New Study Delivers Old Figure: 8 Percent Are Game-Addicted

@Sonira - I am old news.: It looks like the rubber has been ripped off of his thumbsticks. I know this problem well...

@somarix: Gaming in your free time is a hobby. Gaming for 12+ hours a day is an addiction. Note that the study is probably wrong in some way and doing ANYTHING for more than half of your day isn't good for you, but it is possible to have an addiction to gaming that interferes with your lifestyle.

@GeneralFBDZ: But that's... I mean, it's not even...

*asplodes*

What wrong with gaming again ? Isn't it better to know that your kid or boyfriend is at home playing game than somewhere out there with somebody ?

jellyfish

@jayntampa: Isn't that the point of a random sample?

@laser beams:

1998? Consarn it! I bought my PS1 in August that year and it came with the original, stick-less controller. Probably didn't help that I bought it off-hand at Funcoland, it wasn't until Ape Escape that I even knew it existed :(

Michael Nelson

@s1L3nt_n18t: apparently not enough of a nerd to know that the Dual Shock was introduced in 1998... for the PS1.

@Hardcore_Gamer: there is only one person to blame for a video game addiction. the person who plays the games. they made a conscious choice to play games. no one forces them at gunpoint. if they get addicted, its their own fault, and their own job to seek help.

@Spiderbait: No. Yao Ming is what a dyslexic cat does.

GeneralFBDZ

@TrjnRabbit: He means make money "treating" the addiction.

Chaotix3

@Danarcho:
That's what I was thinking. . . Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, EA, Activision and a few other hundred companies, they're all doing their damndest to make money off of our addition.

TrjnRabbit

"Mr. President! 8 percent of kids are addicted to gaming!"

"Ok....and?"

"Well...they have other mental health issues..."

"Ok, well, let's get working on curing that first..."

"Yeah....that actually makes sense"

"It's why I'm president :) "

@Spiderbait: I'm addicted to oxygen. I can't live without it for more than 4 minutes. When I breathe it deeply for a while, I feel so high.

Addictions simply have to be sanely weighted. Gaming doesn't hurt you or anybody, it's only time-taking. Some games can replace books (I've read 3+ million pages before getting a pc and ps2), other games can give you more like-minded contacts. Almost all games will relieve your stress, and imho nullify your will to physically and seriously fight/war for stupid reasons in real life. It's one the safest addictions.

My classmate called me a video game addict since I'm never anywhere without my PSP. I also scored 2nd highest in my torts class.

Bricked

I love how half the time kotaku won't even let me SEE the second page because it auto-refreshes back to page one of comments..

GO BACK TO THE OLD COMMENT SYSTEM!! It's like you're rewarding all the people who got hard because they were first!

@GeneralFBDZ: Oh my god there's a micronesia too! And I thought Asians were small to begin with!
I'm still convinced that Yao Ming is just two asian dudes in a suit.

Spiderbait

@yanipheonu: Gaming is a gateway drug. I myself started watching anime which led me to reading manga. When I realized I had started reading I knew I'd hit rock-bottom.

Spiderbait

8.5 percent of players aged 8 to 18 were "pathological gamers."

That seems to fit. I'd say about 8.5 percent of me is addicted, 50% plays to kill time 10% is devoted to studying, 15% to working out and the rest is just randomness.

Spiderbait

@Krelis: Video Game addiction isn't a actual disorder, it similar to being addicted to chocolate, or sleep. Its not a true disorder, but a sign of other bigger disorders. (lack of control in one's life etc.)

Kupaka

@Zolbrod: Yeah but there are too many addicted to too many things for us to worry about it in my opinion.

Spiderbait

@n00b_pwner: Wishing for something without knowing how the thing works is a fool's errand.

@Blah8:
Ouch, I have been outnerded by you. I concede defeat in regards to that topic. And personally, the term nerd has never really bothered me. I've always seen it as a distinction of possessing knowledge (either technical or otherwise) that others are not fortunate enough to possess.

