Just one more go...

By Johnny Minkley Published 6 December, 2010

Eurogamer quizzes Panorama on addiction special.

How addictive are videogames? Last week flagship BBC investigative series Panorama announced plans to turn its lens on this controversial and sensitive issue, to coincide with the launch of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. The games industry winced at this news and, let's be honest, prepared for the worst.

The programme airs on BBC 1 this evening but Eurogamer was able watch the finished documentary in advance. We also spoke to director and producer Emeke Onono about why Panorama chose to highlight this issue, and why he thinks the industry should be less "defensive" about it.

In the Panorama programme, titled 'Addicted to games?', reporter Raphael Rowe meets a series of people who, it is claimed, have developed an addiction to videogames that is wreaking havoc on their emotional and social lives.

Joe Staley, from Nottingham, "couldn't physically pull away from" Modern Warfare 2 and was thrown out of university in thousands of pounds of debt.

Leo, 22, played World of Warcraft for "12 hours per day for two years", and calls it "a disease". He says, "It's horrible... I would never inflict this game on anyone."

Alison Dando, mother of Chris, recounts her son's "outpouring of violence" after the family's internet connection was switched off and he could no longer play Warcraft. "He just went beserk," she says.

"My dad almost had to pin me down on the ground," Chris adds.

Onono insists, however, that the documentary is not anti-gaming. He believes it tackles a subject about which there is still a great deal of ignorance.

'Just one more go...' Screenshot 1

Tonight's broadcast coincides with the launch of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm - and it's no surprise that Blizzard's game features prominently.

"What we've said is there's a potential for things in games to be addictive," he told Eurogamer.

"There is a potential there. And that's something the industry's always doggedly denied. The fact is it's there and, however small or large that possibility is, it needs to be researched and acknowledged."

Onono accuses elements of the games industry of being "very defensive" over the issue and interpreting any mention of gaming addiction as "another bashing of the industry". He counters:

"There have been some scientific studies which are suggesting there could be a problem. A small problem, but given the ubiquity of games, a small problem could be a big problem in that there could be a serious underlying issue that needs to be looked at. That's what started off the investigation."

The argument in defense of gaming here is that the vast majority of players never experience any issues - however long they play for. Surely, as seems to be the case with the subjects in the documentary, obsessive gaming is a symptom of much deeper problems rather than the cause?

Take Joe. Having quit gaming, he suggests people should "go out and get smashed" instead. Lee tries to give up Warcraft but returns to the game because: "I was bored. I didn't have anything to do."

The documentary also features two Korean parents whose child died through neglect, a tragedy blamed on their addiction to online game Prius Online. They are described by a psychologist as "depressed", "mentally not that stable" and having "low IQs".

'Just one more go...' Screenshot 2

South Korea where, Panorama report, gamers 'play themselves to death' in Internet cafes. Could this happen in the UK?

"We do say several times it's a small minority," insists Onono. "But it's an issue that does need to be raised and does need to be discussed.

"In many cases there is an underlying issue. A child might be bullied or they may have self-esteem problems or they may be depressed. By turning to games they find they can forget about it for a while. What the research suggests is that what then develops is a kind of symbiotic thing with the games where they become a problem in themselves. "

This point is made in the programme by Professor Mark Griffiths. Based at Nottingham Trent University's Gaming Research Unit, he's a leading expert in the field of technology and addiction.

"The good news is, for the vast majority of people videogames is something positive in their life," he says.

"But we have to take on board that there is a growing body of literature that says, for a small but significant minority, things like gaming can be potentially problematic".

Eidos president Ian Livingstone, interviewed in the documentary, argues: "There's no formal published medical evidence saying games are addictive anywhere in the world. You could say people get addicted to football, or get addicted to TV – they used to say people were addicted to television."

Meanwhile games industry trade body UKIE states, in a release drafted to coincide with tonight's broadcast: "There is currently no proven link between videogames and addiction, with there being mixed opinion among academics about whether a game can be clinically addictive. There is no official medical diagnosis of videogame addiction."

But for Onono, it's an issue the industry cannot ignore. "One of the things the games industry says is that personal situations that lead to these addictions – but that's a fact of all addictions. The truth is nobody really knows and that's kind of what we're pushing.

"The main thing that struck me is the way [the games industry] compares computer games to TV and reading a book," he adds. "I think computer games are engrossing in a way that other forms of entertainment can only aspire to.

"There are positive things that can come from playing games – the issue is the lack of knowledge as to the potential dangers."

Speaking in the film Griffiths argues, "It's so new people don't see it as an important research area to look into. My research has consistently shown that people display the signs and symptoms associated with more traditional addictions."

The BBC could not be accused of underplaying the link it is seeking to draw between gaming and addiction. The programme synopsis promises, somewhat dramatically, that the show will reveal "the hidden psychological devices in games that are designed to keep us coming back for more".

"Some games are designed in a manner that you just don't want to leave," says Adrian Hon, of social games developer Six To Start. Well, yes. That's the point.

But as Griffiths goes on to explain: "If you've got that vulnerability to an addiction, that will keep you in the game far in excess of what the normal person would do."

'Just one more go...' Screenshot 3

One gamer the BBC interviews blames his Modern Warfare 2 addiction for getting him thrown out of university. At least it'll save on the fees, eh?

Hon adds: "I think people don't necessary understand how powerful some game mechanics can be." This seems to be the crux of Panorama's argument: non-gamers, especially parents, do not understand the medium and therefore lack the means to spot a problem as one is developing.

Mrs Dando angrily pleads with the games industry to "think about the fact that people do become addicted". This is after she allowed her son, living under the same roof, to play World of Warcraft, by his own admission, for up to 20 hours per day. The matter of parental responsibility must surely come into play.

Onono agrees: "Absolutely. It's a half-hour film so you can't touch on everything, but there is an issue here. Games have moved on so quickly and many parents just don't understand."

He reveals that the crew spoke to Mrs Dando about her son's gaming habit. She claimed she "had no idea that a computer could be used in that way".

"It's common sense," he says. "But common sense for people like you or me who know a bit about it. This is quite difficult for somebody for whom this world has appeared from absolutely nowhere; they don't understand it."

The Panorama reporter, Rowe, criticises UKIE towards the end of the film for not providing more information to consumers on the potential risks via its website, and remains unconvinced by the industry's response.

He states in a voiceover: "It remains to be seen how serious the industry is about funding the research that needs to be done. Until that happens, parents won't know about potential dangers in their homes."

'Just one more go...' Screenshot 4

The programme does its best to milk the 'addiction' angle but does ackowledge that games, for the majority, are harmless fun.

UKIE's response is to suggest that any new research should "ideally be independent of the games industry". Would people have taken the Byron Review seriously, for instance, if games companies had funded it?

Rowe – reporting from Eurogamer Expo – ends with a broadly positive, sensible statement about gaming. "It's easy to forget the benefits and sheer joy [games] bring," he says, over shots of people playing Kinect games. "I don't want to stop my son from gaming, but I'm going to keep an extra close eye on him to ensure he games safely."

UKIE director-general Michael Rawlinson takes up this point earlier in the piece, explaining that, the issue of addiction aside, games can "boost intelligence, reduce stress, and be valuable learning tools - something passive media like television would do well to emulate".

Opinion will be divided over the way Panorama has chosen to highlight the issue, but Onono does not believe the documentary creates a false impression of the industry.

"I think we do make it clear that games are safe and good for you," he says. "We make it clear at the end that games should be played safely, especially with kids.

"A film about addiction is by its very nature a negative subject and that's what we were investigating. It's quite difficult to get away from that and we tried to make it very clear.

"I'm sure people will say we could have made it clearer in other ways, but we did go out of our way to say that games are good."

Tonight's edition of Panorama will be broadcast at 8.30pm on BBC 1 and will be available afterwards to UK viewers on iPlayer.

Picture of Johnny.

