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General discussion

Games addictive? Or social problem?

Sep 7, 2010 7:17PM PDT

I read Washington Times reported that to most computer addictives, games are just games, a kind of entertainment that can while out time and some times they regard it as a high technical way to compete with your friends in reality. However, as to the group that is developing bigger and bigger, some too committee addictives just can??t tell the difference between reality and virtual world. So crazy. Keith Bakker, an European expert about the games addiction, held that the so-called games addiction is nothing psychological rely illness or mental disease, but totally social problem.

I just agree with this point of view. Nowadays, all kinds of games floods into people??s life. We can see the shadow of XBOX, PS3, PSP AND WII??s everywhere . These guys always need maintain and update so soon to devour your time , energy and money. One of my friend Steven told me that he spent a great amount of money on games. His PSP needs case. His PS3 needs new games. To make his wii much more perfect, not only has he got wii classic converter, but also wii wireless classic converter, when Nintendo brings out new games or new wii accessories, he goes on TOPONS to purchase these Nintendo games accessories. To save money and take care of his budget, his life couldn??t get away from the online marketplace.

As to me , I not ask people to stay away from the games,but I think it should be in control,or else this will be a big waste of time and money,and really be a big social problem.

Discussion is locked

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disgree
Sep 8, 2010 11:55AM PDT

i don't agree.palying games' purpose is for fun and entertainment.playing games will make you relax.in addition,buying wii accesary online is a way to save money.

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WHAT?
Sep 8, 2010 6:09PM PDT

The most addictive games are actually usually the best. It's a sign of good game design.
And, how dare you suggest that games should be regulated and controlled. Who are you to tell adults how to spend their time and money?

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Gaming is a hobby..
Sep 10, 2010 1:18AM PDT

Consider it a hobby, because that's what it is. People have all sorts of hobbies and waste countless hours and money on it. It's what they enjoy, and there's nothing wrong with that.

There are some hobbies that yield a tangible result compared to others and that's just how it goes. It doesn't mean that some people don't find it useless or mundane, it's just that the social stigma with gaming currently let's people feel like they can slag it easily enough without other people jumping down their throat.

Are there people who are addicted to gaming? Sure, but there are also people addicted to many other hobbies / things in life. It's just how people are wired, they find something they like and they get in to it. It's just a hobby that you don't agree with.

I'm not keen on the whole facebook thing and think it's a giant timesink / waste, the question is - do you use social networking sites / the internet non-stop? It's just as much of a time waste as video games.

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socially isolated
Sep 12, 2010 8:20PM PDT

Yes but when does a hobby turn from a hobby and into an addiction?

The problem is that things like games, or social networking sites like facebook can get addictive and when you spend so much time on a computer like that you might be amusing yourself, but you become more and more socially isolated from other people and from having human interaction.

Games apparently are very good at training in hand eye co-ordination, but the drawbacks are that, for kids in particular, they are sitting on their asses all day playing games instead of using their own imaginations and playing in reality with other kids. It is a passive form of entertainment that does not foster creativity or creative thinking.

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Social engineering is a tired old leftist fantasy.
Sep 13, 2010 3:32AM PDT

It's never worked and it never will. If only we prohibit people from doing X then they will do Y. You can't force people to lead the lifestyle you think is best for them through regulations.

Life is filled with all sorts of things that are simple pleasures for some people but which become obsessions for others. Gambling, drugs, alcohol, internet, sex, TV etc. A free society doesn't punish everyone for the failings of the few.

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that's the same..
Sep 13, 2010 8:23PM PDT

That's the same with any hobby. If you shut yourself off from people and just focus on your hobby that's what will happen. This isn't an issue with the hobby in question, but the people doing the hobby.

If you try and regulate one you'll just see other things popping up / taking their place. If kids are spending too much time doing something that's something their parents need to teach them. It's part of growing up, and parents shouldn't be relying on other interests to babysit their kids. Kids are still learning about moderation and not over focusing on one thing, you can't fault them for their parents failings.

To say that gaming doesn't foster creative thinking is silly. It puts you in a fantasy world to deal with things in a make believe environment. That's a lot like, oh I don't know, reading a book maybe? (yes that's sarcasm in there) It's a form of story telling that has you involved in a different fashion. Add in the tool sets that games come out with that allow people to create their own levels and/or stories and you have an outlet for that creative thinking. It also has problem solving on top of hand / eye coordination if you're playing adventure games.

There's a lot games have to offer, but what it isn't is an excuse for parents not to be parents.

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If your hobby is an addiction...
Sep 14, 2010 2:40PM PDT

You must be having one hell of a fun time with it. What exactly is the point you're making anyway? Should we have hobby police deciding which hobbies are acceptable and which are a waste of time?? Clearly you know better than everyone and should decide how people spend their spare time.

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neither.
Feb 1, 2011 1:36PM PST

Perhaps the real problem here is addiction and lack of self control or moderation. It can take many forms and there are a number of outlets for it, but it always seems like sensationalism to me when a particular outlet is demonized, rather than focusing on help for people that tend towards addiction or over-indulgence in activities.

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Games are addictive & are a sign of the times
Jun 16, 2011 7:39AM PDT

I agree. People isolate themselves for various reasons these days, and social media and the games are a way of filling the void by connecting with people on an impersonal basis. I speak from recent experience--it is very addicting.