In-game addiction therapy for WOW

By Oli Welsh Published 29 July, 2009

Psychiatrist seeks free accounts.

A London psychiatrist has proposed offering in-game addiction therapy to young World of Warcraft players.

Dr Richard Graham of the Tavistock Centre told the Daily Telegraph: "We will be launching this project by the end of the year.

"I think it's already clear that psychiatrists will have to stay within the parameters of the game. They certainly wouldn't be wandering around the game in white coats and would have to use the same characters available to other players."

Graham, concerned that young players were spending up to 16 hours a day in WOW and neglecting their social lives and education, has called on Blizzard to give therapists free game accounts so they "can more easily communicate with at-risk players in their preferred environment", according to the Telegraph.

"Those affected don't exhibit the same outward warning signs as most teenage anti-social behaviour issues do because they're in their bedrooms most of the time, seemingly out of trouble," Graham said. "Because of this we can't get through to them in the traditional educational environment or intrude on their actual bedrooms, we need to turn to the internet itself to tackle these problems."

A slightly more realistic idea of Graham's is to recruit existing, moderate players to act as "peer mentors" to those struggling with online gaming addiction.

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About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (29) Latest comment 3 years ago

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

  • Optyk #1 3 years ago

    I've already broken the WoW addiction..


    and moved onto Eve.

  • RedSparrows #2 3 years ago

    It's simple to break. You take a Stormwind child and sacrifice it to Arugal, and then sprinkle the blood on Mankrik's wife and then run in cirlces around Tanaris 4 times counter-clockwise, and then clear Dire Maul East using only a stiletto.

    oh wait, I'm still mildly addicted. bah.

    /gargles
    Edited by 1 at 29/07/09 @ 14:39

  • Gnort #3 3 years ago

    Sounds like some psychiatrists just want to get their fix for free. Physician, heal thyself, etc.

  • moshegy #4 3 years ago

    I always get the shivers when some loonie wants to take his, or hers, imposed miracle cure to people who didn't know they wanted it. :p

  • sneetch #5 3 years ago

    "Psychiatrist seeks free advertising." More like.

  • porkman #6 3 years ago

    What about if he becomes addicted!!!

  • schnide #7 3 years ago

    We are sitting on a lack of social skills timebomb with MMO's and Xbox Live and as long as Blizzard et al are making money it's only going to keep growing.

  • sneetch #8 3 years ago

    @schnide

    OMG! It r end of world!!

    Your assumptions aside MMOs are all about social interaction. That's why people get so into them, they're a form of escapism where you and your guildies can forget about the world, relax and talk crap in a fun environment while playing a game you all know and enjoy.

  • iamian #9 3 years ago

    best line from Dr Graham;
    "a psychiatrist may excel in what they do in the real world, they’re probably not going to be very good at playing World of Warcraft"
    Doubt they'll meet any addicts in Northshire!

  • dylman #10 3 years ago

    I could stop playing WoW any time I liked. Any time at all.
    Not right now obviously, with 3.2 just around the corner, but yeah. Any time.

  • RexRunti #11 3 years ago

    Er... I'm doing a study into XBox 360s and the effects they have on 29 year old males who post on Eurogamer with the alias RexRunti and have too much time on their hands, can I have every new game between now and the end of the 360 life cycle for free?

  • etherfiend #12 3 years ago

    Here's a hint. Parental control.

    16 hours a day...whoever lets their child do that shouldn't really be a parent (unless they are power-levelling or gold-farming to bring in the money needed to pay mortgage payments of course). **rolls eyes**

    @schnide aww bless. Tomorrows generation won't need social interaction skills for going down the pub or other 'in person' scenarios. It will all be digital (if you leave your house you will get murdered by mobs of un-enlightened hoodies - the trend is already beginning. I read the Daily Fail by mistake and now I know the true horror of youth Britain) and the LCD screens implanted onto our eyelids will allow us to view our digital friends and buddies. No more social inadequacy for not being pretty, thin, etc, your avatar will be perfection personified...and so many outfits, certainly two for every occasion!!

    Yes social interaction 3.0 will be the dawning of a new era, and whilst my crusty old husk of a body withers away in a retirement home being tended to by monkey butlers (or immigrants, whichever will work for the cheaper wage) then my brain will still be logging into the most recent MMO of the time (Universe of Warcraft 18: Protoss insurrection) and people will talk to me like a human and not like a newborn child just because I'm so old with a little hearing trouble.

    Pro-creation will be less....sticky...with digital insemination occurring from a synthesis of the avatar DNA.

    The future sounds excellent. Social skills? pfft. That is so 2008.

  • MightyMouse #13 3 years ago

    Personally I'm all in favour of it as long as they can make it effective.

