If you feel targeted by the likes of video game opponents such as Jack Thompson, children’s activist groups, politicians and the news media, add the American Medical Association (AMA) to the battle for what you choose to do with your time.
The AMA is meeting to determine if video game addiction should be added to their list of official mental illnesses. Not a bad idea to help people who have this problem, but they are also proposing that doctors tell parents to cut back on their kids’ time on the Internet, video games and television viewing to 2 hours a day.
Michael Gallagher, president of the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) said, "The American Medical Assn. is making premature conclusions without the benefit of complete and thorough data."
There is a definite need to help gamers that really need attention dealing with game addiction, but it seems that the AMA, as it is with the press and politicians, is trying to lump all gamers into one gigantic faceless mass "that needs help."
Maressa Hecht Orzack, the director for computer addiction studies asks potentially addicted gamers these questions:
- Are you uninterested in anything else besides games?
- Do you feel unable to control how much you play?
- Are you often late for appointments because of your game play?
- Are you having difficulty managing daily life?
- Do you skip meals to play?
- When you feel alone, do you use games to communicate with others?
- Do you spend more than three hours at a stretch playing?
- Is game play preventing you from getting enough sleep?
- Do you have headaches, dizziness or seizures?
Ironically, GamerNode posted a list of things that described what a hard core gamer was in a humorous (we hope) way. The similarities between Orazck’s list and ours is striking.
Incidently, if Orzack’s list refered to people who loved coffee, reading or movies, we’re sure they wouldn’t be called addicts would they?
[via latimes]
