CBC documentary on videogame addiction ruining lives

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It's a Canadian show called the fifth estate, and they have a story about that kid who ran away and died after his parents took his Xbox, and talk about the whole videogames industry. I think it's mostly just hype, but I do think that playing a lot of games is pretty bad for you in some ways, having played tons of videogames in the past. I don't play much games anymore, I mostly just obsess about the internet now.

Watch the full program here.

http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/2008-2009/top_gun/video.html

That seems quite extreme. I think it's fair to assume that things like that happen very rarely. I've never heard much about video game addiction really--most of popular media talk on games is about the violence issues.

I play video games ALOT. But I don't think I am addicted to them. My XBox 360 is broken right now, and I am not jonesing for my next COD fix. I have other things to do. I will play video games when I don't have anything else going on that needs done. I have City of Heroes paid up for a year and I have not played it for about a month

Also, back in the 80's, there was a whole religious moral panic about the dangers of Dungeons and Dragons, and how it leads to satan worship and suicide and human sacrifice, et al...

Load of crap THAT one was. I'm sure it happened, don't get me wrong, but I believe most DnD players back then were the nerdy type with taped up glasses and pocket protectors.

Anything that is new is looked down upon by some of the older crowd as being dangerous to kids... in the 70s it was what we now call "classic rock", in the 20s it was jazz music, etc etc. Most of the anti-videogame hype existed back in the 90s, although there are still some holdouts now... Who knows what the scapegoats of the future will be...

And yet here is a thought: could have been anything else that pulled him into being so drawn in Call of Duty that he forgot everything else? I used to play video games but that was because growing up socializing was difficult for me (still is & I'm 26 years old preferring the virtual world over the real one especially when it comes to relationships especially the romantic type but that's another topic for another day).

video game addiction is DEFINITELY a thing.

I don't even know HOW some people play Oblivion and don't get addicted

It's possible to become addicted to just about anything. I wish they would separate it into a few sub categories such as "behavioural"(mental) and physical, (being addicted to tv vs addicted to some drug) instead of creating whole new 'disorders' for specific things, such as "internet addiction"...

I've know a few people that were so addcited to games, it DID ruin their lives. I enjoy playing games, but rarely do, because the other things in my life take priority over gaming. I suppose it's a matter of perspective and how large a part of someone's live is based on the virtual.

To some people, their avatar (online persona) IS who they identify with, more then their RL (real life) identiy.

I think balance is important.

Oh, well ... Canada, eh?

What do you mean by that comment?

Judging from the posts I don't think most posters watched it. It is more about how video games is a big business, the gamers social network, and, in some respects, a religion to some. This is about the facts of video gaming.

Personally I think anything that views the general video-game culture in a negative light is just based on ignorant Jack Thompson propaganda

Wonder what Thompson would think of people with Asperger's anyway? I bet his opinions of us would make Michael Savage look nice in comparison...

Tim (aka the Slipperman)