Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2017/12/26/gaming-disorder-to-be-reco.html
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We need to distinguish this from plain old addiction?
My take is this term should be reserved for rage quitters…
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There might be an intersection between addictive behavior and escapism, but no we really don’t need a new disorder to cover that. But mental health disorder manuals are notoriously fickle and subject to changes on questionable grounds. Basically, inventing new disorders facilitates the securing of research funding, and meanwhile (in the US at least) there’s virtually no public funding for mental health treatment. Apparently researching new disorders is more of a funding priority than treating known disorders.
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In the UK, whenever there’s an NHS budget cut it always ends up hitting the mental health departments the hardest.
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From what I read there, the point is to place video gaming into the category of potentially addictive activities alongside gambling.
Rage-quitting is a symptom of arrested development or regression to childhood, conditions all too common amongst gaming addicts.
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So, anti-social behavior is a problem now?
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I’ve seen it, it ain’t pretty.
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How else is big pharma going to know what type of mind altering drugs they can start working on (or buy up old patents to) and have a long term user/profit source if it is not for research like this. How else are we to create a solution if a problem doesn’t exist.
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I’m not sure I’d call it exactly anti-social. I had a coworker at one point who spent more time playing and conversing in Everquest than he did being at work. He weekends were spent playing as well. Outside of daily chores or going to get groceries he spent most of his free time playing. He also scheduled time off work for up coming expansions…
He was very social in the game, just not so much in person.
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Not really, it is just another form of psychological addiction (as opposed to things like drug addiction). I would be amazed if the treatments are any different to the ones for gambling addictions.
A friends father was a specialist in addiction treatment (admittedly focused on drugs), if I see him in the next few days I might ask his opinion.
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I think this is one of those times where it would be far better to say unsocial, to avoid confusion.
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I do plenty of reading and thinking for myself when gaming. If I’m playing something turn-based like Civilization, I’ll often read a book while playing.
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What about social network / BBS addiction disorder? Is that a thing yet? Asking for a friend…
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I know you aren’t being serious, but it’s the same thing as gaming/gambling addiction.
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We can kid around, but if we accept slot machines can be addictive and video games are using similar dynamics (loot boxes) it makes sense they could also be addictive.
So, misanthropy is a problem now?
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Part of the problem is differentiating from “I don’t like how often you play games” and “This gaming habit is damaging to yourself and the people around you”. The first isn’t a problem, but the second is.
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You read a book between turns in Civ.
I think that’s pretty funny.
I also think it may be time for an upgrade.
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Only when it affects other people.
Seriously though, if you say antisocial when talking about a psychiatric subject then people will assume you mean AsPD. In this context think of rage quitters who can’t stop themselves going back to the game until the next ragequit. Repeat daily.
Being unsocial/asocial isn’t a problem, unless it gets to avoidant personality disorder levels. That has been my struggle for the last decade, and it’s why I am careful about what games I play. An easily defined end point is useful, and I stay well away from MMOs.
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