Japanese Newspaper Wonders About “Game Addicts”

Just gotta make sure you teach your kids about moderation. There's not much else you can do. Kids will always find ways to continue doing what they shouldn't.

"Sometimes, he'll throw the remote control at the TV, overturn the dining table, bite my hand, or try to strangle me. It's enough to get me wondering if he'll kill me."

Protip: You're kid has mental problems.

NotHellTempest

"Blame the player, not the game." -- Akibake

Akibake

Who cares if it's a gaming addiction or not? An addict is an addict. Caused by one of two things.

1. You have a problem currently in your life and you're using whatever addiction you have to cover up/distract from/ignore it.

2. You wind up liking something TOO much, enough that it's become an obsession/danger (or at least WAY mentally unhealthy). Adrenaline rush anyone?

PsiWren

@Str8_Jihadin: :3

If your child is that violent for their alternative life in MMOs, perhaps you should question what you're doing to give them insight - Inspire them with something, like a trip somewhere fascinating. A theme park, with friends of theirs, SOMEthing in the real world that offers something an MMO never could.

It's all about emotions baby. They're using MMOs as an "emotional outlet" and respond badly when they don't have that freedom, because they're not getting any emotion from the real world.

Hard to explain, hope it makes sense. That's how I stopped playing WoW anyway...

@Do Kesubei: I'm snuffing air right now!

YellowMan

From the country that created the "otaku", this must be a revelation :|

@SlackJawed Yokel: Me? I'm addicted to air.

Do Kesubei

@kerihobo: It's ok, Vana'diel is actually a real place you and I live in!

It's not an addiction I swear!

@FallonEbonifly:

Smack him real hard, and your neighbors will call the cops on you over child abuse.

paulrenzo

@Alternate:

I agree. I find it ironic that many gamers cry foul over "simply" blameing videogames, whereas they themselves "simply" blame parents for the cause of these same problems. It also doesn't help that even if parents do try to enforce their children, their peers influence them to find ways to bypass the monitoring. So the blame somehow goes back to the parents, as some gamers will insist.

paulrenzo

@Alternate: Yeah, i've heard of some really sad cases, so i can understand your point but I wish the remark made in the comment of the bites etc. was put into context so we didn't have to speculate as to what caused it. As to the send up of videos on the internet look at star wars kid, I wonder what he's like personally now but then Numa numa kid seems happy (emphasis on "seems")

@Alternate: I always thought it looked incredibly fake. I mean, the brother just happened to have a vid cam available and placed it in a perfect position and managed to do it just before his bro went into the room.

Sigh, what people will do for 15 minutes of fame.

VGame Music Enthusiast SensAzn

@Alternate: Yes, it is true. It sucks when you hear a sad story about somebody who obsessed to the point where they manage to injure, or kill themselves or others. It really makes it harder for everyone else when stuff like that happens.

But here I am, putting emphasis on 'moderation', and putting everything within a reasonable limit.
When parents are able to provide for their children while teaching their kids important life lessons, the opportunities for kids to work reasonably with their parents turn out for the better.
(I'm falling asleep here, hehe.)
When parents provides with proper teaching tools, kids can begin to understand their focus. Whatever those tools may be, as long as everyone learns something at the end of the day, then things should most likely turn out all right in the long run.

(ZzZzZz...)

Honestly, that mother in the story above has different problems then her son being a game addict. She obliviously didn't teach him well enough so they're now using games as a scapegoat. If I had a son that did all that stuff, I'd smack him real hard. Bad manners to throw a TV controller, bite people and ect.

FallonEbonifly

@MaxDragon7 - Zombie Kotaku Outbreak!!!: What you're saying is akin to "drugs arent harmful unless you do them because your parents didnt warn you about them." Yes, its inevitably the parents that make the biggest impact on the child and how games affect them, but the games themselves can be dangerous. Im sure if you are a long time reader of Kotaku you have read some of the articles about gamers who have died or become ill over a game (ie, gamer goes on a gaming binge, has heart attack). Yes, the parent has made a mistake in not teaching them that they should not do such irresponsible thing (although its almost a guarantee that it will still happen because they are kids) but the game gives the situation more gravity then for example if the kid took up obsessive stamp collecting instead of World of Warcraft. Parents DO need to give their children proper guidance and teach them responsible behavior, but the fact that its a game makes the problem that much more severe.

Alternate

@Megamoppy: She probably told him (Maybe forced him) to stop playing for a while and thats why he probably did that stuff.

@bansama: Well, I personally think that the actual article in question is sort of irrelevant. There will always be unique cases within the "gaming addiction problem." I think the bigger point here is the topic of game addiction itself.