About Johnny Minkley

Eurogamer TV's Johnny Minkley is a veteran journalist with a lifelong passion for games and the games industry. He uses Twitter more than most people use air.

Read more articles from Johnny by visiting the Johnny Minkley archive page.

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Comments (136) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Markitron #1 1 year ago

    Too much of anything is bad for you. I dont think games can be held accountable for a persons addictive personality

  • captainrentboy #2 1 year ago

    To be fair, I have absolutely no doubt that are some folk out there who are addicted to gaming, or even just a game in particular. But at the same time people like the ones EG just mentioned are in an extreme minority, at a guess they might make up a couple percent, if that, of all the people you could label as a gamer. Whereas the other 98% of people who buy games, play them maybe for a couple of hours a day/week, and have totally normal everyday lives away from their consoles or PCs.

    But as this is Panorama I'm guessing this 'fact' wont be reported on quite as rationally. :/
    And that the general gist of the show will be ''LOOK OUT PARENTS!!, those games your children are playing are as addictive and home-wrecking as crack''
    Edited by 1 at 06/12/10 @ 15:46

  • CaptainTrips #3 1 year ago

    "It's out on 7th December, and IT'S KILLING YOUR KIDS!"

  • bf #4 1 year ago

    Sounds like all other programs on the topic that I've seen this far. Independently of how well renown they are they always go for shock value with no ambition to provide a balanced view of a topic. I mean why not throw in a few interviews with people that play loads of games and are doing fine? But oh no no that could get people thinking for themselves, we wouldn't want that now would we...
    Edited by 1 at 06/12/10 @ 15:48

  • Br0ken_Engli5h #5 1 year ago

    "There are positive things that can come from playing games – the issue is the lack of knowledge as to the potential dangers."

    Cue 30 minutes of overly-sensationalist bollocks about video games having the ability to turn little Timmy into socially inadequate, tantrumming recluse.

    .....or in other words, a teenager.

  • jonsaan #6 1 year ago

    I don't have time to read this as I have to rush home and watch Corrie. I never miss an episode you know. I'm addicted.

  • randompanda #7 1 year ago

    It's a serious problem if a child dues of neglect because the parents are playing an mmorpg. Sure its a persons responsibility to control themselves, but by its nature addiction overrules common sense.

  • JoeGBallad #8 1 year ago

    Games are second on my addiction list after 'having a chug'.

  • Phantom_Dynamite #9 1 year ago

    So games are bad because some kid threw his toys out the pram because he couldn't get his own way one dropped out of college and one never left his house. Sounds like what some kids do with or with out games.

    Now within ten minutes by me I could show you just as many kids who are stealing from there parents robbing people on the streets and genuinly killing themselves with booze and drugs, because the addiction has taken over there life.

    I just think this is blown out of preportion for a hand full of people who may need help when there are 1000's out there who do need help and desperatly.

  • Vanmunt #10 1 year ago

    addiction is a terrible thing, but I cannot remember hearing anybody getting cold turkey when away from gaming.. up there with BBC's YLOD terrible watchdog program... shame because I love ole' auntie and they must stop this sensationalist pants.
    Edited by 1 at 06/12/10 @ 15:55

  • DyingAtheist #11 1 year ago

    Any chance of some Eurogamer staff feedback on the program? The article is clearly written to avoid bias but this is a topic I would love to see tackled by Eurogamer. Personally I can't help but also become defensive whenever game addiction is mentioned. None of the examples given above speak to me of addiction. Dropping out of university because you played games all day is exactly the same as dropping out due to partying or (gasp!) laziness. It speaks of a failure to handle a hobby with maturity and an inability to put aside that which is fun in favour of that which is difficult, but important. Real addiction would create far more shocking examples. A man who murders to steal a watch to pay for a new game, or someone selling their body for internet access. I believe that games can be addictive in the common, day-to-day sense, but no more then any other source of happiness. Food, sex, sport, internet access and all the other household examples are the level at which gaming sits.

  • darleysam #12 1 year ago

    So Gameswipe gets buried on BBC4 where about 5 people who are already interested seek it out, but this gets a primetime Panorama scoop.

    Bravo, Auntie.

  • Darknight #13 1 year ago

    It's hardly surprising that the gaming community is so "overly defensive" given how our hobby is consistently vilified by the press and mainstream media...

  • SClaw #14 1 year ago

    It's on at 9?

    I think I'll watch it on catch-up. At 11. While I'm playing WoW.

  • moriss #15 1 year ago

    pretty sure i dont need to watch this show tonight, i know exactly how they;ll pitch it and having seen the trailer it doesnt matter how 'unbiased' raphael claims to be, this programme sets out to demonise games, all games, and blame game creators for people getting addicted to them.

  • glencooley #16 1 year ago

    Panorama is turning in to the Daily Mail of TV. It's almost getting to Jeremy Kyle levels of sensationalism.

  • munki83 #17 1 year ago

    Parents need to understand what their children are doing in their spare time and take an active interest in it so tehy can understand there child better and maybe once in a while involve them in activities outside of gaming. I feel sorry for the kids who are addicted to games but if it stems from neglect from a parent(s) or bullying at school. With adults I think it mite be different but I'm sure there are many reasons that people get addicted to games and im sure it cant all be blamed on the games are designed to reward the player techniques the industry is using.....now a 5 hour trip home on teh M8 yay

  • rivuzu #18 1 year ago

    I certainly hope they touch on the mental profiles of these so called "addicts".
    Honestly, if you can't take yourself away from a computer or console and pay attention to the real world around you, you have no right playing them - and parents, guardians and the ilk who're meant to suprervise their childs development, should do a bloody better job in understanding this.

    Is your son playing in excess of 4 hours games a night? Stop him. Take it away. Approach him and speak to him, do something with your child. Stop watching Emmerenders Streetoaks and vegetating in your way when you have a child who needs interaction - otherwise this neglect will cause them to latch on to something else, invariably the most interactive solution they can find. Videogames.

  • sonicyoda #19 1 year ago

    I'm looking forward to the 'I'm addicted to books' episode when Dan Brown's next smash-hit comes out.

    I'm all for helping people with their addiction but why single out one form of entertainment when the same goes for everything? Or have Panorama already covered the other ones?
    Edited by 1 at 06/12/10 @ 16:06

  • CrispyLog #20 1 year ago

    So the worst of it is someone who dropped out of university because of gaming? Not exactly in the same league as the people who lose their houses with online betting, or resort to prostitution to feed their crack addiction is it...

    Sounds like that all this shows is that even though millions of people in this country game and quite a few are addicted, all what happens is the worst affected lose their social lives for a bit. Bit of a non-issue and must surely make it seem very safe and tame compared to most other problems out there.

  • moriss #21 1 year ago

    "The industry should be showing maturity and treating the risk, however big or small, seriously. "

    Examples? its an honourable thing to expect them to do but im not sure what you want them to do. how do breweries treat the risk of alcoholism? how do betting shops treat the risk of gambling?
    Edited by 1 at 06/12/10 @ 16:09

  • jellyBelly #22 1 year ago

    I believe games can be addictive in the sense that they provide an escape from obligations and real world hardships similar to following celebrity news all day or being unable to stop checking your facebook. However these are more symptoms of our times and the society we live in. For people that are in a vulnerable position in their lifes and cannot/dont want to order their priorities games can become a very attractive avenue for escape. I monitor how much I play as I believe most people here do as well. Besides the reativeley obvious fact that vulnerable people might fall for any of a number of addictions I think there should be independent cross-sectional and longitudinal research funded on this as it will be in the long term benefit of the industry and consumers

  • TheElfishGene #23 1 year ago

    Here we go again......sigh!

    How many is it now that play WoW? 35? 40? million how many millions no let's say thousands, oh go on then hundreds, what was that? 10's oh hang on 1 maybe two people have killied themselves in how many years? what was that i didn't quite hear you?

    Television is made by the stupid for the stupid!