  • Genji #14 3 years ago

    Yes, I am in favor of this.

    I am also very glad that I have never even considered joining WoW, or any MMO for that matter. I don't handle addiction well.

  • Miths #15 3 years ago

    A psychiatrist who can't pay for his own WoW account? Damn I'm glad I didn't go to med school if being a doctor pays that badly :).

  • RexRunti #16 3 years ago

    I've just noticed a fundamental flaw with this plan. Say I'm a teen addicted to WoW, I'm having a huge urge to play, but know I shouldn't because I've got homework to do/a date/GCSE tomorrow... whatever anyway, in order to stay strong I need to contact my therapist... by logging into WoW...

    It's a bit like having AA meetings at the local pub.

  • Kalinin #17 3 years ago

    I agree with RexRunti, we should also start having AA meetings over shots in a bar and the breweries should have to pay the therapist's tab.

    It makes perfect sense.

  • MightyMouse #18 3 years ago

    Except that's not a flaw, it's the point. Reread the article.

  • rogueJT #19 3 years ago


    Save the Children!

    Get them away from from something they love to working a dead end job 9-5, 5 days a week, 49 weeks a year!

  • TitusCrow #20 3 years ago

    This topic makes me feel the sort of manic glee, that is usually only accessable when I watch puppies being drowned on U tube :D

  • comedian #21 3 years ago

    Or you could just go and stand in the barrens and realise you were like that once

    Did it for me, shamed me it did.

  • Sharzam #22 3 years ago

    If need a specialist wow shrink, then surely you need a specialist for bananas or maybe Jeremy kyle trauma.

    People can become addicted to anything and anything can take over and be the focus of someone lives. I am not playing down WoW having a effect but it has the same effect as any social problem. Some people avoid Pubs for example as they dont like being around a lot people yes thats a social issue however doesn't mean you need a specialist to change it.

  • Azazel #23 3 years ago

    Breaking News: In-Game Quack gets hooked on Warcrack. Ironing found.

  • FortysixterUK #24 3 years ago

    This much refer to such a small area of the population, that if it wasn't wow it would be something else.
    Let them get on with it as they will soon learn that if they dont get an education they cant get a job,( and in their future) no job is no money, no money means not being able to pay for broadband, wow subscriptions or pc hardware.
    Then they go cold turkey.
    They Kill their families and get put into special care homes where the Psychiatrists realise the only way to keep the calm is let them play wow.
    There...a whole social disease resolved in a few sentences.

  • Stardusty #25 3 years ago

    @FortysixterUK
    Like all narcotics, the best way to quit IS cold turkey.
    Well in the case of WoW... a hammer to smash the install discs after quitting cold turkey.

  • tjs #26 3 years ago

    Just encourage griefers. Job done.

  • Shrui #27 3 years ago

    I say let him try, a summary of responses:

    General Chat:
    Dr: Hi all, are you addicted to WoW? Come to the fountain in Stormwind where we can help with your problem!
    xxikyllUxx: STFU! newb!11!!
    Eaurliy: Reported for spamming
    Freddy982: Bet he's just a pedo! Come feel me!
    Dr is now offline

  • epictoon #28 3 years ago

    Massively multiplayer online games are habit forming. They are designed to pull you in and keep you playing. Unfortunately for some, the games become an all consuming addiction. Here are tips on how to maximize your online gaming fun without crossing the line into irresponsibility, obsession and (for some) addiction.

    [link url=http://www.affsphere.com/Games/Online-Games/ Kicking-the-Habit-1.html
    ]http://ww w.affsphere.com/Games/Online-Ga...[/link]

  • CaoSlayer #29 3 years ago

    "Save the Children!

    Get them away from from something they love to working a dead end job 9-5, 5 days a week, 49 weeks a year!"

    I bet if they spent the time played studying or training some skill, they would be not locked in a dead end job.

    Instead, they are wasting their time in something consisting in little more that clicking on a monster, watching it die and then clicking to another monster all for at least four hours a day.
    If someone spent that time resolving differential equations although is nearly as useless in real life, still he is building mental skills that will be allow him to take on real life problems.

    Now, they are only building resistance to doing the same thing for long time periods of times... ummm, they are going to be great at working at something like a supermarket or a chain factory.

    I was once addicted for about two/three months to lineage 2 until after grinding for a week in a dungeon I asked myself "whate the fuck I'm doing?" I realized how boring and pointless was a game about clicking on monsters and waiting them to die for hours. Since then, I have not played again a game (for more than a day) that don't requires a brain to be played.

    Even if they got a job instead of wasting their time playing, they would gain money so they could spend it in wasting it in dating girls, travelling, getting drunk or whatever and they will get a good job record for getting a better job in the future.