8% is way lower than the child obesity rate

HelmetRule

@bobtheduck: I learned about kinky one armed dwarves from penthouse forum.

GeneralFBDZ

@GeneralFBDZ: I learned about magic from Harry Potter and cryptography from DiVinci Code.

@SaanZ: No one has a problem with people addicted to novels... For some reason. Apparently, reading makes you a better person, regardless of the subject.

@Zolbrod: No I now that, any addiction is bad, without going into details i know this!

@s1L3nt_n18t: Not enough of a nerd to know the Dualshock first released on the PS1? I've never had a non-dualshock PS controller. I got my PS1 when MGS came out, and it CAME with a dualshock.

@the7k: Dude, using my dualshock 3 with ps2 and 1 games is worth it alone. Also, managing my memory cards on my haddrive is awesome.

Anyway, Its probably cheaper to work on PS2 emulation in the long run rather than putting an "Emotion Engine" and "Graphics Synthesizer" into each PS3.

@LuppyLuptonium: It's a geographical grouping in the Pacific/Oceania region. Like Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia and other nation groups people in places like the u.s. probably don't know dick about. You can learn about it in things called books.

GeneralFBDZ

What qualifies as an addiction, though? That number seems pretty reasonable, but definitions are finicky things. What's a "gamer" and what is a "game addiction?" You must take into account not JUST hours played but also psychology and, more importantly, context. I play games a whole lot, but... that's just my favorite thing to do! Either I hang out with friends, go to school, or go home, and when I'm home I'm 99% of the time playing games (not counting homework and studying). Does this make me an addict? I don't crave games or spend too much money on them... I just buy the ones that look really good, plus I'm always delving into the past to find classics I've missed. I don't consume the games and move on; if I find a good game I take my time and really study it. I play a great game like a musically-inclined person might listen to a great album. When I hear an amazing CD I don't just like it, I learn the lyrics and the chords and try to play the songs on piano, at the very least. With great games I spend lots of time dissecting and figuring out their flaws or why this one level is so perfectly designed or something. Even if I play a bajillion hours a week... with this context, am I addicted?

This isn't a rhetorical question (I'm not asking for a self-affirming "no")... I'd really like to know what these researchers would say about me or anyone like me.

Spiffyness

@Wolfgang Wozniak:

it still sucks they took the ability to play PS2 games just to make more money of the console...

SaanZ

@n00b_pwner: Hopefully, hardware will be very cheap, very soon. The race would push many marketers to the extreme, driving more profit. I see no signs of slowing down in the gaming market, only speeding up.

@emwurst:

It has more to do with whats considered being an 'addict'

Im sure given their definition around one in four people are 'addicted' to texting, internet, music, television...

...or reading...

Portables probably eat up alot that percentage when kids are dragged around by there parents.

SaanZ

@MaxDragon7: Dang, I must contradict myself at this point because I forgot one important aspect:

The lower cost of manufacture over time.

The truth is that the PS3 cost so much for Sony (at least a $250 loss per unit. Production normally went for $805.35 for a 20 Gig, $840.35 for a 60 Gig) after the introduction to the market. [ps3.ign.com]
The sale price at that time was $600, so the loss was significant.

Presently though, the cost of manufacture has lowered to $400. [www.gamesindustry.biz]
With cheaper manufacture costs for Sony, 2009 is the expected year for profit.

The current year is 2009.

@AncientUnknown1: XD The worst part is that gaming leads into other expencive hobbies. Gaming had lead me into anime O_o which is a huge black hole for money. Not to mention all the stuff aimed at gamers, like accessories and figures of game characters...

yanipheonu

@n00b_pwner:'Why is he still playing on PS1?

It must be because his PS3 is a late model that doesn't support BC.'

Either that, or the picture is an hilarious representation of the people who're still, to this day, unaware of PS3 BC with PSX games?

