When Samantha Warren moved in to a shared accommodation with four other people, the last thing that was on her mind was falling in love. The 27 year-old exchange student from England was in her last semester doing psychology and was determined to kick ass at university. But that was before she met one of her fellow flatmates. In Samantha’s eyes Joe looked like he didn’t belong in this world, he was too beautiful. He was tall with dark intriguing eyes, pale impeccable skin and had a body that belongs on the cover of a high profile magazine. Joe had all the qualities she wanted plus he was starting up a gaming café that was funded by his well off parents. She instantly thought he was a keeper.
As time went by reality slowly started to hit Samantha. Her way too perfect boyfriend wasn’t flawless, he had a serious compulsion to play online games. “After Joe opened up his gaming café I never saw him even though I lived with him, it was heart wrenching,” she explains. Samantha soon found out he wasn’t working when he was away. He was playing World of Warcraft around the clock. “He has ADD and was on Dexamphetamine and abused the pills to stay awake to play, sometimes he went three days without sleeping.” Samantha saw her boyfriend drifting away from reality, friends and family. “There was nothing I could do. And he started to pull me down as well and my grades were plummeting. I had to move out to regain focus on life. As far as I know he is still playing.”
Online games are an entrenched feature of the daily lives of many people and are a major source of fun and entertainment. For most people game playing is integrated into their life in a health manner but for many it’s becoming an addiction. Online games such as World of Warcraft have the ability to transform people from being outgoing, active and socially skilled to becoming introverted, lonely and depressed. “Many players use these games to escape from underlying problems and often they lose a sense of reality too,” says Griffith University Lecturer and Psychologist, Peta Stapleton.
World of Warcraft is a multiplayer online game that connects thousands of players through the Internet in a persistent virtual environment. The game is based on a Tolkienesque high fantasy motif where players can create characters with distinctive looks and qualities such as intellect, strength and stamina. Players can easily step into their new self created identity and get immersed in a new world. The game basically never ends so there is no reason to stop playing. And since there is no way to beat the game, the goal is character progression. Gaming ‘addiction’ really started to turn into a problem with the advent of World of Warcraft or ’World of Warcrack’ that some call it. Disturbingly it reached 10.7 million subscribers worldwide this year and is the number one game to pull people out of the real world.
Nicole Wallace knows what it’s like to wake up after four hours of sleep, stumble into the kitchen and make some coffee to try and kick some life back into her body before going to work. The 24 year-old suffer from sleep deprivation after World of Warcraft became her new friend. She left the U.S six months ago with the intention of experience Australia and all it has to offer only to find herself hooked on an online game. “I never really played that much at all but when I got to Australia I decided it would be a good way of staying in touch with my friends back home as they are really into it. I don’t have much of a social life here but I do have my online friends so I guess I’m not that lonely,” she says and laughs. Her friends in the U.S are usually online at weird hours so she often sleeps through her alarm. “I swear I’m going get fired soon. I know I have to stop playing but I can’t I love it too much,” she explains.
Wallace is far from alone as high proportions of the population are now ‘addicted’ to online games. “I’ve noticed with gaming addicts that control seems to be the main driving force behind it. There is a certain amount of control maintained in the unreal world of gaming but still enough unknown elements to keep gaming interesting. The real world is not that controlled,” says Life Coach and Counsellor, Luke McDonald. “These people usually have obsessive personality traits and focus too much on one thing. They can’t sit down for an hour and play they have to keep doing it so they lock themselves in for ages,” he says. Many players nurture their obsession by playing long hours everyday and neglects family, friends and partners. “But it’s not the game that is addictive, its certain people who got personality traits that are vulnerable to become addicted to playing, “says Dr Stapleton.
