Canadian kids think gaming can be addictive
p2pnet news view | Games:- Has computer gaming addiction reached “pandemic” proportions as Sweden’s Youth Care Foundation (Stiftelsen Ungdomsvård) claims? – p2pnet asked a few days back.
If that’s the case, World of Warcraft is the, “cocaine of the computer games world”, said a report from the foundation.
Does the Swedish research represent a genuine effort to find ways to deal with what’s definitely a very serious problem, if not a hardcore addiction? Or is it little more than a way to generate interest in the organisation?
Either way, there’s no question kids and on- and offline video games can be a bad mix.
A little under a year ago, Brandon Crisp, 15, went missing from his home in Barrie, Ontario, on Thanksgiving after arguing with his parents over a Microsoft XBox game, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
His body was found close to his home after an three-week search.
It was the video game that led to Brandon running away, said the Toronto Star, going on:
“Because the game was affecting his school work and social life, the parents confiscated his Xbox console. When Brandon threatened to run away that day, his father helped him pack his knapsack and let him leave.
“The father said he assumed his son would be back hours later or, at worst, the next day.”
But the boy vanished.
“I play WoW for hours a day, but am not addicted,” says Eric in our story. “I am simply having fun. No need to put a spin on this.”
And if anyone tries to take Eric’s fun away, “they had better replace it with something MORE FUN!” – he says.
“Interesting findings here,” emails p2pnet reader Marc, pointing to a report slugged, Online Gaming: Child’s Play or Obsession?.
From KidsHelpPhone, it says an, “overwhelming majority of kids indicated that they believed that online gaming could be addictive,”
Many youngsters in rural and urban communities across the country, “spend hours playing games online and there is a growing concern in light of high-profile, gaming related tragedies that have involved youth,” says the organisation.
It says it asked almost 2,800 young people from across Canada about their gaming habits and according to survey results »»»
- 11% of respondents – said they didn’t think they would be able to stop online gaming on their own – a sign of online gaming addiction;
- 59% of respondents – said that online gaming gets in the way of their school work;
- 56% said – online gaming gets in the way of getting adequate physical exercise;
- 44% of survey respondents – said their parents do not limit their gaming time, but that they limit their own time; 35% said they can play online games as often as they want.
What should parents do?
Suggests KidsHelpPhone »»»
- Keep your family’s computer in a common area of your home so that you can monitor your kids’ online activities
- Make homework a priority and encourage regular outdoor activities
- Be supportive of a child/teen’s online gaming, but negotiate reasonable rules and time limits that are age-appropriate
- Model this behaviour yourself by not spending excessive amounts of time online
- Watch for any negative changes in a child’s behaviour (including an increase in online gaming).
And, “Pay particular attention to a child if they appear introverted, lonely, isolated, or if they are dealing with family or other external problems.”
(Cheers, Marc)
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
p2pnet – ‘I play WoW for hours, but am not addicted’, September 17, 2009
went missing – Hope revives for missing XBox boy, November 4, 2008
arguing with his parents – XBox boy Brandon Crisp found dead, November 5, 2008
Toronto Star – , November 5, 2008
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Barbara A. Martino, Advertising Executive
September 28th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Not at all surprising that it is up to the parents to take a more pro-active role in the lives of their children. It’s important to remember as well that they are a direct reflection of the role models whom raised them. If a child gets to the point where they may be suicidal over anything, like in the case of Brandon Crisp, then an examination of that child’s role models is surely in order. Personally I don’t find a lot of what children do these days surprising. Most adults don’t even know how to act responsibly. Just read the news or watch so called reality TV shows (like Cops). If only parents realized how selfish and irresponsible they really are and how much of that behavior is picked up by their children (ever see them pretending to smoke for example?) we probably wouldn’t see nearly as much stupidity in the news as we do. Add in television and video games as a substitute babysitter and one wonders just how much time the human race has left on this planet.
September 28th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Blizzard has a duty and moral obligation to assist those who have become addicted to their product. Blizzard sees only the bright side of the equation by profiting from the games gratification but does not see the dark side of it unfortunately. I have seen nor heard of ANY response from a Blizzard Official Spokesperson on this subject matter. In fact, I’m concerned they are avoiding this altogether. Fess up Blizzard. Address this issue. It is a big problem and it is growing out of proportion.
The Doctor who treats addiction
September 28th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Gaming can be a learning/social experience and many other wonderful things. Addiction is rare, though I would believe its growing with the growth of gaming. However, @joe you cant hold the creators or the publisher accountable for it. That is the same faulty logic the riaa/esa/bsa/mpaa would use to sue a hosting provider or file sharing service for its customers/users. If I give you a piece of paper that im going to sell to the world I shouldn’t have to assume that someone might enjoy that sheet of paper too much then be obligated to stifle your ability to create on it. I am in the middle of creating a game. If someone gets addicted to the alpha then I’ll know I made a good game. If someone finds my game too violent or edgy they can find something else to entertain themselves with.
At the moment this is simply a poll from a large group of people and it != research (Joe the Doctor should recognize that). I would agree with looking into the subject matter more but only if the authors are truly not seeking any particular objective. That’s simply not how one does research. I run a website for a gaming community, I am co-owner of several 24/7 gaming servers and I probably game 2-3 hours a day depending on the day of the week. Some days not at all. I have noticed younger gamers tend to get attached to games much easier. thats is <14 year olds whereas 25+yearolds tend to play less often (families, careers etc). I believe this is a tough subject to tackle but this is simply not evidence of anything really.
September 29th, 2009 at 4:09 am
@lando calrissian
What would your reaction be if there was a lobby group out (approved by a government entity) promoting getting kids addicted to online gaming and promoting how to build a business model on taking the children’s money via this addiction (actually talking about how to get a kids allowance money)?
What would your reaction be?
What if this lobby group actually funded the report by the kids Help phone and got these stats on child addition and used it to buld this type of business model?
What would your reaction be?
September 29th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
My reaction would be the same. I play a free game and I am making a free game. Sure I hate lobbyists but I could care less for the people dumb enough to dish out their money to the corporations who lobby for the specifics you speak of. The goal isn’t to get people addicted to games if it was how would they continue selling a series? or even other platforms or other types of games? Youth in general love their entertainment. You cant stop that and it doesn’t matter who lobbies for it. My reaction stays the same. You’ve made a moot point RW.