Bergerac

@Blah8: Was Ape Escape the first game to use the Dual Analog controller on the PSX? I kinda remember them both coming out around the same time...

@Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science.: Yeah, from what I've heard (God knows if my source is trustworthy), Sony has been sinking a lot of money into PS2 emulation R&D.

Seems like a waste in my opinion... I mean, who will care about God of War 1 and 2 when God of War 3 comes out? Who's going to play FFXII when FFXIII will (at some fabled day) be on the PS3? People who don't already own a PS2, sure - but why would Sony cater to just three people? (And before anyone jumps on my case - It's hyperbole, people. You gotta admit, the segment of gamers who don't own a PS2 at this point is SMALL.)

@s1L3nt_n18t:

You just embarrassed yourself, sir.

NyappyHeroism

@Hardcore_Gamer: A++ Would read again

@n00b_pwner: You're missing the important questions. Why is the little bastard looking at a camera instead of the screen he's supposedly playing on? And why he look like he wants to eat my face off?

GeneralFBDZ

@Str8_Jihadin: he is probably playing return fire because it does not work on the PS3

I wonder how many people are "addicted" to television, or films, or reading the bloody newspaper.

This is silly, its a form of entertainment not a hardcore drug.

Spenze

@MaxDragon7: It just sucks that this generation had to be the most expensive all around because MS, Sony, and Nintendo wants to turn their consoles into a computer. Last generation, all the consoles were consoles without any bells and whistles, except for DVD playability. Xbox 1 had Live, PS2 had it's games, and Nintendo had it's Nintendo games.

Now the race is all about who can update their console the fastest.

Nintendo is to blame for trying to make people addicted. Instead of going to the beach and playin frisbee or waterskiing, they are trying to get people to play Wii Sports Resort. Just go outside people its free and not crap 480p graphics!!!

I game a lot indoors (1080p) but I frequently take trips outside to the real world and interact with people/animals/etc.

@s1L3nt_n18t:
The DualShock started out as a PS1 controller, bud. I know the PS1 initially released with the controller without joysticks, but that was replaced eventually by the original DualShock controller. That's why the PS2's controller was called the DualShock 2, etc. They were out by 1998 in the US.
Now who's the bigger nerd! Hahahah- oh, wait... (though I really don't think that's that nerdy, and I despise the term)

Blah8

@Sonira - I am old news.: Malcolm in the middle??

Rey Rodrigues

Doesn't somebody already make money off our addiction....*eyes Kotaku and the rest of the game industry*

Danarcho

@n00b_pwner:

Don't you know? he was so addicted to the game he was playing that he didn't have the time to hear about the next two systems =D

@AncientUnknown1: Try N64 for a few weeks and slowly work your way back to the front again.

Also spend some time on multiplayer if you want to. Just because a game is old doesn't mean it's not worth it anymore. A few months ago, I spend about a week beating Donkey Kong 64 101% completion. Took me 26 hours total.

@n00b_pwner: If you think about it though, it would cost much more for Sony to input the PS2's processor into the PS3 than a PSOne processor into the PS3.

It's a matter of money.

@LuppyLuptonium: lmao

@n00b_pwner: Yes, sticking a ps2 inside the ps3 was such a cost effective strategy. They should totally do it all over again.

Anyway, they're trying to get down PS2 emulation and be done with it.

I'm addicted to playing new games. I always want to play the latest big games and quickly move on once I beat them. No replays for me. I play it. I beat it. Then I move on to the next freshly-released-game and never look back.

I won't lie. It's an expensive addiction. Going from one game to the next.

My addiction has gone so far that I don't even care about old games anymore, no matter how great they are. If a game isn't the hottest new game released, then I don't care about it.

Even farther, I would happily pay publishers large sums of money to play games before the games are released to the public. (Yes, I want games so new they're "pre-new.") I would go so far as to say that I would happily pay Activision $$$ to play Modern Warfare 2 the day-and-date it ships to game reviewers.

