completely lacks face validity (which basically means that it doesn’t make sense on a practical level). At this time most treatment centers focus heavily on pre-existing or co-morbid conditions existing alongside excessive gaming. Many treatment centers consider these conditions to be the root cause of excessive gaming, although there is little data exploring whether that is accurate. My research and data has led me to believe that the key to understanding excessive play lies in three major areas, but that is the subject for another post. =P

Continue Reading »

Neils Clark :: Jan.02.2007 :: Game Addiction :: 3 Comments »

What’s that Lassie? Timmy is stuck in a game? As a parent you have a lot to worry about, and games shouldn’t have to be added to that list. For some parents, games are now a suspicious piece of technology, worse yet something that appears to have sucked in little Timmy. This apprehension could have something to do with hearing that games are violent and addictive (from the news as well as from advertisements run by game publishers). It could be some other things as well. This article isn’t about getting into why parents are apprehensive. This article is going to give you a quick rundown, with a few of the links that I’ve found most helpful. While problems certainly can develop with your kids’ play, understanding game addiction allows you to distinguish between problems and play. Games can be a great deal of fun, but certain types of games might not be for every family.

Continue Reading »

Neils Clark :: Jan.01.2007 :: Game Addiction :: 2 Comments »