  • FogHeart #24 1 year ago

    So Onono says: "There are positive things that can come from playing games – the issue is the lack of knowledge as to the potential dangers."

    Funny, all I ever hear or read about in the media is about potential dangers. Never about the positives. I'd even go as far as saying that the overwhelming majority of potential danger is a result of parental irresponsibility, but he says "It's a half hour film so you can't touch on everything."

    So what it comes down to is the tiny tiny fraction of gaming that is neither positive nor negative-but-down-to-bad-parenting, is the only bit that will be broadcast to the nation.

    And he wonders why the industry is defensive.


    Edited by 2 at 06/12/10 @ 16:54

  • jellyBelly #25 1 year ago

    Off to play F1, Im addicted

  • moriss #26 1 year ago

    "Television is made by the stupid for the stupid! "

    bit of a generalisatiom there, theres some proper good stuff out there to watch

  • cianchristopher #27 1 year ago

    Mrs Dando angrily pleads with the games industry to "think about the fact that people do become addicted". This is after she allowed her son, living under the same roof, to play World of Warcraft, by his own admission, for up to 20 hours per day.

    Yep, it's always someone else's fault, isn't it?

  • muters #28 1 year ago

    What are the odds of them showing a reconstruction of a 10 year old sitting in a darkened room, hunched inches from a telly, with a close up of his eyes twitching? I'm not sure I've seen one of these types of shows where that hasn't featured.

  • nakedlunch #29 1 year ago

    This reminds me of a truly appalling bit of TV where Ulrika Jonsson travelled to America for some quack to tell her she had a sex addiction. Surely, this is a similar confusion of symptom with cause? Someone who is unable to manage their time spent gaming, has tantrums when the internet cuts out or violent outbursts has far deeper problems which need addressing. Like most of the debate in this country, it's concerned far more with shock than it is with a more thorough analysis of the issues.

  • moriss #30 1 year ago

    matt, in a previous post you said gaming industry should treat the problem seriously, and in the last post you said its a minimal problem nowhere near as bad as other addictions and most people can recover easily. that doesnt sound like something the industry needs to spend time and money treating seriously.

    dont mean to pick on you, coz we were jousting in that other comment thread, but its a fair point im making i think

  • moriss #31 1 year ago

    muters, there was an 'exhibit' made for an art show that just showed gamers faces, thats maybve why you see those shots a lot, its mana from heaven for people like panorama

  • chrisjm #32 1 year ago

    parents is your kid addicted to videogames, get them to visit MEGATON!!

  • Br0ken_Engli5h #33 1 year ago

    @moriss

    "bit of a generalisatiom there, theres some proper good stuff out there to watch"

    There is?
    About 10% of all the things on the telly are worth watching if I'm generous. It's probably partly to blame for people spending so much time gaming in the first place, but that's not likely to feature in a documentary any time soon.

  • ZizouFC #34 1 year ago

    Seriously. Lke someone said before me regarding reading; what exactly is the difference between playing a game for a couple hours and reading a book for hours, or watching a 3 hour long movie?

    Oh yeah, I forgot gaming makes you a loser, reading makes you smart and watching movies is "cool".

  • Ged42 #35 1 year ago

    I'm not addicted, I can quit any time I want.



    One more turn...
    One more turn...
    One more turn...
    One... more... turn...

  • moriss #36 1 year ago

    oh yeah theres loads of good stuff, but youre probsbly right with 10% if you look at the total tv output, and probably even less if you take global telly!

    depends what youre into of course. i could name some exquisite dramas, comedy and factual shows both US and UK.

  • butler` #37 1 year ago

    Lke someone said before me regarding reading; what exactly is the difference between playing a game for a couple hours and reading a book for hours, or watching a 3 hour long movie?

    maybe the fact that we're talking about people who are playing 12-20+ hours a day every day, not playing a game for a couple of hours...

  • MJHaylett #38 1 year ago

    the only reason that games could be addictive is that Humans use them. Heroin by itself is just a chemical compound but add Humans? The notion of placing money on the outcome of sporting events etc is just that - a notion. Add Humans what do you get? Alcohol - fermented foodstuffs for heavens sake. Tobacco - processed vegetation. What I am getting at is Humans Suck! :D

  • Zephro #39 1 year ago

    "It's a half hour film so you can't touch on everything."
    Sorry was that the director's response to whether or not they touch on the issue of parental responsibility? With regards to someone who didn't notice their son was spending 21 hours a day on WoW? How does a parent not notice that? How?

  • gjgjg #40 1 year ago

    If you have an addictive personality you will become addicted to the 'drug' of you're choice, no matter what it is (luckily gaming isn't directly chemically addictive like alcohol etc.).
    If you manage to overcome smoking/gaming/scratching your left elbow, the chances are good you will simply replace it with the approach/ behaviour intact (rampant exercise is a common replacement for recovering addicts).

  • Zephro #41 1 year ago

    Except smoking is chemically addictive.

  • FutureDave #42 1 year ago

    Some parents think it crazy that their child would go nuts if they were to switch of the console mid game. They think this proves some terrible addiction. Well lets document what happens if a book is ripped out of a persons hand mid chapter. Or lets see what happens if we go into a sky sports pub and cut the power mid match. Or switch off the set during Eastenders...

    Games are only seen as an addiction by people who's own 'addictions' are more socially accepted.

  • kangarootoo #43 1 year ago

    "One gamer the BBC interviews blames his Modern Warfare 2 addiction for getting him thrown out of university"

    One less motivation free individual clogging up the graduate recruitment market is no bad thing in my book.


    And when the question of parental responsibitlity arises, perhaps the most important question in the whole subject...

    "It's a half-hour film so you can't touch on everything"

    WEAK! You aren't being asked to touch on everything, but you are surely expected to touch on the most important aspects, and parental responsibitlity is one of those aspects.


    "He reveals that the crew spoke to Mrs Dando about her son's gaming habit. She claimed she "had no idea that a computer could be used in that way""

    Its not about what the computer can be used for, its not being aware that her son is using his computer in isolation for up to 20 hours a day. That isn't a computer issue, its a parenting issue.


    The thing that riles me most about this subject is that you simply can't trust what the people at the heart of it tell you. People will joyfully seize any scape goat that allows them to delegate the responsibility they are failing to take themselves. Ask the kid that stabbed his friend if it was GTA and he will say yes, because it removes his failure as a functional human being from the picture. Ask the parent whose violent child has become isolated and maladjusted if it was WoW, and they will say yes, because it removes their failure as a parent from the picture.

  • paulf #44 1 year ago

    millions of people play games every week the same as millions of people drink booze or gamble, for some this can effect their life outside of these pursuits but for most they just get on with their lives. The ones who do this though don't make good tele so are ignored

  • kangarootoo #45 1 year ago

    @Zephro

    Seratonin and endorphins are chemicals you know.

  • Zephro #46 1 year ago

    @kangarootoo

    Yes they are chemicals. But you try going cold turkey on having endorphines or seratonin in your body to see if you have physical withdrawal symptoms. Oh no wait you'd die.

  • ouchio #47 1 year ago

    ONONO you are a hack and a shock horror pseudo- journalist and a disgrace to your profession.
    The fact that you got funding to pay for your titillating daily mail style GARBAGE from our BBC licence fee is disgusting.
    Panorama is a sad and sick terminally dumbed down shadow of its former self now only concerned with chasing ratings by pandering to the lowest common denominator.
    Whats next for you? a shock horror documentary on Elvis Presley's hip gyrations getting teenagers pregnant?

  • kinky_mong #48 1 year ago

    We also spoke to director and producer Emeke Onono

    Pffftt! His surname is Baby Mario's catchphrase!!! No wonder he hate's gaming!

    Sounds like the programme will be the usual knee-jerk stuff from an ailing form of media attacking the new and more successful kid in town. In particular the "We can't touch on everything in an half hour programme" line screams of "this is the maximum amount of time we can peddle our agenda for".

