When I first played Diablo, eBay banned the sale of virtual goods online. A Windforce bow sold for $200 on eBay and a Stone of Jordan (SOJ) ring sold for $10 dollars each. The SOJs were used as the in game currency. The going rate for Godly Plate of the Whale were 20-30 SOJs. In a recent news release, Blizzard announced the implementation of an in-game auction house where players can use real cash to sell and buy items.

This video is funny but sheds light on the mentality of a rapidly growing gamer culture that values digital worlds over real life and real relationships.

Second Skin takes an intimate look at three sets of computer gamers whose lives have been transformed by online virtual worlds. An emerging genre of computer software called Massively Multiplayer Online games, or MMOs, allows millions of users to interact simultaneously in virtual spaces.

The combination of sex and pornography in a video game has the potential for explosive growth and has already proven to become so. In Second Life, it’s reported that there are over twenty million accounts with more than half of those being active gamers.

Two teenage boys, who played numerous hours in the game World of Warcraft, planned and carried out a brutal murder of an innocent eighteen-year-old girl. After luring her to an empty home, they sexually assaulted her and killed her, then dragged her body into the woods and set it on fire.

The brain releases a neurotransmitter called dopamine when a person experiences rewarding situations, particularly in behavioral addictions like eating disorders, sex addiction, addictive gambling and addictive video game playing. Dopamine is also associated with drug and alcohol abuse.[1]

Everyone knows that addiction is an evil cycle, one that spirals out of control quickly. For addicts, they’ll do whatever they can to get their next fix, whether it’s lie, cheat, steal, or sell whatever they can to get money to feed their next high. Maybe they’ll sell a family heirloom or something else that has value, but selling their own children? That’s a new one.

Parenting is a tough job in the digital age. We are surrounded by technology, video games, and cell phones. The key is to learn how to master technology, but avoid being slaves to technology. We must also monitor our children and be mindful how much time they are spending on video games.

Video game addiction can be seen in very young children. The more exposure to the addictive behavior, the stronger the addiction will be. Children may exhibit anger, rage, and irritability. The following videos illustrate manifestations of excessive video game play and likely video game addiction.

The On-Line Gamers Anonymous website (http://www.olganon.org) points out that some withdrawal symptoms that gamers can experience are very real and can be very extreme. I have experienced most of these symptoms in the height of my addiction to video games.

A 46-year old man attacked a 13-year old boy after the boy killed off the man’s character in Call of Duty. The teenager, who was playing at a home just a few miles, bragged about gunning the character down. The man was enraged and stormed into the home and assaulted the boy by grabbing and trying to choke him.