MADOGRE
07-31-2009, 05:59 AM
But will the therapists themselves become addicted?
The World of Warcraft is an immensely entertaining, massively-multiplayer online (MMO) game that has become a pop culture phenomenon. Geeks and jocks alike have found common ground in the imaginative world of orcs, elves, and more. However, hidden in all the fun of WoW and other games is a dark reality for some -- addiction, the kind which cripples their socialization and ability to function in the world.
Therapists around the world are still debating about whether gaming fixation can be an official addiction and thus a type of mental disorder. Incidents such as the occasional death of players in China or South Korea during gaming marathons certainly lend credence to such claims, but the American Medical Association still doesn't recognize the addiction. A recent Swedish study on the other hand, not only found gaming to be addictive, but found the psychological effects of gaming addiction to be more severe than those of crack cocaine addiction.
However, the debate over the legitimacy of the possible mental health affliction rages many are looking to actively treat it. Among these is Dr. Richard Graham, a prominent London psychiatrist. Dr. Graham is taking an innovative approach to treat the disease -- he's entering the world of the gamers, joining World of Warcraft this fall. He hopes other therapists and mental health experts follow his lead.
He states, "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. 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."
Dr. Graham has shared his plan with Blizzard, makers of the WoW MMO. He is trying to negotiate a deal to give him and his colleagues free subscriptions to the game. He is also working with Warcraft players to establish peer advocacy groups, where players can report those whom they believe might be suffering from addiction.
A humorous, but potentially meaningful question arises from Dr. Graham's unusual approach. While joining addicted certainly seems a promising way of reaching them, will MMO-enabled psychologists risk addiction themselves? The endeavor should prove an intriguing new study of this potential disorder.
http://www.dailytech.com/Therapists+to+Enter+World+of+Warcraft+in+Hopes+of+ Treating+Addicted+Players/article15839.htm
The World of Warcraft is an immensely entertaining, massively-multiplayer online (MMO) game that has become a pop culture phenomenon. Geeks and jocks alike have found common ground in the imaginative world of orcs, elves, and more. However, hidden in all the fun of WoW and other games is a dark reality for some -- addiction, the kind which cripples their socialization and ability to function in the world.
Therapists around the world are still debating about whether gaming fixation can be an official addiction and thus a type of mental disorder. Incidents such as the occasional death of players in China or South Korea during gaming marathons certainly lend credence to such claims, but the American Medical Association still doesn't recognize the addiction. A recent Swedish study on the other hand, not only found gaming to be addictive, but found the psychological effects of gaming addiction to be more severe than those of crack cocaine addiction.
However, the debate over the legitimacy of the possible mental health affliction rages many are looking to actively treat it. Among these is Dr. Richard Graham, a prominent London psychiatrist. Dr. Graham is taking an innovative approach to treat the disease -- he's entering the world of the gamers, joining World of Warcraft this fall. He hopes other therapists and mental health experts follow his lead.
He states, "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. 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."
Dr. Graham has shared his plan with Blizzard, makers of the WoW MMO. He is trying to negotiate a deal to give him and his colleagues free subscriptions to the game. He is also working with Warcraft players to establish peer advocacy groups, where players can report those whom they believe might be suffering from addiction.
A humorous, but potentially meaningful question arises from Dr. Graham's unusual approach. While joining addicted certainly seems a promising way of reaching them, will MMO-enabled psychologists risk addiction themselves? The endeavor should prove an intriguing new study of this potential disorder.
http://www.dailytech.com/Therapists+to+Enter+World+of+Warcraft+in+Hopes+of+ Treating+Addicted+Players/article15839.htm