  • MrChuckles #49 1 year ago

    Try banning Daily Mail readers from reading the Daily Mail and see how many of them have a tantrum.

    If you take away a kid's primary form of entertainment, they'll throw a strop. Be it computer games, TV, their guitar, a bike, a football, all of their barbies..

    What did they expect?

  • Goodfella #50 1 year ago

    What's the article about? I'm too busy playing WoW.

  • ouchio #51 1 year ago

    A lot of media types, including BBC media" professionals" are addicted to snorting big fat lines of cocaine at every given opportunity.
    LETS DO A DOCUMENTARY!

  • kangarootoo #52 1 year ago

    @Zephro

    "But you try going cold turkey on having endorphines or seratonin in your body to see if you have physical withdrawal symptoms"

    You would indeed have physical symptoms, such as depression, sleep loss, impaired memory, the list goes on. But that is beside the point.

    You said cigarettes are chemically addictive, and you used the word "except". I am simply stating that chemical addiction is the ONLY kind. The rush that a gambling addict gets when placing a bet is a chemical reaction, that has a physical effect on their body.

  • sega #53 1 year ago

    I'll freely admit I'm a gaming addict. I love gaming to a point that I don't want to put the controller down when it's time to finish - but I do. I do so because I have responsibilities - I have to go to work, I often need to get an early night, I feel I need to be social and see friends and family, I do exercise and cook proper meals.

    The problem with these other addicts is they are lazy and shunning their responsibility so they have more time for their enjoyment. They're the type of people who need to realise life isn't always fun - you need a balance of that and the things you need to do for normal living.

    When I was at university I always used to procrastinate with other things (including gaming) when I was supposed to be doing work. Infact I'm even procrastingating now on here when I have some things I need to do. However, once I click post, I'll think "right, that's enough, turn off the internet, get that work done then you can relax later". The thing is, the only help gaming addicts really need is a kick up the backside.

  • Zephro #54 1 year ago

    @kangarootoo

    No because enjoying seratonin/endorphines doesn't induce dependence. It's part of a human's natural wiring so addictions to gambling, games, TV, etc. have a totally different pathology to addictions to cigarettes, heroin etc. I'm sure that was fairly obvious from what was originally meant and didn't need any pointless and incorrect pedantry.

  • lucky_jim #55 1 year ago

    This interview doesn't give me a good feeling about the programme at all: if this is the most even-handed the makers are able to pretend it is, even when talking to a games website, than we're in for the same old sensationalist, misinformed nonsense as usual.

    Why is watching half a dozen soaps a day not a problem, but playing a game for the same length of time is? 20 hours a day of anything is mental (unless you're my cat, in which case it's just enough time for a nap). But for the huge majority of us, 5-8 hours would be considered a pretty epic session, even if we've taken a day off specifically to get acquainted with whatever game we've been looking forward to the most that year. Why don't the people who happily spend 8 hours watching telly on a Saturday get the same flak? There are probably a lot more of them.

  • drhickman1983 #56 1 year ago

    A few things irk me about programs like this:

    Firstly, they are scaremongering programs at best. They blame these games for peoples problems, yet peoples addiction to games is a sympton of something deeper, not the root cause.

    If that jerk who got thrown out Uni because of MW2 hadn't been playing MW2, he'd doubtless have found something else to obssess over.

    Theres a 19 year old who played WoW for 20 hours a day, after watching a preview clip it seems to me the problem there could possibly lie with his upbringing. His mother seems to be one of those hands-off types, who takes no interest in what their kids are doing, but gives them everything and anything they demand.

    Well, of course your kids going to turn out a spoilt brat maladjusted to real life, you pathetic excuse for a parent.

    And one thing that really annoys me is that these shows are frankly bad for other gamers. Gaming still has a social stigma attached to it, some games more than others. And when the media only shows the weak willed freaks who can't control their lives, it only excacerbates the image that we're all incapable of functioning in real life.

    We're not all losers, god dammit.

    Edited by 1 at 06/12/10 @ 17:22

  • AdamAsunder #57 1 year ago

    I think anything that is an escape from the real world and its inherent stresses has the potential to be addictive.

    Games are about empowerment, the player has more control/influence in these simulated worlds and as these virtual worlds get more sophisticated, there will be a percentage of people that have trouble unplugging.

  • AdamAsunder #58 1 year ago

    @drhickman.

    Exactly. All these programmes ever do is skirt the real issue. When there's an agenda behind every motive that's always going to be the case.
    Edited by 1 at 06/12/10 @ 17:26

  • firef7y #59 1 year ago

    Panorama is a thrashy programme that relies on sensationalism. Surely having kids inside the house committing virtual crime is better then them roaming the streets committing real crime.

  • Ryze #60 1 year ago

    So - is this just like all of the fools 'addicted' to the BBC's own Eastenders soap opera - due to the sensationalist sex, drugs and violent storylines and the daily cliffhangers keeping audiences glued to the television set for hours a week.

    What does anyone learn from Eastenders, then?

  • cherryuk #61 1 year ago

    It's a past time, nothing more than that. Playing no more than 2 hours a day at a time. And I think people are becoming anti-social gamers, where they don't even step out of the bedroom to socialise. I think this is where it's all going wrong.

  • kangarootoo #62 1 year ago

    @Zephro

    "No because enjoying seratonin/endorphines doesn't induce dependence"

    I disagree, and its not pedantry.

    For a weak mind, a shot of a naturally produced high can indeed become addictive. A gambling addict, or a shopping addict ARE addicted to the natural high that their body produces when they feed their habit.

    Equally, a strong mind finds giving up smoking a relatively trivial task, whereas other can never accomplish the same task.

    Its not pedantry of me to say that both are chemical addictions, it is simply incorrect of you to say they are not.

    "have a totally different pathology to addictions to cigarettes, heroin etc"

    Nicotine and herione stimulate the body in physically different ways, so it is limited to bundle them together as "artificial" and dismiss natually produced chemicals as "entirely different".


    @beemoh

    "The gambling addict is addicted to those chemicals, but gambling didn't put them into the gambler"

    I'm not seeking to apportion blame, so I'm not sure of the relevance. I am saying that chemical dependance vs self control is at the root of any kind of addiction, be it cigs or gambling or gaming. How the chemical gets into the body isn't really relevant to what I am discussing.
    Edited by 1 at 06/12/10 @ 17:40

  • Futaba #63 1 year ago

    "O-no-no, you don't love me and I know now...."

  • Zephro #64 1 year ago

    Yes but what you're discussing goes against the definitions of these addictions by medical experts, so pardon me if I side with them.

    The medical definition does use the word dependence rather than addiction but it's fairly clear that's what I originally meant.
    Edited by 1 at 06/12/10 @ 17:41

  • StuBhoy #65 1 year ago

    Here we go again no major terrorist attacks or natural disasters to report on lets get on the gamers case again give me a fucking break.

  • Kamata #66 1 year ago

    I still struggle to accept that people claim their 'addictions' to be such serious problems.

    Having violent outbursts at the internet being cut? That's not down to a serious problem, that's down to being a spoilt brat and an idiot.

    +1

    Definitely hit the nail on the head. It's about moderation and common sense.
    Perhaps developers could do more to promote stop gaps like rewarding breaks in session, but at the end of the day if you're capable of sitting and playing WOW for 12hours a day for two years straight you've clearly already lost at life and aren't really worth worrying about.
    Edited by 2 at 06/12/10 @ 18:03

  • Gartt #67 1 year ago

    I saw the title of the article and thought it was a Trials HD story...

  • Zephro #68 1 year ago

    @beemoh

    Not to nitpick "generally, addictions involving the introduction of chemicals into the body and addictions involving the production of chemicals within the body" is not quite accurate. As many chemicals introduced to the body such as those in chocolate will cause chemicals to be produced in the body, seratonin I think. However this would be classed in the second category of psychological/behavioural addiction. Which is clearly a serious medical problem, however it is dealt with by psychologists and can apply to anything that causes seratonin/endorphines to be released like talking to a friend.

