Therapists Treating Addicts in WoW

[zjuice]

Can't help someone that will not help themselves and I do not see how getting therapy in-game is helping.

Games are awesome, I play about 20 to 40 hours a week depending on what is going on. It is for entertainment and that is all. Your read a book, watch a movie you are entertained, same should go for games. If you can not walk away form it then you have to re-look at your life and make changes.

 

[computermania]

@KupuAnd1

It seems you have never played WOW before, which is a smart move by the way, but in this game you can only communicate with people on your same faction and you can't kill them. However, they could be put on your ignore list and you would not have to deal with them.
Also, even if he could kill him it would not stop him from communicating with him. Death means nothing in WOW.

 

[v1ze]

[citation][nom]bildo123[/nom]I can't even conceive how people get addicted to these MMO's. I literally had to force myself through most trials of MMO's, which usually consist of long,repetitive,uninteresting grinds. It's like playing Diablo II but everything deals half the damage and has 5x the health. It's just so slow and drawn out.(The one thing that makes a grindy Diablo II interesting, is the fast pace.) Not only that, after about two hours of gaming I'm pretty spent.[/citation]
You probably also don't understand how people become addicted to crack. Why? You're not an addict. Brilliant!

 

[lightstriker]

If the therapist is able to help the "wow gold farmers" get his real life on track by playing the game a little, that's great. Although, I do think whoever is paying the therapist to "work" in-game might be getting the short end of the stick.

 

[2shea]

this is just sad that someone even thought this would be able to work...

 

[Guest]

As soon as you give up the idea that you control your own actions, anyone and anything can take control of you. Humans control themselves. It's not the video game making you play it. A video game is an inanimate/virtual object, it isn't alive, it does not think, it cannot MAKE you do anything.

Psychiatrists and therapists make people think that they are not in control of their own actions. They take your ability to CHOOSE out of the equation. Everything you do is your choice. All choices have consequences, some good, some bad, but it is still YOU that decides.

 

[jerreece]

[citation][nom]KupuAnd1[/nom]So what happen if the guy get sick of this therapist and kill him in the game!?That would be a funny video to watch in youtube.[/citation]

Gives a whole new meaning to Player Versus Psychiatrist (PVP)...

Seriously though, the Psychiatrist would have to enjoy MMO's for this to even work, which would make it almost pointless. If they don't actually PLAY the game, how would they get to know anyone well enough to be taken seriously? Any WoW player (past or present) can tell you how annoying it was to see some L1 toon named "ao;dfj;ljk;" selling Gold for real life US dollars. Now you're going to have some newb sending you private tells asking if you want to talk about whether you play WoW way to much.

To be accurate, the psychiatrists would have to target people who were L70 to L80 and had their toons decked out with all Epic gear. Those would be the folks who play to much.

I do think there are a lot of kids seriously addicted to WoW, but I can't imagine this being super effective.

 

[jerreece]

[citation][nom]shadowryche[/nom]Not only do people get addicted to WoW, but it teaches them anti-social habbits. A few of my friends were WoW addicts and now have absolutely no patiences for the less intelligent. I spent two months busting my backside to get to 80 so I could start doing raids and stuff with them. But they magically expected me to know every square inch of a dungeon or raid, even though they knew I had never done any of which before. That was the end of my WoW experience and relationship with them guys.[/citation]

I used to raid in WoW, and can tell you there are certain people like your friends. But I also raided with many folks who were not jerks. Maybe your friends already had these personality traits, and WoW has just brought them to the surface?

It's like the blanket statements people make about video games making kids commit murder...

 

[compulsionnra]

I'll admit. I stay away from WoW because I know it would ruin my life. That and the monthly fees.

 

[blasko229]

Therapists will soon be yelling "FOR THE HORDE"

 

[demonhorde665]

[citation][nom]Rage machine[/nom]Ok, so what happens when the therapists get addicted? then they are all screwed when the shrink is like "hey dude, you gonna be on WoW tonight?"[/citation]

LOLmy thoughts exactly watch these guys get in ther adn find them selves addicted LOL , teh best rehapb for this kind of gme is to go out to aclub , meet real peopel , or evenb etter get laid with real peopel, or alternately get out to anture where youc ant have this kind of thing acessible and isntead ahve beautiful scenery to admire in real life

 

[neiroatopelcc]

I rather like the idea. If blizzard treats these guys better than their customers, they could even get an interface like a gm, to chat with their clients while these are in the raids they 'just can't miss'

 

[eccentric909]

[citation][nom]mystoccowgod[/nom]"this is just as bad as holding an AA class in a bar."not quite this is a psychological addiction compared to a one with a physically dependency attached to itdifferent playing fields[/citation]

+1
It's rare to see someone who actually knows something about addiction.

Sure, you can be addicted to video games, but to compare it to a physical/chemical addiction like what happens with alcoholics or drug addicts (pot smokers not included) sometimes annoys me. One is a medical condition which needs to be treated with more than just therapy, the other can be stopped by pulling the plug without the health risks or physical withdrawl symptoms.

 

[ttangx]

Waived accounts to people who are trying to get their clients to quit?

 

[Hockeyguyinoc]

This is a very social game. The problem is that it doesn't translate well to the real world. Most of the guys/girls I gamed with in the past can have a normal conversation in WoW or over voice chat but when it comes to real life would be afraid to talk to people. That is part of the addiction for sure. It gives you a common bond and common goals to be friends that are not based on your real persona. Many of these people(not all) have lower self esteem and that is the cause of the addiction because they feel important and have friends. They tend to feel that they would not be as valuable in the real world to people. Maybe part of the addiction should be blamed on the media and the ideals of our country and other countries that Paris Hilton is somehow hot because she is skinny. That somehow there is value in being skinny even if you are ugly and act like you are retarded.

 

[jjy3k10]

I wouldn't feel at all inclined to attend "therapy" when it's a level 15 gnome repeatable asking "and how does that make you feel?"

 

[lowguppy]

Privacy issues abound...