Gaming is a Mental Illness

[starcrunch061]

23 hours ago, heartoftheocean said:

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

 

This is an awesome line, whether intentional or not. Thanks for it.

 

Much of what you say is pretty good here. I too get sick of gamers' inability to see anything wrong with their hobby of choice. However, I don't understand this line:

 

23 hours ago, heartoftheocean said:

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?

 

Trophies aren't meaningless to me. They're important to me. Otherwise, why would I collect them? And if you're speaking of some sort of absolute meaning, you would probably be better off debating in seminary. 

 

And gaming is a "real life enjoyment". Yes, there are times when my gaming is put ahead of my responsibilities, but for what hobby does this NOT happen? Responsibilities (chores, errands, the like) are often boring; even when I don't put gaming ahead of them, I almost certainly want to.

 

Gaming can cripple people's lives, no doubt. But simply insulting people who enjoy gaming much more than you do (and that's my assumption, based on the quote above) seems wrongheaded. I don't see much difference in my gaming and other people's chess clubs, or bridge tournaments, or fantasy football, etc. (all of which have plenty of people who shirk responsibilities for the thrill of their hobby).

Edited October 15, 2018 by starcrunch061

[Guest]

@starcrunch061 Part 1: you’re welcome ha ha yeah that turned out kinda funny

 

Part 2: your assumption is incorrect. No insults intended at all. Just a call to all of us gamers (including myself) to take industry warnings to heart as a way of possible self improvement, rather than dismissing them so readily as though the experts don’t have a clue. 

 

Part 3: this is the second thread you’ve appeared on and nitpicked my wording. You can relax, dude, I’m always giving myself a hard time in what I say. No need for you to take over 

[Valyrious]

If people use the excuse that they play games in order to escape reality... I think you could make the argument that something about their mental psyche is aloof.

Does it really matter, though? The world in general is in disarray. The smarter technology gets and the more advanced it becomes, the dumber human beings are because of it. Not that I'm gonna complain, because I quite enjoy my expensive high tech gizmos.

[FawltyPowers]

7 hours ago, Valyrious said:

If people use the excuse that they play games in order to escape reality... I think you could make the argument that something about their mental psyche is aloof.

 

I would have thought that's precisely why people play games. If it isn't and gaming is your life then that's a concern.

[starcrunch061]

On 10/15/2018 at 3:00 PM, heartoftheocean said:

@starcrunch061 Part 1: you’re welcome ha ha yeah that turned out kinda funny

 

Part 2: your assumption is incorrect. No insults intended at all. Just a call to all of us gamers (including myself) to take industry warnings to heart as a way of possible self improvement, rather than dismissing them so readily as though the experts don’t have a clue. 

 

Part 3: this is the second thread you’ve appeared on and nitpicked my wording. You can relax, dude, I’m always giving myself a hard time in what I say. No need for you to take over 

 

Fair enough. I usually agree that gamers can be annoying in their inability to see their (or their hobby's) flaws. But the quoted remark just struck a bad chord with me for some reason.

[Lava_Yuki]

Gaming itself is not a mental illness, but the obsession, addiction and compulsion are which can happen with anything, be it with gaming, drugs, alcohol etc.  

[AJ_Radio]

There was a period of time in which a lot of people who associated themselves with the mainstream, including older generations saw gaming as an awkward hobby.

 

It wasn't uncommon back in the 1980s and 1990s to look at gamers and see them as socially awkward, socially inept, unable to sustain a normal life and unable to face the reality of the world. That we all just sat at our television and computer screens as kids and did nothing else but that.

 

I grew up in a very sheltered home with overprotective parents, and video games were my way of keeping myself entertained and occupied. Back then in the early - mid 1990s my mother just saw video games as nonsense, but she knew I loved gaming and thus she would regularly give me that Sega Genesis game or Nintendo 64 game for Christmas or when my birthday came around. Since I was just a kid with a little allowance, I couldn't just go out and buy games like I can today. I had to make due with what my parents gave me, and every few weeks I would regularly visit our local video rental store and rent some Sega and Nintendo games.

 

Anyone who has the mindset of seeing video games as just a niche activity and whom think we are just basement dwellers who are stuck in our parents house are living in the past. All the time and money these politicians have spent to try to censor video games and even outright ban them in some places is nothing more than a waste. To say gaming is a mental illness is a big slap in the face to everyone who has worked in the video game industry and the countless numbers of gamers out there who love what they enjoy doing. This is no better than some old fart who has a Donald Trump mentality saying we can't do this or that because he is stuck in the past and the old ways were better. All tripe filled nonsense, people like that is why America is down the fucking tubes.

 

Now 25 - 30+ years later, video games are more popular than they ever were before. My own mother who is well in her 60s by this point regular plays games on her smartphone, and my dad who is a senior citizen regular plays strategy games off of Steam. Video games aren't restricted to the 20s - 30s crowd like some people want to think. 

 

Do I think some people spend far too much time playing video games? Absolutely, you have to find that balance in your life if you want to live healthy and happy. Video games are NOT the mental illness some morons out there want you to think. It's a medium just like television and movies. Why some people can't accept that is beyond me.

[Bloodytears1666]

To me it sounds like poorly educated or not properly concerned people making new names for the same thing discovered many years ago. There is obsession, there is Schizophrenia and there is gaming. First one happening with everyone, second one is mental illness and the third gaming as is, no need to be genius or scientist or even psychiatry professor to understand that.