Yeah, my addiction is bad.

AncientUnknown1

Oh? Well here's an idea...
GIVE THOSE LOW LIFES SOMETHING ELSE TO DO!

@KainReborn: I am still waiting for a price-drop for me to get a PS3 for myself, but it would only be for it's exclusives. Sony made a mistake by trying to justify it's jacked up price of the PS3.

As for the 360's BC issues, I wish MS would at least make a future model of the 360 that has an Xbox 1's processor in it so original Xbox games won't be emulated, but played normally.

I didn't know there was an Australasia.

G'day Mate-san

LuppyLuptonium

@someone_else: Just because more people are addicted to alcohol doesn't mean that anything that affects less people is suddenly not a disorder anymore.

I don't care. I'm too busy playing some wind waker.

@n00b_pwner: I would assume it's cheaper to make a PS3 without said processor, seeing as the loss of BC came hand in hand with the price drop. It's all about the Benjamins, and what not.

KainReborn

I have the following within my reach: Xbox, Xbox 360, ipod touch, ds, megadrive, dreamcast, saturn, wii, n64, ps3, PC. Nope, not addicted at all.

Why do people who's lives revolve around video games have "to ... have other mental health issues"? Perhaps they just really enjoy the activity and like interacting in the community, like any other hobby? It would not be said that a film or literature enthusiast would have "mental health issues", so what makes video game players any different? Frankly, it's rather insulting. Ah well, this study was probably conducted by a close-minded old man who's terrified of anything run by electricity.

@Str8_Jihadin: That's dumb. All they needed to do is have PS2's processor in the PS3 to make it play both PS1 and PS2 games.

Sony makes me wonder sometimes.

At least it's not as atrocious as the 360's BC. Tried to play JSRF on it and I had flickering textures, missing textures, slowdown, and freezing.

Can I ask what counts as a gamer?
I bet a majority of people have played a video-game even something like pac-man or tetris. Are you only a gamer if you play X number of hours a week.

Example
A person that plays less than one hour of video games a week (not considered a gamer so not factored in)if everyone that has played a video game is included would the percent addicted not be smaller?

@Wolfgang Wozniak:
yup, and it could be a Dual Analog Controller too, released even before the dual shock.
on topic: I can't help but feeling these studies try very hard to prove things that aren't there.

nikolaj

@n00b_pwner: he's not playing PSone that dual shock is hooked up to a sybian. DUH!

chang187

@someone_else: grrrr havng re-read that it was posted as a true alcoholic too, all those typos!

I personally love *reading* about the games and information on sites like this as much as I enjoy playing a great game. The build up of a great game always has me addicted and I think thats where my problem lies...where I need to keep checking game news many times a day.

@Krelis: Well I am pretty sure that more peopel are addicted to alcohol than games, wonder what is worse?... hey you cantake my PS3 but you take my booze and I cut you1

Wait a second ... how is this any different than the last study? According to the original article:

"Researchers at the University of Sydney conducted an online poll of almost 2000 gamers from across the globe."

It's the same thing ... they have no control over their sample.

It looks like he's been playing PS1 ALL OF THIS TIME. So hard, that the analog sticks are corroded beyond belief.

Ashurahori

I fit into that category until I was 18 and decided I didn't want to be a fat turd. Still a big hobby of mine, but my life doesn't revolve around it anymore.

Robbotron

@s1L3nt_n18t:
Dual shock=PS1
Dual Shock 2=ps2
Dual Shock 3=ps3

Wolfgang Wozniak

I'd be more interested in how this kind of data stacks up in countries like Korea or Japan.

@n00b_pwner: Yeah except that all PS3 models support PS1 BC

You sir are a tool (and not in the good Maynard Keenan way)

So wait a sec...

8 percent of people who play games are addicted but "video game addiction" is not a disorder?

Am i missing something here?

@n00b_pwner:

Your trolling fails.

PS1 games are all software emulated.

