Almost 1 In 10 Young Video Game Users 'Addicted'

LOL

I'll definitly admit that I've skipped quite a few of my college classes just so I can stay at home and farm/camp/level etc. If I'm in a party and I don't have a test in the class that day...I stay at home -.-'' I can definitly say that I am rather addicted and instead of doing homework or studying I'm in game :/ I'm mad at myself for doing so but I still do it lawlz

That was the reason I dropped out of college the first time lol

LOL! I remember my freshman year of college, first semester.... I barely passed Gen Chem, just because of FFXI.

Now, I've learned how to spend my time a little more wisely, mostly. I don't log on unless I know for sure that I don't have anything due, nothing to study for, or have already put in the time to study and understand the material sufficiently.

Then again, I do suffer from withdrawal issues and tend to start trolling FFXIAH.com forums and writing crafting guides for myself in preparation for the next time I log in. >_<;;

My flash drive actually contains more FFXI content than academic content ^^;;

Now every-body gather round and listen if you would
When I tell every person needs a way of feeling good
Every kitty needs a ball of string and every dog a stick
But all you need is a bag of weed to really get a kick

One two three four five six seven eight

A bag of weed a bag of weed
Oh everything is better with a bag of weed
It the only help that you'd ever need
Because everything is better with a bag of weed

When Texas people wanna feel good They go a sorta ***
When stupid people need a thrill They rent the Rocketteer
When Michael Jackson needs a rush He humps a guy like me
(RIGHT)
But all we need is a bag of weed To keep up worry free

One two three oh

A bag of weed a bag of weed
Oh everything is better with a bag of weed
You don't need meth and you don't need speed
'cause everything is better with a bag of weed

As Mr. H.L. Mencken said, "The common man's a fool."
And just like Helen Keller said, "Poof do kee dee poh pool."
But try and use your heads and don't buy into all the fear.
(HEY!)
'cause all we need is a bag of weed to make us wanna cheer!

And One, Two!
A bag of weed a bag of weed
Oh everything is better with a bag of weed
You can try and fight but we're all agreed
Because everything is better with A Bag of Weed

One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight,
And One, Two, Three, Four, And A Five, And A Six, And A Seven! HO!!

A bag of weed a bag of weed
Oh everything is better with a bag of weed
You're a happy guy when you plant the seed,
Because everything is better with A Bag... Of... Weed!
Oh everything is better with a bag of weed

Lol nice Family Guy reference ^^

(It's like I dont care about nothing man.....
roll another blunt)All yea! wwwwwoooohhhhh !!!! Yea! Yea! Yea!

I was gonna clean my room until I got high
I was gonna get up and find the broom but then I got high
My room is still messed up and I know why (Why man?)
- because I got high (repeat 3X)

I was gonna go to class before I got high
I coulda cheated and I coulda passed but I got high
I am taking it next semester and I know why (Why man?)
- because I got high (repeat 3X)

I was gonna go to work but then I got high
I just got a new promotion but I got high
Now I'm selling dope and I know why (Why man?)
- because I got high (repeat 3X)

I was gonna go to court before I got high
I was gonna pay my child support but then I got high (no u wasnt)
They took my whole paycheck and I know why (Why man?)
- because I got high (repeat 3X)

I wasnt gonna run from the cops but I was high
I was gonna pull right over and stop but I was high
Now I am a paraplegic and I know why (Why man?)
- because I got high (repeat 3X)

I was gonna pay my car note until I got high
I wasn't gonna gamble on the boat but then I got high
now the tow truck is pulling away and I know why (Why man?)
- because I got high (repeat 3X)

I was gonna make love to you but then I got high
I was gonna eat yo pussy too but then I got high
now I'm jacking off and I know why (turn that ***off)
- because I got high (repeat 3X)
(back round go go 10 times)
I messed up my entire life because I got high
I lost my kids and wife because I got high
Now I'm sleeping on the sidewalk and I know why (Why man?)
- because I got high (repeat 3X)

