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Why Robin Makes Batman Better I don’t completely disagree with everything Dr. Phil says for once. Confronting a Farmville-obsessed mum in danger of neglecting her kids, he said, “You have a ridiculous addiction to a ridiculous computer game.” He got that last part right.
Dr. Phil loves the video games, or rather the amount of attention gamers give him when he talks about them. In today’s episode he tackles the dangers of computer game addiction, with the entire show dedicated to people who play games when they probably shouldn’t be. The show starts with a virtual Dr. Phil complete with a sword and hair talking about how virtual games let you escape from reality before launching into the story of l34-year-old Fred, who sits at home and plays World of Warcraft all day while his wife supports their three children. “Apparently he’s got you supporting him and taking care of the house. I wonder what level that is in the real world,” Dr. Phil quips.
Television therapist Dr. Phil once again journeyed into the magical realm of gaming this past Tuesday, this time to tackle the problem of Xbox Live racism. He spoke to Terry, a black father of three who claims his civil rights are being violated by fellow gamers tossing about ethnic slurs over Microsoft’s gaming service. The name-calling is apparently so rampant that Terry refuses to let his children play online anymore. Before contacted Dr. Phil, Terry contacted Xbox Live. “I called Xbox Live. I gave them all the information they needed to know, and they told me before they can do anything, take any kind of action, there has to be 10 complaints filed against [the other player] ,” he continues, incensed. “That’s like you coming to my house, robbing me, and I call the police. Are they going to tell me, ‘Well, if that guy comes back to your house 10 times, we’ll come out and do something about it’? I think that’s disgusting. I think Mr. [Bill]Gates needs to change that rule, and I think it needs to be changed immediately.”
While I personally believe that harshly singling out someone with slurs based on their race or country of origin is wrong (except for those damn Belgians), I don’t think it ranks up their with getting your house robbed. You can’t just turn off your headset to keep someone from breaking in to your home, for instance. Still, I can certainly understand Terry’s frustration.
While television personality and actor Dr. Phil has come out against violent video games and their influence on children in the past, in a show that aired Monday entitled “Shocking Teen Trends”, the good doctor actually comes out on the side of social MMO There.com. After questioning 13-year-old Lexie and her mother Lezlie (awww, their names are so kyoot!) about Lexie’s There.com addiction and speaking to There.com CEO Michael Wilson, Dr. Phil actually jumps to a reasonable, well thought-out conclusion. “The problem is not with the game; the problem is the use of it,” Dr. Phil tells Lexie and Lezlie. “The game is very creative and it’s there for you to use or abuse. Are you abusing it?”
Lexie, who spends almost every waking hour at the computer making out with her virtual boyfriend, admits that she is. Personal accountability? What are we teaching children in school these days?Dr. Phil then takes things even further, stepping into downright crazy talk by suggesting that the mother actually stop the child from playing the video game she’s so worried about. Dr. Phil is baffled. “Four hours a day? It’s ridiculous!” he says. “Mom, you’ve got to step up and shut this down. Once she’s at a point where she can play the game instead of being absorbed in the game, then perhaps, she can attempt to go back to it.”
I am positively reeling here. Not blaming the game for the child’s addiction? Telling the mother that the solution to her problem is entirely in her hands? I’ve been teleported to Bizarro world.
Shocking Teen Trends [Dr.Phil.com]
The folks over at Game Politics have stumbled upon some amusing news. Phil “Not a Doctor” McGraw, the Emmy-award winning star of the Dr. Phil show will be tackling the issue of video game violence in a show set to tape on Thursday. Phil has previously appeared on Larry King following the VA Tech shootings suggesting that there is a link between violent games and violent behaviour, so you can rest assured that this is not going to be a well thought out and balanced discussion. This is going to be a circus, as Dr. Phil shows often are, complete with a special mystery guess that GP heard was being labelled as a “game violence specialist.”
I always try to differentiate my stories from their sources, but I am with Game Politics on this one. Uh-oh. Dr. Phil Taping Video Game Violence Episode [Game Politics]
