Gaming Now Officially a Disease!

The shrinks at The American Medical Association are moving to officially recognize “Internet/video gaming addiction” as a disorder. What this means is that lawyers will, in the future, attempt to blame “gory video games” for crimes ranging from eve-teasing to mass murder, and use the medically – recognized disorder to bolster their defences. The pharmaceutical companies must be smacking their lips right now, what with a new product line and another set of different colored pills to pump into unsuspecting bodies.
When it comes to complaints, the online multiplayer game EverQuest tops the charts, with relatives of gamers complaining that playing that game is far too addictive to be safe among teenagers. Some people are even referring to it as “EverCrack” … Disgruntled spouses of EverQuest players have actually set up a group to voice their experiences! The description of their group says, “EverQuest Widows is a forum for partners, family and friends of people who play EverQuest compulsively. We turn to each other because it’s no fun talking to the back of someone’s head while they’re retrieving their corpse or ‘telling’ with their guild-mates as you speak.” In paranoid America, there have been centres set up to “treat” gamers with video game addiction. Sites like On-Line Gamers Anonymous (www.olganonboard.org) are solely dedicated to providing help to gamers who cannot prioritise their daily responsibilities vis-à-vis their game playing needs.

However, Sony Online Entertainment, the company behind EverQuest, denies any wrongdoing, stating: “I guess our standpoint is the same as all kinds of products-you have to be responsible in using it. You don’t see disclaimers when you get in a car saying ‘Don’t run over people.’ People have to exhibit their own good sense, and if they have kids, they need to pay attention to what they’re doing.”

What is still baffling us is: is it possible to become completely dependent on a game? And if so, exactly what are the symptoms of sudden video game withdrawl?

What can we say… gamers will be gamers, Americans will be Americans, and shrinks will be shrinks. That’s about it.