Virtual addiction; how serious is it?

Although video game addiction is a disputed form of psychological addiction, the effects of overuse of these games are not. Like almost any substance on earth, too much can hurt a person’s life, relationships and career. In small amounts however, gaming is a recreation that many Americans enjoy.

For Cal Poly computer engineering junior Nelson Monterroso, healthy gaming involves using it as an addition to his social life, rather than a crutch.

“It’s kind of a social thing; you make friends in games and then end up talking about things outside of the game,” Monterroso said.

Monterroso used to be an avid player of the massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft, called WoW by fans.

He said he could easily spend several hours playing the game without becoming bored. This factor led him to slightly abuse the game, and he admitted that sometimes he neglected school because he enjoyed the game so much.

“There was an obvious slip in my motivation, and I would skip class sometimes,” Monterroso said.

Monterroso pointed out that during this time period he also missed class for reasons other than video gaming, leading him to believe the game wasn’t the only cause of his slipping grades.

He said he can definitely see that certain people become addicted to the game and others simply like it.

“When they are addicted, they hate it but keep on playing it,” Monterroso said. “They deny real life social interaction because they need to play the game.”

He said most start for fun, but when they begin to skip meals and choose the game over friends and school, it becomes an unhealthy habit. They play the game because they can’t make themselves stop or don’t know what else to do, he said.

“My sole reason for playing was to be social, and it sounds ironic because it’s a game, but that was why it was fun,” Monterroso said.

He recently stopped playing the game because the friends he had made in the game began to leave, and without them it was not nearly as enjoyable.

Monterroso’s friend, Jake Andersen, fell on just the other side of the line between avid gamer and addicted.

“My overzealous gaming is somewhat responsible for the fact that I am no longer at Cal Poly, and there were occasions where I wondered if I was missing out on anything with friends,” said Andersen, a former electrical engineering major.

He admits that during his freshman year at Cal Poly, he was in the habit of playing anywhere from 50 to 60 hours a week. He found the social interaction within the game was a nice way to escape from his shyness in person.

Andersen also agreed that people can become addicted to video games, and said he used to be.

“One can become addicted to video games just as easily as anything else,” Andersen said. “The most common definition of addiction I have is simply a need for something you are powerless to control.”

Andersen said he used games to get away from his personal unhappiness. In real life, he was a confused student with poor grades, and felt he had no way to change that. He couldn’t excel in his current major, and was unable to switch to another.

“I used games to escape from the fact that I didn’t know what my purpose was in life,” Andersen said.

In the video games he played, he said he felt no restrictions or goals. He could do what he wanted without having to worry about failing.

Since leaving Cal Poly, Andersen has taken steps to control his gaming. He said he still enjoys video games, but plays about 20 hours a week. He uses that time to “hang out” with friends who are far away from him.

For both Andersen and Monterroso, video games are a pleasurable and satisfying hobby. Neither one would consider stopping, although both admit they are careful not to abuse them.

Although addiction is not limited to games like WoW, that let players connect over the Internet, they seem to be the most often mentioned. Monterroso pointed out that games like Guitar Hero, that lets players connect in person, are just as addicting.

Both men also agreed that although there are far more people using games in a healthy and recreational manner, addiction gets more notice because it has such a dramatic affect on people’s lives.

“I talk to people a lot about what is wrong with becoming addicted, but I can see why people who are having fun can get that way,” Monterroso said.