Gaming is a Mental Illness

[snacklepuss]

Its 2018 but I am sure you have heard the titles mentioned somewhere or someway related through your life:

I was watching a Video a few days ago about Perception and Cognition and the "Psychiatrist" once more threw out the very line "Video Gaming is a Mental Illness" and once again went on to parrot ALL cons and zero Pros about Gaming as though she had Authority to speak in the name all Gamers:

Over the years I have heard this parroted from the mouths of  "Professionals" and others who probably havent played a recent game in their life or whom secretly play games but claim they hate them:

 

My question is; WHY or by what medium in 2018 is Gaming being perceived and touted as such; that its big factor in ALL Mental Illness such as Clinical Depression; Isolation and almost ALL Anti Social Disorders:Not so much a question but a statement:

See for me; and a few others I know Gaming is literally therapeutic and a great topic for discussion Futurism:

 

I dont know about everyone else but to me its the opposite of Anti Socialism as Gaming is actually a `thing` which covers many facets of life and its personally something that inspires me and those I know personally who really enjoy it: As a Child growing up in Belfast; my Father made sure me and my brothers were blind to madness going on outside [shootings/bombings/violence] and so he had us hooked into any console he could get which was actually a hard thing to do back then: We had an Atari a Colecovision; Commodore Amigas; ZX Spectrums and all others including an Intertelivision console released by Mattel Electronics in 1979 [which I still have]

 

So what I am saying is; how can todays world call Gaming a mental illness which in turn stigmatizes the term Gamer thus puts people attempting to get into gaming: I think it needs addressed when someone who knows nothing about it says its a Mental Illness: I am not worried about myself as its water of a ducks back to me; but I do feel for others who may actually feel "mental" because of this or those who are put of gaming due to the slurs: I often wonder where these Professional get theirs false ideas from to make up crazier ideas called "diagnosis" 

How can some one person proclaim ALL Gamers are mentally Ill?

 

Just wondering what your thoughts on this Mental Label are and or am I missing the bigger picture? Ive been wrong before and will be again:

 

 

Heres something thats food for thought >>>> "Games are expected to grow the Global industry from $137.9 billion in 2018 to $180.1 billion in 2021"  

 

Thanks for reading: Jake:

 

 

[Cobby]

It is a mental illness.. I only play games cos I isolate myself and have no life.  Meh whatever, who cares.

[Durandal]

Because that's what happened when "some" people don't understand something. When Gutenberg invented the book print and books became affordable for a lot of people something similar happened. It was actually believed that these books would do harm because people started to read a lot more all of the sudden. And lo and behold the same happened when we invented the television.

 

Of course this is a generalized view and there certainly are side effects when you do do something excessively but that is true for just about anything. But blaming something just because it is new or somehow affecting a lot of people strikes me as stupid. But then again we live in a time when we put all kinds of a labels on just about anything that goes against the general expectations.

[snacklepuss]

7 minutes ago, Durandal said:

Because that's what happened when "some" people don't understand something. When Gutenberg invented the book print and books became affordable for a lot of people something similar happened. It was actually believed that these books would do harm because people started to read a lot more all of the sudden. And lo and behold the same happened when we invented the television.

 

Of course this is a generalized view and there certainly are side effects when you do do something excessively but that is true for just about anything. But blaming something just because it is new or somehow affecting a lot of people strikes me as stupid. But then again we live in a time when we put all kinds of a labels on just about anything that goes against the general expectations.

 

 

I see your quotes: My theme has been Nier Automata on my Ps4 from day zero: Great GFX in it: Off topic: But off topic is the topic:

[Durandal]

12 minutes ago, snacklepuss said:

I see your quotes: My theme has been Nier Automata on my Ps4 from day zero: Great GFX in it: Off topic: But off topic is the topic:

 

You mean the one with the flight units? I use them too occasionally, I love the music of these themes, very soothing.

 

On topic: I found what I was referring to when I said reading was considered dangerous at some point in history. Here is a quote from wikipedia

 

Asa Briggs and Peter Burke identify five kinds of reading that developed in relation to the introduction of print:

1. Critical reading: due to the fact that texts finally became accessible to the general population, critical reading emerged because people were given the option to form their own opinions on texts
2. Dangerous Reading: reading was seen as a dangerous pursuit because it was considered rebellious and unsociable especially in the case of women, because reading could stir up dangerous emotions such as love and that if women could read, they could read love notes

 

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing#Impact_of_German_movable_type_printing_press see "Social Impacts"

Edited October 12, 2018 by Durandal

[snacklepuss]

8 minutes ago, Durandal said:

 

You mean the one with the flight units? I use them too occasionally, I love the music of these themes, very soothing.