    The first category would be better described as chemicals introduced to the body which create physiological changes and dependence. Which are characterised by needing increasingly large doses to achieve the same effect i.e. tolerance and by physical withdrawl symptoms. There is a gulf of difference between the 2, and the phrase I used "chemical addiction" clearly meant this one.

  • darkmorgado #69 1 year ago

    It's a half-hour film so you can't touch on everything

    What a load of bollocks. If you present a half hour programme, devote half of the time equally to each sides of the debate. He seems to be saying "if we presented a balanced view we would need an hour to discuss it, instead of half an hour to discuss a biased view", which is just pure utter shite of the tallest order.

  • RedSparrows #70 1 year ago

    Whilst I fear a rather sensationalist take, it's pretty depressing to read so many foolish and ill-thought comments here. Games being specifically designed to hook people is dangerous, if one is receptive to the mechanisms used. It's not about banning it or anything, it's about responsibility.

    It's also a cheap as fuck gaming mechanic: see CoD since CoD4.

  • RedSparrows #71 1 year ago

    Whilst I fear a rather sensationalist take, it's pretty depressing to read so many foolish and ill-thought comments here. Games being specifically designed to hook people is dangerous, if one is receptive to the mechanisms used. It's not about banning it or anything, it's about responsibility.

    It's also a cheap as fuck gaming mechanic: see CoD since CoD4.

  • darkmorgado #72 1 year ago

    We also spoke to director and producer Emeke Onono

    Sorry, but I just got Family Guy stuck in my head.

    "Onono, I clean, I clean. Onono, doggy out. Onono, I stay."

  • Byblos1 #73 1 year ago

    Surely a distinction has to be made between addiction (i.e. chemical dependence) and something which is habit forming, like certain games.

    Plus, I bet a huge percentage of those watching the Panorama program spend >3 hours in front of the TV every day, and nobody says a thing.

    The reason why gamers and developers are so defensive is because there are rarely positive things said in the mainstream media about videogames, and these programs are designed to appeal to (and will be mostly watch by) people who don't understand the videogame media and will, therefore, come away with the impression that games make people kill each other and are more addictive than crack.

  • Lemming81 #74 1 year ago

    "It's a half-hour film so you can't touch on everything "

    Way to cover yourself, Panorama.

    The director just seemed more concerned with over-selling the importance of something he was paid to make. I refuse to believe games are addictive in a dangerous sense, like drinking or gambling.

    If anything, games are highlighting bad parenting and people with psychological problems before they would otherwise be found.
    Edited by 1 at 06/12/10 @ 18:57

  • supanova #75 1 year ago

    When will panorama report on x factor and strictly come dancing, my wife and daughter are hooked, every Saturday it's the same.... The xbox is my escape from this dreadful tv.

    Ps, I'll have to watch panorama , not missed a show since may 1987.... Got to get my fix...

  • makeamazing #76 1 year ago

    Hmm to me this sounds just like a "Games are Evil" headline from Panorama... after ratings.... me thinks so!

    Ok lets just get one thing straight, nearly everything in life can have someone addicted to it, be it alcohol, smoking, food, gambling, watching TV, reading books, buying shoes, spending money, taking drugs, football, sex... etc etc.. the list you could make is pretty extensive. If we are to complain about things with addictive qualities.

    BUT... it is very rarely that games kill anyone (yes there have been a few cases from tens/hundreds of millions of users worldwide)... its a pretty safe addiction. I love games, and i love computers..., i would have trouble to do alot of things in life without email and internet access, but I dont think thats addiction, thats just because lots of things i do are on the computer.

    Also you know what, i would rather talk to and deal with a game addict than a person who does drugs or someone who gets pi-eyed.

    I think TV shows are usually the funniest thing, i know people who watch TV Soaps for days on end, but that is ok, but playing games is not...games are a form of entertainment and should be treated as so, rather than these childish reports that still treat games like they were in the 1980's (and they werent bad then either)...

    I personally think Panorama should do something on TV addiction, which would be quite ironic because they would want people to watch it ;)

  • Emmit_Assassin #77 1 year ago

    I defy anyone to prove claims that videogames are addictive. They are compulsive, anyone will admit, but the problem is not the games, there are other underlying problems that cause the 'addiction'.
    I remember when bird flu was about, and people with it were dying. When reported in the news its was -'MAN WITH BIRD FLU DIES! .........(cough)but he had other underlying problems(cough)....He didn't die of bird flu, but a heart attack.
    Its the same with the riots about tuition fees recently. Not enough people properly read was was going to happen as regard the fee's, all they heard in the news was that it was all going up to Ł9,000 a year and started rioting!
    The news media need to stop feeding people sensationalist lies and misinformation and give people the right impartial, factual information.
    Panorama fecked up our chances with the 2018 World Cup, and now they're putting this out because they know it will get misinformed little bigots nodding their heads and shaking their fists and wagging their fat little fingers at the games industry.
    My license fee pays for this shit.

  • CraigMcG #78 1 year ago

    addicts steal and sell their bodies for drug money, I'll believe games are addictive when i hear of people whoring themselves out to get the next cod or robbing pensioners to pay for their wow subscription

  • StooMonster #79 1 year ago

    I am addicted to Eurogamer, I wouldn't inflict it on anyone.

  • hilts #80 1 year ago

    Watching this no

  • hilts #81 1 year ago

    Watching this now - hilarious sensationalism!

  • StooMonster #82 1 year ago

    This stroppy teenager, whose mother "cut off the Internet" ... Why didn't she just stop the monthly payments to Activision Blizzard on her credit card? Or does WoW have some other way to pay to play?

  • Bassassin #83 1 year ago

    On the one hand it's easy to laugh at this as the same old reactionary, hysterical shit games have been being attacked with since the 80s.

    But on the other, it's hard not to get the impression that there's an agenda behind all this - and they won't stop until they've finally completely fucked everything up.

  • Whizzo #84 1 year ago

    I could make a load of cobblers TV show if you gave me a jolly to SK too.

  • drhickman1983 #85 1 year ago

    Just watched it. To be honest, it wasn't as bad as I feared, they did re-enforce that for most gamers it's not a problem several times. Occasional bit of sensationalism though, gotta love "he went berserk" cutting to the rampaging Orc.

    Still, they managed to totally skirt around any of the underlying reasons why somebody might become addicted. They hinted at the South Korean research pointing at addictees having underlying problems or depression, but didn't really delve into it.

    I stil maintain that Dando woman is a bad parent though. To paraphrase a couple of remarks from the show "when her son stopped going to school she didn't know why"... "didn't know what he was doing" it does seem pretty clear (pop-psychology warning) that maybe she had taken more of an interest in his life maybe he wouldn't feel compelled to lose himself in the game.

    The parenting issue was hinted at (again, hinted at) by the Korean woman who said she used to hit her child. Again, it's seems possible the childs upbringing lead to him find solace in virtual worlds where he could feel in control.

    So the program attempted balance at least, but still managed to totally avoid any actual depth. I give it a 5.

    ADDENDUM: On a personal note, I'm interested what these people are doing in WoW for 12-20 hours a day! I'd get bored and actually run out of things to do if I played every other day for 2 hours!
    Edited by 2 at 06/12/10 @ 21:20

  • TheFlashGuy #86 1 year ago

    Next week the big story will be that it is music that is damaging our kids. and the week after perhaps it will be films?

  • Jac #87 1 year ago

    The more people play games the less they watch tv. Games are bad.

  • jmg123 #88 1 year ago

    Panorama never lets the facts get in the way of a good piece of one sided scaremongering, it is the TV equivalent of the Daily Mail.

  • hobojebus #89 1 year ago

    Its all such bull, if people have an adictive personality they will be come obssed with any number of things it could just as easily be collectable card games, or some other waste of money.