Alternate

@therationalpi: Well, for my "smily face" comment, I was actually making a distinction that gaming addiction IS like gambling and NOT like drawing smiley faces, because there is that obvious difference in the amount of harm that comes to the addictee. I do not argue with you on that point.

However, you're saying the fact that games have the ability to be dangerous and addictive means they shouldnt be regulated? If games hurt people, even when parents are unable to prevent or simply are able to but do not prevent it, the danger is still there, and if the effect is unacceptable (dropping out of school, etc.) then that is a compelling reason to regulate them. Its not that there is another way, but the fact that the problem exists means the solution must be more than telling parents to do their job. Having parents go to counselling is more expensive then having the industry find ways to make sure kids are not getting addicted to their product. The problem there is the conflict of interest. So far, Blizzard or Nexon or any other game company has no reason to limit their customer's play time because its more money for them. And that IS bad, because then there is that incentive to encourage it, which has already shown to cause problems.

As for punishing everyone, it doesnt mean there will be a screening process for when you buy a game and you have to take a psych exam. There is no way that would be feasible, and a system similar to that already is in place (see, the M rating). As for overhead, MMO development typically lasts years anyway, if it ever finishes. Finally, for actually preventing people from getting addicted, I have yet to see one case where there have been measures put in place to prevent it, so you have no way to base the fact that it wont work. There were alcoholics during the prohibition, sure, but there were way way less.

Alternate

"The Mainichi Daily News..."

I stopped reading right there. That "newspaper" (and more importantly it's English language version) is a shining example of everything bad about over sensationalising publications such as the UK's The Sun.

You only have to remember their Wai Wai "articles" to recall why they are nothing more than a joke.

bansama

Its all will power the parents and the kids/persons themselves should control their habit of playing. Its hard to believe, but set a limit to how much he can play, like going on a diet, or trying to limit yourself before you realize you can't have anymore to drink.. Not like the game will get up and run away. Right?

"While some find online games to have such benefits, it is also true that the problem of students who become engrossed in online games and stop going to school has escalated in recent years."

Wow, really? Who in their right mind would stop going to school? I mean, I always hear that argument where, someone doesn't want an education because it doesn't suit them. Especially this topic, where an addiction is preventing a proper education. Those who do not receive a proper education look for opportunities.
(Note: The article does not mention drop-out rates, but in a worst case scenario, a drop-out could occur.)

Just where exactly are those opportunities, people?

On a much more important subject, if the drop-out rates in countries where an educational background is of much, much more importance,
(which a career would rely more heavily on a strong educational background, to keep in competition with countries with stronger economics that allow graduates to earn their way into a career much easier than competing grads of other countries.)
were to be disrupted by 'said situation'(addiction), then in actuality, it is the parents' fault for giving improper provisions.

It is the parents' responsibility that children take everything in moderation. That is perhaps, one of the most important life lessons you can give to your children. Otherwise, by taking effort out of an important segment of life, in this case, an addiction to gaming degrades education, it degrades all other aspects of up-bringing.

There really is nothing wrong with games in general. Only parenting.

When a child grows to adult-hood, then it's up to them to choose how to live their life. Chances are that, with proper up-bringing, your children can teach their children how to live a quality life.

happyface.jpg

You're being a bit unrealistic here with "being addicted to drawing happy faces on things." I would probably more equate gaming addictions to gambling addictions, since both are addictions to the body's natural reward systems. Consider this, you get addicted to World of Warcraft because each mob you kill has a chance of dropping the item you want, giving you a reward. In the same way, you get addicted to playing a slot machine because every time you pull the lever there is the chance you will get money, rewarding you in much the same way.

That said, I don't agree with the regulation of video games because of their addictive nature. In my opinion, it's not a matter of having to find a reason why you shouldn't, so much as finding a very very convincing reason why you should. Not letting kids buy firearms because they'll hurt themselves seems very reasonable to me. Not letting kids buy video games because they will play them doesn't.

Moreover, when you enact regulations you punish everyone else. Regulating MMOs, for example, makes it harder for us to buy video games, adds overhead to the development of said video games, and doesn't actually prevent people from getting addicted. There were alcoholics during prohibition.

therationalpi

@Alternate: I wholeheartedly agrre with your entire comment. Bravo!

Mom should have learned by now not to switch off the console while her son is saving his Final Fantasy game.

@Megamoppy: Well, if you ever watch the original, think about a few things, like what that kid was thinking when he was screaming. Also, think of what kind of issues he would have if/when he realized the entire video was put on the internet for people to see and laugh at (including possibly people he knows/know him).