 

On topic: I found what I was referring to when I said reading was considered dangerous at some point in history. Here is a quote from wikipedia

 

Asa Briggs and Peter Burke identify five kinds of reading that developed in relation to the introduction of print:

1. Critical reading: due to the fact that texts finally became accessible to the general population, critical reading emerged because people were given the option to form their own opinions on texts
2. Dangerous Reading: reading was seen as a dangerous pursuit because it was considered rebellious and unsociable especially in the case of women, because reading could stir up dangerous emotions such as love and that if women could read, they could read love notes

 

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing#Impact_of_German_movable_type_printing_press see "Social Impacts"

YUP Flight Units it is:

 

LoL@ reading: Dangerous Reading: Imagine being the only Dangerous Reader in your community?

 

The gossipers >> "Hey guys watch this SOB here; hes one Dangerous Reader: Rumor has it he read a full chapter in one week" 

 

Superstition then: Like all BS: Thanks

[Durandal]

It's quite sad isn't it? Although we probably shouldn't downplay the impact anything can have when you do something excessively. In any case I agree with your statement that gaming, just like reading books or watching TV can be therapeutic. And I think it actually improves your logical thinking among other things.

[HaserPL]

Gaming has helped me get thorugh a severe depression. Nothing in my life was fun and I was staying at home for the whole summer, so just to do smth other then laying on bed, I started to play some games with multiplayer. I met there a few ppl and it turned out they were from my city. We met IRL and thanks to them I begun to go out more. It really helped me a lot.

[johncnstntn__]

No, this is what it does it feels like a male fantasy.

[Willreaper41]

They continue to target it simply because it is an easy target, whether to gain popularity/fame, political motivation or to deflect from some other incident. Every time there is a school shooting or a 'good kid suddenly goes bad' certain outlets look for any excuse except the system that failed the kid. Video games are just an easy target because you can draw any kind of conclusion between violence in one to violence in the other no matter how artificial. They never consider or ignore the multitude of other possible factors such as a history of violence, mental illness, bullying or other school issues, poor parenting and so on. It always has to be someone else's fault. That's why it comes and goes in waves, video games will never die and people can only be irate for so long before losing interest and moving on to the next thing. Typically it only picks up again after some incident occurs like the hot coffee fiasco, the Columbine tragedy the short lived game that came after it and the most recent with Trump although that got dropped quickly.

[Dragon-Archon]

Games have been a scapegoat for decades. Often when something happened, certain people would blame games. Be it murder, shooting, sex crime, or something else, it's always games that caused it while porn or movies that have excessive violence and gore are completely innocent. Even my own mom forbade me from playing any shooting games when I was living with my parents, she thought I wouldn't be able to distinguish reality from fantasy . Because playing games is apparently enough to learn how to use a gun (assemble, maintenance, removing the safety, etc.) and become a pro at aiming. Strangely, when applying for a driving licence, stating I've played numerous racing games wasn't a valid reason . I still had to take driving lessons, do a theory test, and pass the driving test.

[NetEntity]

First it were books, then TV, then DnD, and now games. 

History has a tendency to run in circles. Eventually something else will become the new Satan of entertainment.

 

[Lorajet]

Seriously, like any of us care. 

[Sergen]

If they're willing to say "gaming is a mental illness" simply because people are passionate about it, wouldn't that make any hobby a "mental illness"? 

 

People watch sports, watch reality TV, watch movies but none of those things are considered as a "mental illness". It could also be considered a "mental illness" to spend all your time trying to diagnose people for having a mental illness. I don't see how it affects these people when someone does play video games a lot. The worst violence that has occurred in this world has happened before video games were ever a concept (World War I and World War II), yet they blame video games for a lot of the violence going on in the world right now. 

 

Of course it is common for a school shooter to also have been a gamer, but gaming as a whole is common, gamers come from all walks of life. To become a school shooter you have to have issues beyond being a gamer to act on your anger and do something like that. Gamers aren't a religion or race, so they can target them if a shooting happens, but a lot of terror attacks are carried out by people who lived life as a muslim and it's immediately wrong to blame islam for terrorism. 

 

To look at gaming as an illness, you are basically saying that enjoying or being passionate about anything in life is an illness, because not many people have no hobbies whatsoever. 

