Game Over
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Video games have captured the imaginations of younger generations for more than three decades. Starting with William Higinbotham's interactive tennis game played on an oscilloscope hitting it big in the home market with Atari and Nintendo, gamers have been spending a lot of time in the virtual world. In the present day, whem dozens of gaming consoles are flooding the market, many gamers oftentimes decisively "tune out" the outside world and get lost within their games.
There have been arrays of troubling events that have occurred - in part - because of excessive gaming. One of the most noted occasions involved Sony's widely successful online role-playing game, "EverQuest." In November 2001, Shawn Woolley, 21, an avid player of "EverQuest," was found dead at his computer, which was still running the computer game. He had committed suicide.
Woolley had been diagnosed with epilepsy, depression and schizoid personality disorder. He started playing "EverQuest" in 2000, and by 2001, it had taken over his life. He was evicted from his apartment and had moved back in with his mother, Elizabeth Woolley. She believes the last few epileptic fits he had were caused by the amount of time he spent playing "EverQuest."
A week before the suicide, Woolley quit his pizza-parlor job to play up to 12 hours a day, and bought a gun. He was finally pushed over the edge, supposedly by unknown events that had occurred within the game.
Although Woolley's case may be an extreme, "Smith & Jones Addiction Consultants" have apparently found enough business to be opening the world's first ever Video Game Rehabilitation Center in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in July.
"Video games may look innocent, but can be as addictive as gambling or drugs and just as hard to kick," Keith Bakker, director of the rehab center to-be, told the Associated Press.
Bakker experimentally attempted to treat patients that had become dangerously obsessive in their gaming. Bakker claims to have treated 20 people ages 13 to 30 and successfully cured them of their video-game addictions in January 2006. He found that his patients were suffering from symptoms similar to several dangerous addictions.
"Some [patients] have shown withdrawal symptoms, such as shaking and sweating, when they looked at a computer console," Bakker said.
William Bohle, senior in mechanical engineering, appreciates games such as "Halo 2," but he finds this "rehab" center over the top.
"I think Bakker's idea for this rehabilitation center is the worst idea since they decided to make a 'white men can't jump' video game," Bohle said. "[Bakker] wants them to build interest in other pursuits . in Amsterdam? They will all come back as cocaine addicts."
Although he hasn't experienced it, Bohle said video-game addiction could exist and he can understand the attraction to playing video games.
"I don't really play that much, well, maybe during the school year - to me shooting aliens in 'Halo 2' just sounds so much better then going to thermodynamics or going to class to learn about Laplace transforms," he said.
Bakker's "detox program" will include discussions with therapists, wilderness excursions, healthy lifestyle workshops and possibly medication. The program will consist of an in-patient stay of four to eight weeks to help patients cope with their gaming withdrawal.
Elizabeth Woolley claims "EverQuest" has a very dangerous and addictive design, which is what she believes led to her son's suicide.
"I think the way the game is written is that when you first start playing it, it is fun, and you make great accomplishments," Woolley told CBS. "And then the further you get into it, the higher level you get, the longer you have to stay on it to move onward - and then it isn't fun anymore. But by then you're addicted, and you can't leave it."
However, Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley, one of the creators of "EverQuest," said the game did not cause Shawn Woolley's death.
"When I spoke with Ms. Woolley, I expressed my condolences. And it's really one of those terrible things that happens. And there's just nothing to suggest that 'EverQuest' had any role in his death." Smedley told CBS. "'EverQuest' is a game. And I don't see any connection between a form of entertainment and somebody's tragic suicide."
Elizabeth Woolley found a way to deal with her son's death and help other gamers avoid his fate. She created "Online Gamers Anonymous," a 12-step program along with a support Web site, Olganon.org, devoted to helping online gamers quit gaming.
Although video gaming has an incredible draw on the worlds "younger" generations, many ISU students have been able to cut their gaming habits on their own. Yesuratnam Thommandru, senior in computer engineering, admits to having gamed heavily from elementary to college and does seem to believe in the need for Bakker's rehab center.