Obviously there are deeper issues at work, but when something like games are both attached to those issues and exacerbate them, its actually quite sad what the results can be.

Alternate

@SlackJawed Yokel: Called "Life"

jedbeetle

@Alternate: I've only seen the japanese remix but isn't up for debate whether that was real or not? However when I was younger I guess i broke a fair few controllers and i definetly was addicted but I don't think I could turn on my family or anything.

see my parents could never say that about me or my sibling mainly because they were old school, unlike parents nowadays. i mean, if i, even as so didn't answer back politely or tried any of that shit that the lady mentioned. i can surely say that my mom would have grabbed the nearest appliance near her, rip out the chord, and beat the ever living crap out of me.

@Str8_Jihadin: Stop proving them right D:

Alternate

@Megamoppy: Ever see WoW Freakout Kid? YouTube it. People who become severely emotionally attached to something will act very, very strangely when it is taken away. It is a very primal reaction. I would not be surprised if the kid was psychologically disturbed though.

Alternate

@Highlander Wolf: Exactly. Like all things, its a moderation that keeps it from being unhealthy. And this is where the "addiction" comes in. If you're "addicted" you're neglecting other important facets of your life, and that is bad, and should be dealt with, whether or not games are the root cause.

Alternate

@Krackatoa was hit by a smooth criminal: The problem is when they have nothing it replace it with. Often, if its too late the kid will resent the parent interrupting them, so you either have to nip it in the bud by having alternatives from the get go, or you will have a long hard fight ahead of you. And it is easier said than done. If you're a single mom or both you and your spouse are working all the time, its easy to see computers/games as a way to keep kids occupied and safe from other more dangerous things like drugs and booze. Spouting this "parents need to parent" stuff in this day and age is better said than done, and more care should be taken into looking at the real cause of the problem.

Alternate

@The Amazing Exploding-Man: You really have to limit how long a child spends on videogames during the day. With an MMO, it's no different.

As despotic as it sounds, you really have to keep kids from sitting in front of the computer for more than a couple hours a day, lest full-blown computer jonesing like that mentioned above sets in.

The solution is simple: Parents need to start parenting. Monitor your kid's gaming habits and PAY ATTENTION. D:

The problem with people who say "sounds like there's deeper issues than gaming here" is that while we both know games arent the cause, they definitely are still a problem. If these people have issues, and games exacerbate the problem, is that not still a reason to regulate them? As I read a lot in these articles, commenters constantly say "people get addicted to anything", but its different if that addiction is more damaging than say, being addicted to drawing happy faces on things. Obviously the papers and the media take the issue too far and sometimes place the blame on the games, but thats not to say that games are truly absolved either.

Alternate

@Ninja Tree: You mean, that you play Maple Story a lot? Am I reading that right?

That doesn't sound right.

Alternate

Geh? Biting her and throwing the remote at a tv? How the hell does he do this because of online gaming? I mean he isn't even playing at the time he does these things.

@Str8_Jihadin: I think the word you are looking for is 'backpfeifengesicht'.

Go ahead. Google it. :) ..but there's no stabbing though. Only slapping and face punching. And that's what that mushroom needs just about now.

You sure the persons aren't just ordinary lunatics and spenthrifts then?

Wahrheit

lol... im addicted to alcohol AND gaming... it's over lol... vanadiel has my soullllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll...

kerihobo

Games only are a problem if they get in the way of other things. If by playing games you are avoiding some other task or situation, like, going outside and hanging out with friends, then you should cut back. Games can never be as rewarding as real-life experience.

But if the above isn't the case, and you're living life, being social, and paying the bills, then you're good. Game on.

i just can't stop playing maple story, if you know what i mean.

i knew i was in trouble when games stopped being beatable in a few days. now they take months, or never end. had to stop playing. i dont have time for games much any more.

Thanks to the adds on this site, im currently playing Luna like there's no tomorrow ^ ^

Nessx007

I'm on the fence with this. I'm usually against regulation of any sort with games, but if you've played an mmo a lot and then stepped away from it for a while, you realize how easy it is to get sucked into playing them for unreasonable amounts of time. I don't think little kids should be allowed anywhere near em, tbh.

The Amazing Exploding-Man

people can be addicted to anything. drugs, alcohol, McDonald's, work, video games... its all a symptom of a bigger problem.

Oh my god, I love maple story.
Sadly, I can vouch. I played maple story for 2 years and lost a couple thousand hours grinding myself to a ridiculous level... Looking back on it I probably shouldn't have, but I definitely have not learned any lessons since I'm just playing WoW now and spending even more time in Azeroth.

Oh, how I want to stab that cute little mushroom in the face a million times!