    Throughout history its always been music or movies or rude poetry causing societies downfall, but it isnt parents take some god damn responsibility and control your kids, your the adult you decided to have them so take care of them, dont cover your eyes and claim entertainment corrupted them.

    I resent the tv fee, i dont touch the BBC except for Dr.Who and thats like 10 hours a year tops, and the rest of our money gets wasted on crap like this.

  • leeram #90 1 year ago

    I know for a fact that you can become addicted to video games, because I am for sure. But, my argument is this, is someone who plays the piano 24/7 addicted to piano? or guitar? or drums? is someone who watches telly 10 hours a day addicted to telly?

    I think there is a difference between an actual chemical addiction, like you get with Class A drugs, and force of habit addictons that actually don't cause you any harm if you stop. Video games are one such thing, but so are everything else that people cannot stop doing no matter what (my great granddad used to play crown green bowls every week. Woe betide anyone who tried to stop him. Was he addicted?)

    The net should be spread farther afield than video games.

    Cheers

    Lee

  • anathema #91 1 year ago

    Claiming an addiction to gaming is just another way of saying that you lack willpower and motivation to stop. I, no doubt like many others on here, went to uni. Video games did exist back then, but my main distraction was going out on the razz and spending time with my girlfriend. I screwed up my second year, and then got my arse in gear and started doing a bit more work. Willpower, motivation. It was no-one elses fault I fucked up, I wasn't addicted to going out on the lash, I was just lazy and chose the easy option rather than knuckling down. Its easily done.

    I'm now doing another course at the age of 30 while dealing with a full-time job and a young child. If I wanted I could all spend my meagre free time playing games, but i'm not a fucking idiot so I do my work and look after my son and get in the odd session when I can. Willpower, motivation.

    There are people out there who are lazy and just sit around playing WoW or CoD. They are not addicted like a smackhead is, they are lazy and take the easy option. There is a very, very big difference and Panorama should be ashamed of itself for classing laziness and stupidity as addiction.

    Furthermore, someone who spends all their free time playing games is not doing anything wrong, its their hobby, their obsession. People do that sort of thing. If they steal, skip work, don't look after their kids, then they're being a dick and that's when its a problem.
    Edited by 1 at 06/12/10 @ 22:13

  • TheMoonRat #92 1 year ago

    I like how during the documentary, the presenter said how this person was playing games rathar than being out at a pub or club.

    Sad that our society condones regular alcohol intake as "ok" in a documentary supposedly against a kind of addiction.

  • joelstinton #93 1 year ago

    Problem is, the reason developers, and gamers are so defensive of gaming is because the reporting of games is incredibly over the top. Especially in regard to violence. Because its a realatively new popular medium, the extremes in reporting on both sides is embrassing. From DS cures everything too GTA is going to turn your child into a child molestering sucide gunman. Gaming , apart from the correseponding websites, have not been reported, or reviewed as a whole in the public domain. When more and more people, see strong narratives, interesting concepts such as flower, gaming in time will be more generally accepted and hopefully the reporting will be less over the top, and reviewers will be more critical of games and how they relate to society.

    ironically the programme for the most part was probably watched by people who've sat watching tv from the armchair since 11 this morning.
    Edited by 2 at 06/12/10 @ 22:18

  • Caimbeul #94 1 year ago

    Whilst i don't doubt that those people with inherently addict personalities may become addicted to games (or anything else for that matter) the phrase "Just one more go", for me at least is purely from being competative and boils down to a refusal to be beaten by a game or striving for excellence. I have had my share of being late because of a game or a missed day at work BUT is controlled and does not let it get out of hand. I dont have time to play some days let alone be "addicted".

  • ShiroBen #95 1 year ago

    To sum up, "Extremes are bad".

  • Retroid #96 1 year ago

    All you have to remember is this: Panorama was the 'documentary' series which did *that* program about the dangers of wifi routers in homes and schools.

    You know; the one which got almost everything about the topic completely wrong.

    As for this, I look forward to their exposés about reality TV & soap addicts who watch those series back-to-back for hours on end.

    Or not.

  • RESIDENT_nEVILe #97 1 year ago

    I thought the programs attempt at balance was purely cosmetic. There were the odd tid-bits of balanced argument, but the focus, music and the presenters demeanour conveyed a very, very negative intent.


    The part with the crying boy was pure Chris Morris... look what gaming has done to his ickle face... his eyes! LOOK AT HIS EYES! If that boy had been operating a sowing machine or playing chess the result would have been similar because he has a problem with his tear ducts :D :D Me personally, I like to flick my tongue from left to right when I am concentrating. MY TONGUE! GAMING HAS CAUSED SPASMS IN MY TONGUE!


    So, student drops out of college to be a bum, teenage boy skips school, mentally-ill and depressed couple neglect children. If we took games out of the equation, I'm not sure these peoples lives would have turned out drastically different. They would have just brought their poor impulse control to a different medium.


    I did feel for the asian guy who was trying to quit. He was clearly a genuine case and there is definitely an element in some games, like WOW, that play on positive reinforcement. similar to the lottery, scratch cards and gambling machines, etc.


    The program even managed to turn gaming positives into negatives:

    -Games engage the brain more than television and the improve aptitude = "HIS EYES!!".

    -Games keep people out of pubs and clubs every night = "Be normal, go out and get SMASHED!"

    -There is a social aspect to online gaming that actually helps develop inter-personal skills and relationships = "I hit him a lot as a child. For some reason he immersed himself in a fantasy world, so I have put him in fantasy-rehab so he can reconnect with his family. Yes, the family that beats him."

    -Gaming keeps kids off the street = They should be on the streets trying to get people to buy them beer/cigs and amusing passers by with their "Hail fellow well met" adolescent personalities.


    Utter shite :)
    Edited by 2 at 06/12/10 @ 22:34

  • Inertia #98 1 year ago

    Gaming is the biggest waste of time on this planet. But it's fun, sometimes.

  • Lucodeath #99 1 year ago

    Im addicted to video games and pubs, Im a no hoper

  • MrBelmont #100 1 year ago

    I mentally switched off as soon as Vine said "Computer games consoles"...no, it's either Games Consoles or Computer Games. Wasn't there also a mention of a Laura Croft?

    Pure "filler" Panorama, so in essence we've got a few students In Nottingham who are a bit bored and the Koreans to base a whole program about game addiction on. Look hard enough and you'll find obsessive disorders for pretty much any activity.

    The fact that Panoramas expose was so weak on facts was testimant to the ignorance shown by the producer. I don't usually swear but it was a load of old b*ll*cks

  • lockload #101 1 year ago

    Well watched it noting too controversial really

    Some people do get addicted to games in my opinion 15 to 20 hours a day is ridiculous and is abviosly a problem

  • FenderMaster #102 1 year ago

    "I have a disease!"

    [link url=http://www.southparkstuff.com/images/ stories/epiimgs/epi914/epi914img19.jpg
    ]http://ww w.southparkstuff.com/images/sto...[/link]

    In all seriousness, games can be addictive, but it's not pysical, it's just a lack of discipline and willpower. It's physically the easiest thing to quit in the world, but if you have no willpower, good luck...

    self esteem is a big issue though, a lack of direction or purpose in your life can lead to low discipline and mental addiction.

  • GitSomE_UK #103 1 year ago

    I was too busy watching the lolfest that was the Corronation Street Tram Mash Up and then I'm a Celeb - The next frontier: LIFE

    Far more interesting than some BBC drivel. After seeing the advert for the program it was obviously going to be pure unrefined Daily Mail drivel at it's very best. All of this designed to get the armchair brigade wringing their hands and whipped into a frenzy about little Johnny and the evil games box.

    After watching that lot I got my fix of Junk - Pure BFBC2... Yeah baby the good stuff!