"I've had to cut back quite a bit due to heavy course loads," Thommandru said. "I'm not suffering from withdrawal or affected in the least bit."
There have been arrays of troubling events that have occurred - in part - because of excessive gaming. One of the most noted occasions involved Sony's widely successful online role-playing game, "EverQuest." In November 2001, Shawn Woolley, 21, an avid player of "EverQuest," was found dead at his computer, which was still running the computer game. He had committed suicide.
Woolley had been diagnosed with epilepsy, depression and schizoid personality disorder. He started playing "EverQuest" in 2000, and by 2001, it had taken over his life. He was evicted from his apartment and had moved back in with his mother, Elizabeth Woolley. She believes the last few epileptic fits he had were caused by the amount of time he spent playing "EverQuest."
A week before the suicide, Woolley quit his pizza-parlor job to play up to 12 hours a day, and bought a gun. He was finally pushed over the edge, supposedly by unknown events that had occurred within the game.
Although Woolley's case may be an extreme, "Smith & Jones Addiction Consultants" have apparently found enough business to be opening the world's first ever Video Game Rehabilitation Center in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in July.
"Video games may look innocent, but can be as addictive as gambling or drugs and just as hard to kick," Keith Bakker, director of the rehab center to-be, told the Associated Press.
Bakker experimentally attempted to treat patients that had become dangerously obsessive in their gaming. Bakker claims to have treated 20 people ages 13 to 30 and successfully cured them of their video-game addictions in January 2006. He found that his patients were suffering from symptoms similar to several dangerous addictions.
"Some [patients] have shown withdrawal symptoms, such as shaking and sweating, when they looked at a computer console," Bakker said.
William Bohle, senior in mechanical engineering, appreciates games such as "Halo 2," but he finds this "rehab" center over the top.
"I think Bakker's idea for this rehabilitation center is the worst idea since they decided to make a 'white men can't jump' video game," Bohle said. "[Bakker] wants them to build interest in other pursuits . in Amsterdam? They will all come back as cocaine addicts."
Although he hasn't experienced it, Bohle said video-game addiction could exist and he can understand the attraction to playing video games.
"I don't really play that much, well, maybe during the school year - to me shooting aliens in 'Halo 2' just sounds so much better then going to thermodynamics or going to class to learn about Laplace transforms," he said.
Bakker's "detox program" will include discussions with therapists, wilderness excursions, healthy lifestyle workshops and possibly medication. The program will consist of an in-patient stay of four to eight weeks to help patients cope with their gaming withdrawal.
Elizabeth Woolley claims "EverQuest" has a very dangerous and addictive design, which is what she believes led to her son's suicide.
"I think the way the game is written is that when you first start playing it, it is fun, and you make great accomplishments," Woolley told CBS. "And then the further you get into it, the higher level you get, the longer you have to stay on it to move onward - and then it isn't fun anymore. But by then you're addicted, and you can't leave it."
However, Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley, one of the creators of "EverQuest," said the game did not cause Shawn Woolley's death.
"When I spoke with Ms. Woolley, I expressed my condolences. And it's really one of those terrible things that happens. And there's just nothing to suggest that 'EverQuest' had any role in his death." Smedley told CBS. "'EverQuest' is a game. And I don't see any connection between a form of entertainment and somebody's tragic suicide."
Elizabeth Woolley found a way to deal with her son's death and help other gamers avoid his fate. She created "Online Gamers Anonymous," a 12-step program along with a support Web site, Olganon.org, devoted to helping online gamers quit gaming.
Although video gaming has an incredible draw on the worlds "younger" generations, many ISU students have been able to cut their gaming habits on their own. Yesuratnam Thommandru, senior in computer engineering, admits to having gamed heavily from elementary to college and does seem to believe in the need for Bakker's rehab center.
"I've had to cut back quite a bit due to heavy course loads," Thommandru said. "I'm not suffering from withdrawal or affected in the least bit."
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