Being A Gamer May Soon Be Listed As A Mental Illness.

While I agree anything in excess is a bad thing but a mental illness ???

Come on!

That is just stupid.

Ok now back to Tenchu Z.

Saucy,
I do think I will agree with you.
Anything in excess is bad, and calling excessive gaming an illness at this point I think is taking it a bit to far.
But as the news quoted in the beginning, doing so will make insurance be able to pay for more of the treatment. For what ever good that will do.

First of all, in my view, let me say that being a "gamer" does not necessarily suggest of any mental illness, but being addicted to one thing can cause illness in anybody. Anybody can be addicted to anything at anytime.

Video games can greatly enhance one's physical and mental coordination. The problem, however, is not the "gamer." The problem lies with the designer who often creates games that offer no world benefit and frequently are detrimental. Video games have enormous potential, but eliminating the violence that exists in many of them can help us all.

Designing games that, say, help create a skilled surgeon, brilliant lawyer, or an excellent engineer (say, to intercept missiles during a war or create more educational video games) would benefit us all. Tailoring video game design to help young people (the most frequent users of video games) obtain a spouse, productive employment, and having children would help the world.

I am not an expert in mental illness, but I would not say a person is not mentally ill unless he or she plays video games to the exclusion of school, work, spouse, and family.

Tech,
You said some good things about designing a video game. I just don't see a video game being designed to help a person get a spouse or become a better person. If some one were to try to make a game that way I don't see it being a successful video game.
On the other hand a saw a video documentary on live action games a few months ago. The people innerview talked about how being in the gaming group affected there lives. And yes that did help them become better people and better at there regular lives no matter what they are. I have looked for that link but have not been able to find it. If any one knows what I am talking about please post it.

Been playing games since I was 2 years old, thats 21 years for me.
I'm not addicted, I'm dedicated!
I've seen first hand what games can do, especially online mmorpgs. Having played Everquest for 7+ years, I've made friends from all over the world, and have seen people meet online, and get married in real life. I've also seen it happen the other way around where relationships are torn apart.
But as has been said, all things in moderation.

Instead of Video game adiction, try Myspace addictions. I have friends who are always logged on, and cry if they don't get commented on their pictures. There needs to be a myspace rehabilitation clinic.
I am not joking.

Originally posted by RedGolem
I just don't see a video game being designed to help a person get a spouse or become a better person.

There are some games like that, like the Sims, though they're not dedicated to the subject,
virtual life games pretty much.

There are also video games that teach cooking, waitressing being a lawyer and even
performing surgery, now of course you could'nt play these games for awhile than be
able to go do that job, well maybe the waitressing one, but they do help teach the skills
from those careers.

Originally posted by Ford Farmer
Instead of Video game adiction, try Myspace addictions. I have friends who are always logged on, and cry if they don't get commented on their pictures.

From what you said above, if people cry because there pictures don't get commented on, yes I would say that there is probably something wrong there. Perhaps they will get some help somewhere down the line also.

Originally posted by iori_komei


There are some games like that, like the Sims, though they're not dedicated to the subject,
virtual life games pretty much.

I have played a few of the sim games. I did not see where it might teach interpersonal skills, but maybe I have not played the right sim games.

Originally posted by Maverickhunter

Originally posted by Lysergic
btw i still pwn

'
Lies
I am more 1337 than you are. I am 1337, are you? I prefer Ninjas over pirates, and those people posting in this topic that haven't played video games or ninja gaiden on any system probably don't even know the ninja gaiden game was for other systems before the Xbox and was originally on a Nintendo system. It's being made for a Sony system I think, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, and plus they are making a Ninja Gaiden DS game, and so they made one for the Xbox... plus, there were tons of other ninja games last gen, and the pirates of the carribian movie only gave rise to people liking pirates over Ninjas, and that made people like video games less in my own opinion. This current generation of gaming is awesome, in comparison to the last gen this gen has many better games overall.

To the poster that posted the video of a guy playing FPSes, he is a n00b if he thinks that FPSes are the only type of video game on the market. There are tons of games other than First person shooters... for example there are fighting games, there are RPG games, there is Zelda, there are dancing games like Dance Dance Revolution, there are party games like Mario Party, an kart racing games like Mario Kart and Crash team racing. There is also an endless slue of exclusives for each system that makes each system great. It seems since Nintendo isn't being made fun of for being more kiddish, that the press and the media are attacking other video game companies now and it's a shame because they should stop, and realize that games are fun, and that even with some of the obsessed people that play games, there are still some people that aren't all that obsessed and that they should not be punished for insolent behavior from other people. So, and EDIT YOUR TOPIC TITLE, IT IS FOR ADDICTION OF VIDEO GAMES, THAT IS A MENTAL HEALTH STATUS.

har, i was playing video games before you were birthed from your mothers womb.

Lysergic! Pure Pwnage! OMFG!

I never knew anyone here watched it! Now I do and my mind is at rest.

I read this morning that they are backing off on this now, having decided that it needs "more study"...

Thanks for letting us know that it is been decided that gaming addaction will require more study.

Just helping you stay in the know :-)