[jackmadrox]

You see, I'm mentally ill anyways. Gaming helps me cope, take my mind off things like memories that send my anxiety skyrocketing. For me, gaming isn't a mentally illness, it's medicine, a distraction. Yes, I'm isolated and socially awkward, and rarely leave my house, but the world chose to chew me up, spit me out and then stomp on the chewed remains. The world doesn't get to have me anymore, and I don't want it, so it all works out. I'm fine living this way.

[Kittens Are Awesome]

On 10/31/2018 at 10:36 AM, jackmadrox said:

You see, I'm mentally ill anyways. Gaming helps me cope, take my mind off things like memories that send my anxiety skyrocketing. For me, gaming isn't a mentally illness, it's medicine, a distraction. Yes, I'm isolated and socially awkward, and rarely leave my house, but the world chose to chew me up, spit me out and then stomp on the chewed remains. The world doesn't get to have me anymore, and I don't want it, so it all works out. I'm fine living this way.

 

It all depends on how you cope with the crappy things life throws at you. Since I don't know you, I'm not sure what kind of crappy things have happened to you, but that's what having a social circle is about. They help you cope. Well, at least the good ones do. Even if you just find a group online to talk to every once in a while, it helps. Trust me. Sometimes the discord group I'm in gets a virtual therapy session going in the voice chat. The person who has had the issue usually thanks everybody for listening and giving input and they're usually better off for it. 

 

Hopefully, you don't isolate yourself forever. Would be a waste of a good human life if so.

[AJ_Radio]

8 hours ago, Phil said:

 

It all depends on how you cope with the crappy things life throws at you. Since I don't know you, I'm not sure what kind of crappy things have happened to you, but that's what having a social circle is about. They help you cope. Well, at least the good ones do. Even if you just find a group online to talk to every once in a while, it helps. Trust me. Sometimes the discord group I'm in gets a virtual therapy session going in the voice chat. The person who has had the issue usually thanks everybody for listening and giving input and they're usually better off for it. 

 

Hopefully, you don't isolate yourself forever. Would be a waste of a good human life if so.

 

I knew a few kids in my life who were physically abused, molested and what have you. They are people who need to be counseled and given therapy sessions. But unfortunately one kid I know who is now in his early 20s will never get treatment, which is tragic. 

 

I’m old enough now to feel that whether people think I’m socially awkward or not I simply don’t care. But at 16 - 20 years old, these young adults are still impressionable and they look upon older people for advice. 

 

It took me several years to break out of that social awkwardness and shyness that hurt me in high school. But starting after that I got into communities, hanging out with college aged kids after classes and took up a job where my duty was to talk with customers. Made a huge difference in my life. 

[Tekyumeeee]

Found a pretty decent quote from https://psychcentral.com/disorders/addictions/gaming-disorder/

Quote

 

Gaming disorder is recognized by the World Health Organization’s ICD-11 manual, a diagnostic manual not in widespread use yet around the world. It is not recognized by the American Psychiatric Association as a mental disorder diagnosis, and therefore is not covered by most people’s health insurance.

In an interview with CNN, Anthony Bean, a licensed psychologist has his doubts about whether gaming behavior should be a primary diagnosis. “”It’s a little bit premature to label this as a diagnosis,” Bean said. “I’m a clinician and a researcher, so I see people who play video games and believe themselves to be on the lines of addicted.” In his experience, they’re actually using gaming “more as a coping mechanism for either anxiety or depression.” Forthcoming research shows that gaming is a secondary diagnosis in coping with a primary diagnosis of anxiety and depression, Bean said: “When anxiety and depression is dealt with, the gaming goes down significantly.”

 

 

So basically most people who would meet the criteria probably have some form of anxiety or depression, which is what treatment should focus on. At any rate, I guess only time will tell if this will become a widely accepted diagnosis among the psychologists and whatnot. The only thing that bothers me about it is adding to the stigma of gaming. In reality, I would imagine a very small minority of gamers would meet the criteria for this "gaming disorder".

[thepeaguy83]

Tbh, I think it's simply a backlash against mostly millennial gamers who aren't out there spending extravagantly on night outs, dating, engagement rings and weddings. Businesses are hurt because of this hobby, you know.

Unless I kill someone because I took on a video game persona, like a nutjob would do, they can all do one.

Edited November 14, 2018 by thepeaguy

[AJ_Radio]

On 11/13/2018 at 4:24 PM, thepeaguy said:

Tbh, I think it's simply a backlash against mostly millennial gamers who aren't out there spending extravagantly on night outs, dating, engagement rings and weddings. Businesses are hurt because of this hobby, you know.

Unless I kill someone because I took on a video game persona, like a nutjob would do, they can all do one.

 

No, it's that the economy just isn't what it used to be and many jobs here in America DO NOT give out the benefits they once did.

 

The Baby Boomers, my parents generation benefited from a lot of good jobs and they greatly contributed to the economy by introducing the PC, laid out the World Wide Web, and brought the high tech industry to full speed. In their prime America was in an unusually good period where you only needed a high school diploma or a associates degree from college to grant you that good paying job.

 

Today over 20 - 30 years later we're struggling to pay our bills and live paycheck to paycheck. Just because you have a Bachelors Degree or a Masters does not guarantee a good job, as a matter of fact those good paying jobs today have become extremely competitive because everybody wants those benefits and good pay.

 

This along with the fact that we have become more of a sheltered society with most of our entertainment needs coming from our televisions and computers, I'm not surprised to see there aren't very many people spending extravagantly at night clubs or dating.

 

In some ways, I consider my generation to be the best and the absolute worst in certain things.

[fastflowdaman]

On 13.10.2018 at 4:19 PM, Nimera said:

I think people like to generalize!

 

I'm with you on this one. I hate it that everyone always generalizes everything. 

[MidnightDragon]

Thought it was stupid the WHO did this.