  • mAc062 #104 1 year ago

    Well thats it its offical
    Puts on cowboy costume and heads to street corner to pay for WOW subscription
    Edited by 1 at 07/12/10 @ 07:49

  • kangarootoo #105 1 year ago

    @beemoh

    "The point is that when addiction to gambling or games or whatever comes up, people don't talk about seratonin or endorphins, they talk about their release as a result of whatever they're doing."

    Well, with respect to those involved, being an addict to one thing or another in no way qualifies someone to understand the biology of what is taking place. A gambling addict might not consider their affliction to be physical in any way, but they would be wrong.

    In some cases of gambling addiction (considering that to represent all apparently psychological dependancies), prescribing anti-depressants (at least in the short term) can be an effective treatment.


    @Zephro

    I'm going to make a concession, to understanding and accepting the terms in which you use the phrase "chemical dependance", as I admit I risk this turning into semantics at the cost of actual discussion.

    I suppose my "pedantry" ;) stems from a concern that we might divide these addictions into physical (cigs, heroin, etc) and psychological (gambling or gaming addictions, etc). My point is that psychological conditions are almost always physical conditions as well. And equally, an aspect of any chemical dependace is also psychological (the physical effects of nicotine go up against the behavioural trait that is will power, to put it simply).

  • guernican #106 1 year ago

    "I like how during the documentary, the presenter said how this person was playing games rathar than being out at a pub or club. "

    I know, that raised a chuckle here too.

    It was an interesting point, but probably one for another documentary, about how the way people interact with each other is changing / evolving. Let's be honest, though, it doesn't look like a particularly good thing when you depict a hall full of young Koreans, each plugged into a virtual world and choosing to relate to each other through their mutual need for a Fire Sword +4. Something rather Orwellian about that room, I thought.

    But yes, the idea that going out and getting smashed is somehow "better" did raise a grin.

  • IkariW #107 1 year ago

    Always the same with these 'programs' they always analise the extreme then make out that its the majority.
    Its all just sensationalist cr@p end.
    Edited by 2 at 08/12/10 @ 11:30

  • neems #108 1 year ago

    Not having seen the program itself, I'm curious, did any of these people take any responsibility for themselves at all? In particular, the young man who played Modern Warfare 2 for 20 hours a day and got kicked out of University. It's always nice to have something else to blame isn't it?

    I forget the name, but there is an American psychologist who works extensively with prisoners and ex-convicts. He wrote a book about some of the cases he handled, and one in particular comes to mind. He gets called to see one of his patients who has re-offended, and the patient tells him that he has had another 'episode', that his 'problem' has resurfaced. He is not mentally ill, the 'problem' is simply that the patient likes to steal all the gold from churches, and then set fire to them to cover his tracks. The only problems are that he got caught, and that he refuses to accept responsibility for his own actions.

    Getting kicked out of Uni because you're sitting around all day playing computer games instead of working doesn't sound as good as 'I was a computer game addict, and it got me kicked out of Uni'.

  • combmakerswe #109 1 year ago

    Reposting here from the forum thread:

    Fun stuff from [link url=http://www.wowdetox.com:]http://www.wowdetox.com:[/link] (Choice quotes from pages 1-4 of 2527)

    "i am 25 years old and i started playing wow about 2 years go. having 4 decked out 80's really means putting work and times and money on them, i never payed attention to anything in my life that wow. i started missing college classes and calling out of work untill i almost lost my job. (snip) "


    "World of Warcraft has messed up my life so bad, that words are not even able to describe it. I started playing about 3 years ago and since then my life has been going downwards. I almost got kicked out of high school because I skipped two weeks just to play this game. I made up a bunch of lies which had everyone at school and at home fooled. I told my teachers that I was going on trip all around Europe when in reality I was at home playing World of Warcraft. (snip)"


    "I was married this year and have a wonderful husband who loves me dearly. He introduced me to wow, which I am sure he now regrets. I find myself preoccupied by the fact that I am preoccupied with the game. It's messed up! I wish I could figure out how to harness the motivation I have for playing this game into.... well... too many things to list that are a better way to spend my time. I've always thought of addiction in terms of the body's physical dependence on something. Easy to understand why it was hard for me to quit smoking. Why I keep playing this gamne, when it obviously affects me in such a negative way, is something I don't understand. "


    "This game ruined me socially. Made talking to girls not just diffuclt, but downwright impossible. I was scared of them, as if they were some kind of monster. I also couldnt stop thinking about WoW during school, (im 15) every class, what new strategy im gonna use to kill rogues, why my mage lost that 2v2, how the raid tonight was gonna go. My grades plummeted, and i did think about suicide for a while there... but then my computer, in what is surely an act of god, crapped out on me. 3 months wow free GL all"


    "The majority of my time was played while I was intoxicated in some way - Marijuana, alcohol, I even was horribly addicted to using cocaine and playing. I am an addict, in every aspect of the word, and this game took 5 years of my life, of the solid 10 years I could call myself an addict. If you are anything like me, get help. It's so worth it. I have a 2 year old son who I hang around with all the time now, which is a thousand times more fulfilling than how well I can tank/heal/dps/pvp. Real life is the way to go. "


    "If you don't now play WoW, please do not start. It is not worth it!!

    I am addicted to WoW. My personal life and my business has suffered.

    One of the reasons (not the only) for leaving my husband was that he didn't like that I played WoW so much.

    Now, there are times I could be out socializing with friends and I am instead home alone playing WoW. "

    "WoW is a crazy drug. I remember making fun of my buddies that started playing it when it released. When I started playing it, it slowly but surely turned into my worst habit. I wasted well over 2 grand into this game (buying computers, mice, subscriptions) not to mention the amount of time of my life wasted. I dropped out of college, dumped my gf, and didn't have a job. It wasn't until I took a step back and really thought about life. Really what life is. And after that day I had a new mindset that I have stuck to ever since, don't look back at it, you only have 1 life to live. Sincerely, Warlord Gladiator Duelist Rival Challenger Vanquisher Conqueror Battlemaster Jager of the Horde. "

  • NorfolkNClue #110 1 year ago

    I noticed myself getting sucked into warcraft a few years back: after 2 weeks of rushing home from work and spending 6 hours a night on it, I changed my account password, uninstalled the game, chucked the disks and burned the key. I was a bit grumpy for the next few weeks, but was ultimately glad I stopped the time sink :)

  • TopKatt #111 1 year ago

    One important point that wasn't mentioned is that games playing does not have to interfere with getting smashed, you can do both at the same time quite easily.

  • BuffoonBassoon #112 1 year ago

    parent's fault not the game developers. end of

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #113 1 year ago

    Why are we all trying to pretend that the games industry doesn't actively try to make addictive games? Isn't "addictive" usually a term of the highest praise in the gaming media?

    http://wo sblog.podgamer.com/2010/12/07/w...

  • maximusfarticus #114 1 year ago

    Fuck off campbell you talentless hack.

  • InfiniteFury #115 1 year ago

    Indeed Rev Stu. As a gamer, I understand the knee-jerk reaction to any criticism directed at my hobby from entities who have historically shown themselves to be ignorant buffoons, incapable of analysing the topic with any impartiality.

    At the same time, I don't think we do the situation any favours by blindly rushing to gaming's defence because of that.

    Books end, MMOs don't. It's almost a principle mechanic that underlies the compulsion to keep playing and try and reach the end regardless.

  • RodHull #116 1 year ago

    What's the chances that as a consequence of this programme EA will cancel Fifa 2012?
    Edited by 1 at 07/12/10 @ 13:01

  • Gastrian #117 1 year ago

    I'm going to reserve judgement until I've seen the show but it does have its merits. To blame it on the person is unfair as addictions are medical conditions but the main point we overlook is that companies, especially MMO publishers like Activision want to exploit these conditions in us. WoW wants your time because your time is also linked to their revenue streams. Its not so much that games are addictive, its that companies will target our addictive personality traits and exploit them for profit.