Edited October 12, 2018 by Sergen

[FawltyPowers]

Nothing wrong with gaming in moderation just like any hobby. It's an escape from the real world for a while.

 

When it takes priority over family, friends and / or work / school then there's something that needs to be addressed.

[Dreakon13]

Wait... gaming is a mental illness?  I mean, I've gotten beaten up (putting it lightly) a lot growing up because gamers were/are perceived as nerdy, lazy do-nothings.  But I've never heard of it being referred to as a mental illness... outside of "addiction", which applies to more than gaming specifically and is probably more extreme than just anyone who plays games as a hobby.

 

Gaming is just a hobby like anything else.  In moderation, it's really a great thing that exercises the brain in a way that you can't get from reading books or watching movies/television, for example.  As for anyone that legit gives someone a hard time for doing something that makes them happy (and ideally isn't hurting anyone else or themselves)... those people desperately need to take a good long look in the mirror and recognize the bag of meat staring back at them.  We're all just people, looking to enjoy the time we have here, however it is we enjoy it.  Another example of people so lacking in logic, common sense and self awareness, to not see that gaming to someone else, is really no different than whatever hobbies fill up their idle time.

 

But people insist on putting themselves and their own shit on a pedestal to justify their own blissfully ignorant existence... instead of appreciating the miracle of random fucking chance it is that any of us are even here in the first place and just respecting other people for who/what they are.

 

EDIT: Not to sound like some angsty misunderstood kid.   As you get older and more shit starts to go wrong in life, you start to realize what a fickle thing it is, and how stupid the reasons are that people find to argue/complain about/criticize eachother for.  The world would be a beautiful place if people weren't so willfully ignorant about themselves, others, and the world around them.

Edited October 12, 2018 by Dreakon13

[snacklepuss]

Heres a recent post on WHO: World Health Org [Meds Anyone?]

 

http://www.who.int/features/qa/gaming-disorder/en/

http://www.who.int/ResourcePackages/WHO/assets/dist/images/logos/en/h-logo-white.svg

 

Gaming disorder

Online Q&A
September 2018

What is gaming disorder?

Gaming disorder is defined in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as a pattern of gaming behavior (“digital-gaming” or “video-gaming”) characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.

For gaming disorder to be diagnosed, the behaviour pattern must be of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning and would normally have been evident for at least 12 months.

What is the International Classification of Diseases?

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is the basis for identification of health trends and statistics globally and the international standard for reporting diseases and health conditions. It is used by medical practitioners around the world to diagnose conditions and by researchers to categorize conditions.

The inclusion of a disorder in ICD is a consideration which countries take into account when planning public health strategies and monitoring trends of disorders.

WHO released the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) in mid-2018.

Why is gaming disorder being included in ICD-11?

A decision on inclusion of gaming disorder in ICD-11 is based on reviews of available evidence and reflects a consensus of experts from different disciplines and geographical regions that were involved in the process of technical consultations undertaken by WHO in the process of ICD-11 development.

The inclusion of gaming disorder in ICD-11 follows the development of treatment programmes for people with health conditions identical to those characteristic of gaming disorder in many parts of the world, and will result in the increased attention of health professionals to the risks of development of this disorder and, accordingly, to relevant prevention and treatment measures.

Should all people who engage in gaming be concerned about developing gaming disorder?

Studies suggest that gaming disorder affects only a small proportion of people who engage in digital- or video-gaming activities. However, people who partake in gaming should be alert to the amount of time they spend on gaming activities, particularly when it is to the exclusion of other daily activities, as well as to any changes in their physical or psychological health and social functioning that could be attributed to their pattern of gaming behaviour.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

So who needs their Meds then???

Edited October 12, 2018 by snacklepuss

[ProfBambam55]

thread title is a bit misleading but neither here nor there...gaming disorder just seems to follow the same pattern of description as other addictions such as drugs/gambling/etc...definitely worth monitoring and keeping check on one's mental health...as a parent, I'm kind of glad it's been qualified by the who...makes for a standard to measure up to in terms of what kind of gaming crosses the line of just being a hobby...pretty evident of course when it takes over other aspects of life but good that it's been made official as some people probably need help...a concrete disorder diagnosis could lead to a solid path of recovery...i'm all for this kind of thing...

[Dark Layla]

This has already been said by a psychologist on a TV show from my country, I think people like to generalize! there are people with mental problems who should be immediately hospitalized, doesn't matter if they are gamers or anything else.
Namely players like the one who killed his friend because of the game manhunt a few years ago ..
Many players play for pleasure and enjoy being online with friends, what's wrong?
Probably these psychologists must be saints, nor should they have vices or anything else!