Research shows that people who are prone to get hooked on these games usually are loners that are more inclined to spend time on their own. “There is a fine line of which is acceptable in society and an activity becomes an addiction when you stop doing other normal activities like showering, eating and sleeping,” she explains. These days some psychologists says the gaming problem have been based less on scientific facts and more upon media hysteria. While some, of course thinks these games have inducing and reinforcing features, others claims ‘online game overuse’ is due to the obsessive nature of some gamers. Research shows that an estimated 40% of the 10 million subscribers of World of Warcraft are addicted. If that doesn’t make you cringe, many gamers replicate what they see or do in the game.”We have heard stories of people who have been killed because they are acting out on games,” Dr Stapleton points out. But this is far from the only problem this game has to offer, it breaks up families, relationships and gamers often lose touch with reality.
If you Google World of Warcraft, you get 44.100.000 hits in 0.06 seconds. Amongst the hits is a support group called Wow Detox that has numerous postings from gamers sharing their experiences. A recent posting from a woman identified only as number
32844, says she wants to sue the creators of World of Warcraft after her husband who used to hang his shirts up by their colour now has stopped showering and sleeping. The woman also explains how her husband who just got fired from his job locks himself in his home office and plays excessively. Now, you are probably wondering what in the world motivates people to keep playing these games. “Any game that gives rewards is addictive. These games stimulates the pleasure centre in the brain and releases dopamine which is the equivalent to morphine, says Dr Phillip Morris from the Gold Coast Institute of Mental Health. The natural drug that is released in the brain while playing gives an instant rush in the body. And unsurprisingly this natural high becomes an obsession and starts to dominate the gamer’s life. “When games become predictable, they become boring and the novelty wears off, that is why most games release rewards not too often but frequently. It’s the unexpected rewards that motivate people to keep playing. When dopamine is released people experience an arousing buzz which becomes the driving force behind playing the game,” Dr Morris explains. Dopamine or endorphins are natural chemicals that get relased into the bloodstream and ends up in the brain when engaging in an absorbing activity. Ultimately, these feel good chemicals changes a person’s mood dramatically making them feel happy, content and distracted from the stresses and strains of life. It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that these adrenalin rushes can become very addictive. “Anything that can stimulate or activate the reward centre in the brain can become addictive,” Mr Morris exclaims.
Isaac Webber, a 24 year old business student knows what it feels like to experience the thrill of winning battles and advancing to the next level. For two years straight he was hooked on World of Warcraft. “I just loved the feeling I got when I saw my game tactics work. The satisfaction I got from winning battles and getting better just kept me going,” he says. As with many other gaming enthusiasts, the constant craving to play this game took a hold of his life. “It became the only thing I wanted to do and when I wasn’t at home playing I thought about playing. It’s a dangerously addictive game,’ he exclaims. But is doesn’t have to be a downer sitting at home by yourself playing as naturally released chemicals in the brain keeps you happy. And as good as it might sound just thinking about a certain activity i.e. playing can release those sought after chemicals in the brain. “The anticipation leading up to the activity automatically releases endorphins in the brain even before they have started playing,” says Dr Stapleton. Isaac is now an ex player who admits having an addictive personality. “I’ve always done everything till I get really good at it.” But even though he was happy and content with his excessive playing he realised how badly it affected his social life and his intimate relationships and decided to quit. He went ‘cold turkey’ after failing nearly every subject at university.
It can probably be a bit depressing for gamers to think about the only thing they care about has to end. But experts believe the first step to overcoming an addiction is to acknowledge there is a problem.” It’s a good idea to start off with a reality check,” Dr Stapleton says. There are ways of behaving that isn’t normal compared to the rest of the population. “For the gamers it’s ok as they might not think they’re hurting anyone or that they are in anyone’s way,” she adds. But the fact is that people around them might be hurting as a result of their compulsion to escape from reality. Thoughts and emotions usually go hand in hand with any addiction and usually there are underlying problems that cause compulsive behaviour. Life Coach Luke Mc Donald says there is no normal approach to treating an addiction. “You have to use a different approach for every individual, their personality and their life situation.” So if you’re not already hooked on World of Warcraft, think about the consequences before signing up. And for those of you who already are, help is readily available if you have the courage to ask for it.
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