    Unlike say cigarettes where you are addicted to the nicotine there's many different factors with gaming, there's high scores, completionists and online communities among others and it shouldn't just be discarded as game bashing.
    Edited by 1 at 07/12/10 @ 13:42

  • Colin8703 #118 1 year ago

    What a surprise.

    People not taking responsibility for their own actions and blaming something else.

    If you're on a game all the time then something in real life is missing and like everything else in the world that's legal.

    Fine if used responsibly.

  • PixelPirate #119 1 year ago

    Cover the wikileaks stuff Panorama, freedom of speech is much more important than this non this "non news".

    Everything is addictive to different people in different ways. Moderation is the key.

  • xero521 #120 1 year ago

    i watched this programe last nite and it made me think about myself, i am addicted to gaming but not to the extent where nothin else matters i cant play unless my room is clean and tidy got a mild case of ocd! but like it said on the programe gaming is benefical, gives u good memory fast reflexs! plus i enjoy havin a laff wiv my mates online a new way of socialising beats goin the pub! plus tv is so shit its unreal suppose if there was no games i wud read a lot more!

  • Xfirus #121 1 year ago

    Rather than just studying Video Game addiction, and singling it out, why not study addiction in general. I understand some people get addicted to video games but I think you will find that they could easily become addicted to anything, in fact pretty much anything that you can do over and over could become addictive.

    I also love how instead of gaming, Joe suggests to "go out and get smashed", sorry Joe but that's the last thing we need when society is fine with alcohol abuse on a regular basis. Finally Mrs Dando, seriously? Where have you been for the last 10 years and it would have been common sense to intervene when your son is playing 20 hours a day.

  • smithdown #122 1 year ago

    Just watched it. Essentially, the programme is pointing to games acting as a catalyst for people who are already predisposed to obsessive behaviour. Just like marijuana can act as a catalyst for people predisposed to schizophrenia, or an emotionally traumatic event can trigger all sorts of mental illness. You are unlikely to develop long term problems unless you already have some sort of behavioural or emotional problems, or perhaps even a genetic predisposition (not sure of genetics are linked to addictiv/compulsie personalities). The fact is that most of the people used as examples in the show were known or suspected to have other issues outside of the sphere of gaming.It is THIS combination of factors that the programme would have done well to focus on more, and it should have made it clear to parents that if their kids are already spending a lot of time on their own or have violent tempers etc, gaming excessively is probably not a great idea.

    The points made in the programme about 'compulsion loops' is interesting and is something which is widely recognised in psychology, and I'm sure it is something the games industry exploits, particularly in 'loot'em-ups' like Borderlands, Diablo etc - the logorithms that determine the rate of loot being dropped can be tweaked to the point that gamers get hooked. I don't think the programme demonised gaming too harshly but contained a lot of inaccuracies and it should have made it clear that parental responsibility and taking account of your own actions are the most important things. Day to day life should always take precedence - Blizzard put it well.

    Blindly defending gaming as non-dangerous is as silly as ignorantly denouncing it as a menace to society. Clearly, it can lead to complications for a small proportion of the population, but for the majority it is, and will remain, an enjoyable way to pass a few hours.
    Edited by 1 at 07/12/10 @ 14:16

  • Lucodeath #123 1 year ago

    Some people are obsessed with art/ modern art but those people are called cultured, we are called junkies, Most video games have had more effort put in to them to produce more artistic value to me and theyre a lot cheaper to buy.
    People who collect antiques are as bad, collecting useless bits of wood an stuff that they pay a fortune for.
    How many video game programs are on tv compared to antique/art shows/property programs. Id rather play halo than watch all that shit.

  • combmakerswe #124 1 year ago

    "Some people are obsessed with art/ modern art but those people are called cultured, we are called junkies."

    Art can get you laid. Sports can get you laid. Getting drunk at a pub can get you laid.

    WoW can´t get you laid. In fact, WoW is the kind of thing you want to keep quiet about if you want to get laid.

    There is the difference in a nutshell.

  • Lucodeath #125 1 year ago

    So its all about shaggin then, good job I spend alot of time at the pub.
    No mention of antique dealers, they must be the saddest.
    Edited by 2 at 07/12/10 @ 15:03

  • combmakerswe #126 1 year ago

    "No mention of antique dealers, they must be the saddest."

    Not if they make good cash. Then they´re golden.

  • Kerome #127 1 year ago

    Well, it begs the question of what have happen if the addiction-susceptible personalities in the programme had started out on, say, binge-eating, alcohol, extc, or worse. As addictions go, gaming is relatively harmless, and so for those people to learn to cope with their tendencies after a few years of excessive gaming seems a he'll of a lot better than going into drugs, gangs and ladies of ill repute, or coming away 8 stone overweight.

  • Ka-blamo #128 1 year ago

    It's not 'gaming' per se that's addictive.

    But MMORPGs especially can be be very damaging coupled with depression, boredom, social phobia, so certain videogames can, without a doubt be a compulsion....as if it's all you've got in life and all you think about, then it's all you're going to do.

    but yeah as it says, the problem would exist without Videogames....but Videogames gives a safe house to many of problems in young(and old) people.

  • Captain_Jono #129 1 year ago

    Last night’s Panorama was probably the most even handed coverage so-called computer-game addiction has received on television.

    And it was still a shameless hatchet job!

    The key issue is the clack of published scientific studies. And no, Panorama, interviewing some obscure academics about their unpublished pet theories is not valid science! Nor are exceptional case studies concerning dead babies and angry WoW players!

    Show us a credible academic study published in a respectable peer-reviewed journal, then we’ll discuss video game addiction!

  • Bluetooth #130 1 year ago

    I've met Adrian Hon in person, nice chap, a genius too.

    Erm... that's about it.

  • AHiFi #131 1 year ago

    MrMarc - Issues will never get solved while people use terms like 'brat' and 'idiot' to describe people who have lost touch with reality.

  • Kerome #132 1 year ago

    Actually what scientific research there is backs the position that games in and of themselves are not 'addictive' in the sense that say crack cocaine is. There was a games addiction centre in Amsterdam a few years back which did some studies, and they eventually closed down, saying there was no case to answer (and insufficient custom for a valid business).

  • benfresh76 #133 1 year ago

    Video game addiction, the biggest issue threatening the nation's youth since sex addiction.

    Just because you really like doing something and want to do it all the time, doesn't make it an addiction. Even the use of the word is entirely leading, when most people primarily associate 'addiction' with hard drugs and alcohol, how can the intention of the programme producers be anything other than sensationalist? Seriously, what's the worst that can happen to a person who doesn't have the self control to regulate their gaming? Apparently the answer is 'unplug the internet'...Nobody's life is going to be destroyed, nobody is going to die. Obsessive gaming is a phase people go through, nothing more, nothing less.

  • EMULOUS #134 1 year ago

    There is no way on gods green earth, when I was a kid, would my Mum have let me sit on my arse for 20 hours doing anything, whether it be sleeping, playing games, watching TV etc...she would have switched it all off and told to go outside and do something.

    Quite simply, parents need to step up to the plate with these brats (who will take a mile if given an inch) take control, and put some rules in place.

    Theres nothing wrong with gaming if its entwined with other aspects of life like sports, education, socialising etc.

    Panarama investigating a problem where there is no problem.(Apart from with the parents).
    Edited by 1 at 08/12/10 @ 15:00

  • man.the.king #135 1 year ago

    In my opinion, all videogames do is bring out the addictive tendencies that are already latent in specific individuals to the fore. It does not create a tendency towards addiction where there was none.

    The individual addicted is more to be blamed for indulging himself/herself in this activity so often as to make the desire to game, first a habit, and then, unfortunately, a need.
    Edited by 1 at 08/12/10 @ 19:49

  • tinners #136 1 year ago

    I see they have moved away from the whole "games are too violent" craze, and it has evolved into "games are now too addictive"

    Give it a few more years to reach even the most cynical of people and it will be "games stole my wife!!"