Gaming Addiction Myths and Stereotypes

http://gamestudies.org/0601/articles/cover

Rob Cover’s study compared the stereotypes of gaming addiction to those of drug addiction and sought to refute common myths associated with excessive gaming. His major point was that people who look down on video games are simply expressing a conservative and outdated view on what technology is legitimate and what is not. He claims that video gaming is no different from playing with Legos or watching TV or reading in terms of the feeling of gratification experienced by the user, and all can be done for extended periods of time. Therefore, a gaming addict is a lot closer to someone who watches a lot of TV than to a drug addict. To back up his claims, Cover cites previous studies of both gaming addiction and drug addiction.

I agree with the author on most counts. I am an avid gamer, and have at times thought I might be addicted. However, in November I decided to test my theory by trying to stop playing my current favorite game, which I played for several hours daily then and still do now. I did not play it a single time between mid-November and mid-January. Unlike a drug addict, I did not have any kind of physical withdrawal symptoms, and though I did want to play at times when I was bored or trying to procrastinate doing homework, I always easily found something else to keep my busy or entertained. After roughly two months away from the game, I started playing again. Furthermore, the fact that I have had a girlfriend for the last year and a half, have plenty of friends (albeit, most of them at least light gamers), and have a GPA high enough to merit the “Good Student Discount” given by car insurance companies, all while spending, on average, two or more hours every day playing games goes to show that it is wholly possible to lead a perfectly normal life while playing a lot of games. I doubt I could say the same of heavy drug use. Gaming is a hobby like any other, and while it is not as healthy as a sport or as educational as reading (although it really depends on what you read), I believe it is more worthwhile than watching TV, something most people do for hours every day, and not nearly as destructive as heavy drug use or gambling. In fact, it recently dawned on me that I have almost certainly played on average over an hour of video games every day for the last twelve years, and yet I am still a relatively normal person – I would like to see a heroin or crack addict say the same.