Joe Goes to BLIZZCON - is this really the mentality of the World of Warcraft Player.

Written by Andrew Doan, MD, PhD on 16 December 2011.

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.

"Hooked on Games" provides insight into the minds of hardcore gamers, helping us understand how and why gamers are lured to and trapped within the digital world of video games and the Internet. This book outlines methods on how to escape the addiction and to start on the path of recovery.

Estimated Release: Spring 2012
Book Price: $15.95
Pre-order price: $14.95
Kindle/Nook: $7.95
Pre-Order Hooked on Games

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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]

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.

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.

Utilizing results from the protein-manipulating "game" Foldit, scientists at the University of Washington were able to attain a successful model of the AIDS-causing monkey virus retroviral protease. For over a decade, researchers have not been able to determine the 3D protein structure of this AIDS protein. Now, in what they're calling a possible first, gamers were able to do what scientific brains and algorithms could not, creating a sufficient protein model.

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.