I'm gonna stop singing this song because I'm high
I'm singing this whole thing wrong because I'm high
And if I dont sell one copy I know why (Why man?)
- cause I'm high (repeat 3X)

(People in the background talking and laughing)

Cause I'm high (repeat 3X)

Well my name is afroman and im from east palm dale
(east palm dale)
And all the damn weed i be smokin is bomb as hell
I dont belive in Hitler thats what i say
(oh my goodness)
So all of u skins
(skins?)
Please give me more head
(bugaaaaaak)
Afro- Mother *** m-a-n(m-a-n)
a-e-i-o-u (a e i o u)and some times w
We ain't gonna sell no more mother *** albums cuz, let's go back to marshall durben and hang some more chickens cuz - *** it!
*** THE CORPORATE WORLD (BIOTCH)

Thats awsome!

Dude ... that is the tune to Me Ole Bamboo from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang >.> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQgXccbxHbM (EDIT: SFW ... but people might still look at you funny)

A gentleman's got a walking stick.
A seaman's got a gaff.
And the merry men of Robin Hood
They used a quarterstaff.
On the Spanish plains inside their canes
They hide their ruddy swords.
But we make do with an old bam-boo
And everyone applauds!
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - Hey!
Me ol' bam-boo, me ol' bam-boo
You'd better never bother with me ol' bam-boo.
You can have me hat or me bum-ber-shoo
But you'd better never bother with me ol' bam-boo.

Chorus:
When punting on the beautiful Thames

Caractacus:
You use a sturdy pole.

Chorus:
To protect their fair complexion

Caractacus:
Ladies use a parasol.

Chorus:
It's useful in the underbrush

Caractacus:
To have a hefty spear.

Chorus:
Right!

All:
But what we do with an old bam-boo
Makes everybody cheer!
1 - 2 - 3 - HO!
Me ol' bam-boo, me ol' bam-boo
You'd better never bother with me ol' bam-boo
You can have me hat or me bum-ber-shoo
But you'd better never bother with me ol' bam-boo
'Ere we go, mate . . .

Caractacus:
A flyer in an air-e-o-plane

Chorus:
He steers it with a stick

Caractacus:
He does?

Caractacus:
A collier in the pits o' Wales

Chorus:
He leans upon his pick

Caractacus:
That's right!

All:
Now every wheel of an automobile
Revolves around a shaft (HEY!)
But what we do with an old bam-boo
Makes every one go daft.
And 1 - 2
Me ol' bam-boo, me ol' bam-boo
You'd better never bother with me ol' bam-boo.
You can have me hat or me bum-ber-shoo
But you'd better never bother with me ol' bam-boo.
(Dance break)
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - HEY!
And a 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - and a 5 and a 6 and a 7 HO!
Me ol' bam-boo, me ol' bam-boo
You'd better never bother with me ol' bam-boo.
You can have me hat or me bum-ber-shoo
But you'd better never bother with me ol' bam-boo.
You'd better never bother with me ol' bam-boo!

....

I 100% agree with this. I think that article is only scratching the surface. In the future I believe we are going to see the effects of this in our society as a whole. Maybe I am being pessimistic.

We could try to mix the virtual world with the real world, create a place where people can meet across vast distances and live the lives that that could only imagine. Imagine a place where you can learn about Dinosaurs one minute then go outside and fly around as a super hero. We could call it Second Life ... ... ... excuse me I just threw up a little.

Radiations from your screen and radio waves from your wireless devices!
Actually, we're all lucky these radiation/waves aren't harmful to us. :x
What about that light bulb you're using in your lamp? Did you know, those energy saving ones give off UV radiations? So, while you're sitting playing FFXI with your lamp on, you could be prolonging your skin to harmful radiations.
True story.
It's cancer causing.
You're just better off sitting alone in the dark, than going outside or playing FFXI. Damn air is cancer causing, too.

