Is Gaming An Illness? An Addiction?
I'd say neither, but then I've never killed myself, or anybody else, over an online game, nor seen my career, home, family and/or health all smashed up over one either. Some people have.
As online gaming becomes more prevalent, the instances of people growing addicted to them (sometimes at the cost of their real life) are going through the roof. But is there treatment available to combat a WoW addiction? Are there any quacks who will sit down and take somebody who professes to be hooked on Lineage seriously? This article from the Chicago Tribune says no, not really. But there probably should be.
Christopher Knippers, a psychologist from the Betty Ford clinic, says he's seeing increasing evidence that online games are as addictive, and destructive, as chemical dependencies:
You really define a behaviour or chemical as a problem in a person's life when it starts taking over some area of their functioning. These games do all of that
Checking into the Betty Ford clinic for a Wow addiction? The future is NOW.
Elves, trolls and deadly danger [Chicago Tribune, via The Age]
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