[Carol]

I don’t think gaming itself is the problem. Gaming is a very complete world. I think people resort to it as a consequence of other problems...

[snacklepuss]

On 10/12/2018 at 10:48 PM, ProfBambam55 said:

thread title is a bit misleading but neither here nor there...gaming disorder just seems to follow the same pattern of description as other addictions such as drugs/gambling/etc...definitely worth monitoring and keeping check on one's mental health...as a parent, I'm kind of glad it's been qualified by the who...makes for a standard to measure up to in terms of what kind of gaming crosses the line of just being a hobby...pretty evident of course when it takes over other aspects of life but good that it's been made official as some people probably need help...a concrete disorder diagnosis could lead to a solid path of recovery...i'm all for this kind of thing...

 

 

I see your genuine points: Id just like to mention that the title is not intentionally misleading because I am directly quoting the Professionals who come straight out the gates with a full blanket statement to say Gaming is a Mental illness: Gaming saves lives and thats an actual fact: I would like to know where or what Data WHO used to come up with Gaming Disorder:

 

PSN member @Durandal made some good points above:Reading was once deemed dangerous as were DVD players and TV etc:

[Super-Fly Spider-Guy]

Gaming IS a mental illness.

 

ANYONE who plays a game for more than FIVE MINUTES per YEAR is ADDICTED and MENTALLY ILL and should SEEK HELP. 

 

Praise Jebus. 

Smoke cock, hail Satan.

[snacklepuss]

3 minutes ago, Super-Fly Spider-Guy said:

Gaming IS a mental illness.

 

ANYONE who plays a game for more than FIVE MINUTES per YEAR is ADDICTED and MENTALLY ILL and should SEEK HELP. 

 

Praise Jebus. 

Smoke cock, hail Satan.

 

Hell Yeah: And if they get prescribed certain Meds; then I will `dispose` of them for you all if you dont need them: 

[ProfBambam55]

2 hours ago, snacklepuss said:

 

 

I see your genuine points: Id just like to mention that the title is not intentionally misleading because I am directly quoting the Professionals who come straight out the gates with a full blanket statement to say Gaming is a Mental illness: Gaming saves lives and thats an actual fact: I would like to know where or what Data WHO used to come up with Gaming Disorder:

 

PSN member @Durandal made some good points above:Reading was once deemed dangerous as were DVD players and TV etc:

I haven't come across any who info that says gaming is a disorder...only gaming disorder is a mental health condition...which based on the description they've outlined translates basically to "certain gaming activity can be classified as an addiction"...is it possible the thread title is just your interpretation?...

 

if we are going to bring up reading as being deemed dangerous I'm really not qualified to comment...i would ask who said this?...the who?...and when and what type of reading was officially stated as a mental health condition?...or tvs, dvds, etc.?... 

 

i'd like to think that the who tends to do more good than harm and that the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders has seen incredible progress in the last few decades...if you look into the main struggles that groups that try to help people with these disorders face, you might find that awareness is a key component to getting people outside of the ones affected by them involved...i have no problem with this...it's not about attacking a hobby or shaming gamers in my opinion...it's to try to help the people who need it...

 

the video the who provides on their site is quite good in explaining the purpose of the new classification...it doesn't come across as being a mindless witch hunt so I don't think there's any reason to be offended by it...

 

 

on a side note : they say the first step is denial...haha...

Edited October 14, 2018 by ProfBambam55

[Guest]

Oooh, looks like some gamers got their feathers ruffled with a bit of challenge and caution. You’d think this community of all people could withstand the challenge... especially those who pride themselves as being leaders in the genre. 

 

What’s wrong with a bit of self examination/self awareness/self check even if you feel that gaming is good for you in general?

Can anyone admit negative consequences at times when they allow themselves to be pushed too far in gaming for the sake of meaningless trophies (ie: appearances, leaderboards etc) or when they put gaming ahead of real life enjoyment and responsibilities?

 

Isn’t there any room for improvement in the lives of those who call themselves gamers? Or do you really want to pretend that your “perfect little profile” means that you yourself are all that? I mean, there really IS life outside gaming ya know ... Don’t forget to stop and smell some of them Easter Lillies once in a while ... (of course be aware of allergies there ?)

 

See? NOTHING is perfect, not EVAN gaming ....