{Do You Have It?}

I'd love to comb over that study, but it's Yahoo News so I doubt it's worth it. My take is, these are many of the kids who would otherwise have obsessed over something like comic books, TCG, RPGs, etc. It really is a stress relief sometimes to just get on a video game and tune out the world. Can you blame us for wanting to play?
That said, there is definitely such a thing as too much game time. I've seen some of what Jaerik mentioned firsthand, and it's not a good thing.

{Can I Have It?} ^^

Need moar discipline. I was raised that if I didn't get off of my SNES and other earlier consoles that if I didn't get off of them and do chores or socialize with the family, I'd lose my stuff... I got grounded once for two years from my SNES. ; ; Two years... Those were some tough times... Had to rely on ole faithful and play brick Gameboy.

While I think throwing around terms like "addicted" are an oversimplification, I do think that MMO's provide something which makes them more damaging than other "addictions." (And keep in mind that MMO's are most of my career, meaning if anything, I have a vested interest in defending them, not attacking them.)

Why do people get addicted to things? Beyond actual chemical addiction, it's because frequently, the object of addiction provides some kind of escape. You shoot up on heroin because it puts you in a mental state where your shitty RL situation becomes forgotten. Why do alcoholics drink away their lives? Same reason. In the case of drugs, it then becomes a physical dependency, but it doesn't start that way.

MMO's might not be physically addictive, but they do offer something incredibly tempting: a substitute sense of accomplishment without much effort or risk. Real-life suffers from a very scary truth: you can work your *** off and still fail miserably. It's unfair, and not fun, and very frustrating.

On the other hand, MMO's offer an egalitarian system where accomplishment is both highly visible and highly reliable. The more time you put into the game, the more you will be rewarded for it, period. While there is a small bit of "skill" involved, most accomplishment in MMO's comes from sheer time investment. And that accomplishment, unlike in most RL things, is highly visible: your character wears around visible signs of achievement at all times, and the game provides you handy numbers, broadcasted to yourself and everyone around.

It's easy to see why a lot of people fall into the trap of letting MMO achievement substitute for RL achievement. And once you've let RL deteriorate to the point RL achievement has gotten even more difficult, the need for MMO's to fill the gap becomes even stronger. And yes, this risk is highest among younger users, who are not yet at a place in their real lives where they have much to "show" yet.

Is this "addiction?" I don't know. But it's a dangerous situation, and I think an inherent problem with any MMO that relies on a design where time investment is its only path to accomplishment and fun.

Games should be a supplement for real life, not a replacement.

There is a lady here at my job who play WoW occasionally and she was telling me about her 16 year old who is in counseling for his addiction to video games. She said he got into video games, starting missing school, staying up late, failing classes,spend his money only on games, he wouldnt leave his room, and it was causing him to only be about video games. She says the counseling is helping him and is learning to control his time of playing games.

I think it is possible to be addicted to games especially if you get into them. I know i was stuck on FF for a long time, would skip work, go to work late, cancel dates, etc. and then I realized later that I really need to get off the games.

Is it really worth it, is the question. x.x;

whatever happened to getting too drunk/drugged up/sexed to pass your classes?

Nyzul Isle gear and new WS... {Yes, please.}

How many of the many things that make up your daily life are really worth it?

anye!!! since you have so much time on your hands you should make a bell song to that song cause i got high. then post it here for us to play!

More violence? Maybe. But less excuses.

'Oh I play GTA so I have the urge to beat up old people and shoot guns. kthnxbai'

someone didn't see the video of the little black kid that stole his grandma's car "cause being bad is fun".

people need to parent more. seriously. if the game is rated M maybe your kids shouldn't be playing it. DUH! age appropriate games in moderation are just fine, and can even be used as learning aids. plus young kids NEED to develop the motor skills to work most of the mouse/keyboard stuff because they will be using on in their job in the future most likely.

well that's not as bad as the kid who shot and killed his mom cause his parents took his halo 3 away for punishment.