the cocaine of the games world

Having experienced what this guy is talking about, this article about psychiatrists venturing into world of warcraft to try and help pull addicted gamers back into the real world is interesting (as linked to me by my friend D in Aus). Basically a team of guys going in to try and help people realize that there is a larger perspective that they're missing. I'm not sure if these guys are going in proselytizing or only going in with patients who are paying them to help them, but I overall really support any effort by grown ups who know better to reach a hand in to people (usually young men) lost in digital worlds or unhealthy hobbies with the goal of simply helping them realize there is a larger world and perspective that they're missing out on. Although it would be fairly amusing if these therapists, in the process of trying to reach out to people, end up addicted to the game themselves.

I especially like the language he used of how they just want to point out that when you spend 400+ days (of TOTAL playing time) out of the last 4 years in the game, it means you aren't spending that time making friends, learning skills, or otherwise interacting with the world in ways that, whether you know it or not, are ultimately going to be more fulfilling. I'm sure it's going to raise some hackles, as young and not-so-young men seem oddly resistant to the notion that an escapist lifestyle filled only with play and with little to no responsibility is not healthy for anyone involved. But the fact is, while it's certainly okay to escape some times, ultimately you're only going to be happy when you are being true to yourself and not running from your problems, which means forming a social group and contributing to it and making challenges for yourself and meeting them, in the real world. Learning a new language (computer or otherwise) is ultimately way more fulfilling than any video game goal, and until the people filling their lives almost solely with meeting video game goals admit this to themselves, they're going to hop from video game to video game completing goals . . . and wondering why they still feel unhappy.

I'm still struggling with this a little myself so don't think I'm on too high of a horse. I believe everything I just wrote, but I still end up gaming to self soothe when I bollux up my personal life in new and exciting ways, but while the temptation is still there to lose myself in it, it's really hard to when I know beyond all doubt that it doesn't make me happy, even if I'm not sure what DOES make me happy in a given moment.

So anyway, I support this whole endeavor of drawing people out of the recreation they try to turn into lifestyle, be it games, or drugs, or anything else. Because spending your life running away from it is sad.