Table of Contents and Introduction

Table of Contents

• Introduction: Hooked On Games
• Chapter 1: My Escape From Reality
• Chapter 2: Curiosity
• Chapter 3: Purpose
• Chapter 4: Alleviating Fear of Death
• Chapter 5: Ego
• Chapter 6: Companionship
• Chapter 7: Challenges
• Chapter 8: Leadership
• Chapter 9: Sex
• Chapter 10: Love and Acceptance
• Chapter 11: Tetris Effect - The Melding of Worlds
• Chapter 12: The Addiction
• Chapter 13: Not Alone
• Chapter 14: Break the Addiction
• Conclusion: Generation Vidiot

Introduction

Meet Shawn Woolley.

Shawn grew up as a high-functioning child with attention deficit disorder. He had many friends and had an active social life. You’d often find Shawn trying to make people laugh – he enjoyed interacting with people and he grew up as a happy and well-adjusted child, despite his disability with attention deficit disorder. As he approached early adulthood, he was able to buy a car, move out into his own apartment, and was promoted to assistant manager at his workplace.

But something quickly changed.

Shawn discovered and began to engross himself in the fantasy video game world of the role-playing game EverQuest. According to his mother, Liz, his personality started changing because of his devotion and significant obsession to the game. He started playing for hours on end and some nights, he wouldn’t sleep – he’d be up literally all night, immersing himself in the world of EverQuest. Being fully absorbed in this game, he devoted so much time that his personality changed. He lost friendships. He lost his job, his car, his apartment, and his Internet connection – his tie to the fantasy world. Without access to the Internet, Shawn became desperate. Late one night, Shawn’s mother heard a noise in the main floor of her home. She thought it was an intruder, but as she descended the stairs she was shocked to find Shawn sitting in front of her computer, playing EverQuest. He had walked four miles during the night and broken into his mother’s home in order to get access to the game.

Shawn’s mother acquired help from clinical therapists and doctors – all who did not understand video game addiction. They said that she should be glad that he wasn’t addicted to something more severe, like drugs or alcohol. Shawn took this as a green light to keep playing. He dove deeper and deeper into the world of EverQuest, and he became even more distracted, neglecting everything that was once important to him. The game became his life. His video game fantasy life blurred into his real life, and the game became his real life. When not playing the game, he had visual hallucinations about his fantasy video game world.

But one day, something huge happened in the game. He created a character called ILUVYOU. According to his mother, she believes that he developed a relationship with another online character. He was so attached and committed to this character that one day when something that the character said to him was so upsetting to Shawn, he stopped playing on the same game server and left all his online friends. Shawn isolated himself from his family and friends. He did not care for himself and lost interest in everything. His life no longer resembled the social, fun man he used to be. Shawn turned on the computer three weeks later, sat down in front of it, and while the computer and game was idle on the screen – he put a loaded gun that he recently purchased to his head. He fired a single shot.

Shawn was isolated from his family and friends, in real life and in the fantasy world of EverQuest. Shawn was alone. Shawn was dead at 21 years old.[1]

Why?

Why would someone commit suicide over a video game? How could a young man that had seemingly everything going for him at one point in his life give himself so completely to a game, ultimately pulling the trigger to end his own life?

Many video games, like EverQuest, are extremely addicting. Also referred to as, EverCrack, gamers who play EverQuest know the addictive potential of the game. Increasing demand for video games and growing revenues drive the video game companies to create fun, engaging, and addictive games. A successful game may generate billions of dollars in revenue, requiring the game to attract and retain devoted players. Successful video games, therefore, are designed to be engaging and enticing, and can be extremely addictive.

A study completed by Dr. Douglas Gentile at Iowa State University looked at 1,178 cross-sectional children and teens (aged 8 to 18) across America. The study showed that 88% of the kids surveyed play video games. Video games are widely accessible and present in almost every American home. The results of the Iowa State University study indicated that 8.5% of the children who play video games showed signs of addiction to gaming, similar to addictive gambling behavior.[2] Based on recent census data and the addiction rate reported by the Iowa State University study, there are likely at least three million kids addicted to video games in the United States. There are now four decades of video gamers, and there may be as many as twelve million Americans addicted to video games. In China, there are an estimated 183 million people addicted to video games in 2007.[3] There is an enormous public demand for video games.

Clearly, not all people who play video games become addicted. Video games are not evil. Video games are part of our culture and here to stay. They are fun forms of entertainment and sources of education when used responsibly and in moderation. There are people who drink alcohol who do not become alcoholics. There are people who gamble who do not become addicted gamblers. The issue is lack of widespread public education about the potential dangers of excessive video game playing. While parents do not generally provide access to alcohol, cigarettes, and gambling for their children, video games are widely accepted as safe, healthy entertainment for children in nearly all homes. There is growing evidence in the medical literature documenting the severe emotional and health consequences of excessive video game playing and video game addiction. There are numerous news stories of severe neglect, poor health, and even death associated with excessive playing of video games.

An Associated Press-AOL Games poll showed that 40% of American adults play video games online or console video games.[4] As video games become more intricate and the video graphics are more life-like, which I refer to as digital eye candy, the games are increasingly enticing. The realistic graphics and gameplay contribute to the immersion of the player into a digital world. The digital worlds these video games provide are pleasing, challenging, and can be more fun than the real world. Video games are more popular and generate more business than movies and many other forms of entertainment. In a report published by Newzoo, consumer spending has reached nearly $25 billion annually for games in 2010 – this includes mobile device games, casual game portals, social networking games, consoles, and both boxed and downloadable computer games.[5] The video game industry is a multi-billion dollar industry.

One of my good friends, Charles Wahlheim, is an actor and model. He was hired to perform a fighting scene for a video game. When he arrived on the set, he was amazed that the producers rented a green screen nearly 75 yards long. Charles had been on big movie sets before that didn’t have nearly as large of a green screen. For a video game, the enormous green screen was impressive. The set was packed with nearly a hundred people. He inquired about the budget for the video game and was shocked to learn that the budget was nearly $100 million.

Video games are very much a part of our culture and are very available.

Parents, spouses, and families of gamers often ask me why video games are addictive, seeking to discover insight into why their loved one is mesmerized by the digital world. Is there in fact an addictive nature to these video games? This book will show you how and why people are addicted to video games and why they are inherently made to be enticing and potentially addictive. We also ask, what are the health risks that stem from video game excessive use or “addiction”? This book provides insight into Dr. Doan’s obsession and addiction to video games, the steps for recovery, and advice for families and friends of video game addicts.

Dr. Andrew Doan, author of this book, holds both a medical degree and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine. He has researched the medical and scientific literature as well as news articles on how gaming can rewire the brain. Video game addiction is similar to other behavioral addictions such as eating disorders, shopping, sex, and gambling. Video game addiction can be as powerful and destructive as severe drug and alcohol abuse. Most importantly, Dr. Doan has experienced first-hand, the adverse effects of video game addiction. A former game addict, he played more than 20,000 hours of video games in a period of nine years. He will share how he almost lost everything important in his life due to his gaming addiction – his family, a prestigious medical career, and even his life.