Wolfgang Wozniak

Those analog sticks look painful.

Wolfgang Wozniak

@n00b_pwner:

Couldn't be a PS1, it its a dual shock, look at the twin joysticks. And wow, I am such a nerd to know that.

Again with the picture of the kid with the analog sticks corroded down to wafer-thing pads.

I figure that if kids have parents willing to buy them videogames, they'll choose them over strenuous activities like "walking" or "breathing". The only ones not addicted to video games are the ones who like movement, or don't have the dough to make the show.

emwurst

Heey. That sounds like me. I'm always craving a game to play, but never know what it is, never satisfying - and I feel like I've got to have it!

Yepp. That's me.

@Str8_Jihadin:

Err, they all have PS1 BC no matter what.

@n00b_pwner:

All PS3 have PS1, not PS2, compatibility.

Huzzah! More studies that say that gaming (just like any other activity) might somehow be addicting. What a change of pace!

Why is he still playing on PS1?

It must be because his PS3 is a late model that doesn't support BC.

That picture makes me cringe.

@Michael Nelson: Funcoland.sweet haven't heard that name in a while... the gamestop of the 90's

This study seems to imply some sort of implication about what seems to be, seemingly, some sort of addiction. Maybe.

Or these people are jumping on video games as a vehicle to put forth the idea that "people have problems." Way to go, soft sciences!

Stickarm

@bobtheduck: But that wasn't always the case. In the late 1800s, when technological innovation delivered both cheap paperback novels and systematized education for children (i.e., reading was the new black), there was a "public outcry" about how the scenarios described in the type of book that was popular at the time would cause children to become muggers and burglars. This should sound familiar.

Stickarm

I looked left and right, but nobody was there.

Where the hell is Australasia?

polarenvy

I became an addict when I started playing TF2. I tried going cold turkey, but never made it to 2 months because of the spy/sniper update.

@CapnCourage: Ok, what time of gamers were responding to the online poll? Think about it -- where you find someone online helps to define the type of people responding to the poll. You have no way to identify if the person answering it is actually who they say they are. I've done a lot of graduate work in study design, currently, there is no way to validate online polls appropriate.

There are a HUGE number of avid gamers that don't spend a lot of time on the Internet -- so, you have already messed up your sample by addressing a very specific subset of gamers.

Next -- online polls have people coming to you to answer your questions, you can't randomly assign who is going to answer. Phone polling can do this, although it's validity is shrinking due to the use of cell phones.

The fact is, this would never stand up to statistical or scientific scrutiny. It's the same reason the other study was torn apart.

@jayntampa: Right, but as far as I can tell they didn't take anonymous sampling, they simply conducted the poll over the internet, as opposed to over the phone.

And your analogy is flawed -- these guys are targeting gamers; if they were targeting sports enthusiasts, it would be entirely appropriate to poll people at a sports venue. Otherwise, if they polled the general populace they would get a skewedsample.

@CapnCourage: No, it's not. In a random sample, you actually do have an idea of who is answering - that's how you can address that it is random.

For example, if you went to a sports game and took a "random sample" to see how the general populace feels about sports, you'd get a biased sample -- because of the location that you're collecting data.

Getting a truly random sample is one of the hardest aspects of study design. Online polling is one of the worst ways to do it -- you have no idea who is actually answering, and you're often collecting from a single subset of the population.

Ok, look at the first five users who commented, and the next five. one of them might not be addicted to games.

jedbeetle

@s1L3nt_n18t: And I quote: "it seems to us that these people seem to ... have other mental health issues, and it seems excessive video game playing is a manifestation of these underlying problems."

@Tyson064:
Yep. There's a definite social stigma associated with gaming, that isn't present for many other forms of recreational activity.

It's funny, but sad, that on a road trip with my parents, when I'm playing a game I get some sort of "Get your head out of your games for a moment and look out the window" much more often than I get those sort of comments when I'm reading a book.

metsu92