Thread: Are you addicted?

  1. #1
    Registered User VirtualAce's Avatar
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    Are you addicted?

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060609/...deo_game_detox

    All I can say is....gimme a break.

    Let's open up a clinic for C++ detox and secretly channel the funds into this board so we may reach our goal of total world domination.

    Ok, so I went a bit far there, but you get the point.

  2. #2
    Disrupting the universe Mad_guy's Avatar
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    I think those people need to get a real addiction like heroin or something and come back and talk about this kind of stuff.
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  3. #3
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
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    One has to remember everything is legal in netherlands
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  4. #4
    Devil's Advocate SlyMaelstrom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mario F.
    One has to remember everything is legal in netherlands

    Almost
    everything... and if it isn't... be prepared to lose a valuable appendage.
    Sent from my iPadŽ

  5. #5
    Banned SniperSAS's Avatar
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    I can only imagine how little self control these people have

    I know a dude who quit cocaine cold turkey and it is almost insulting to hear these losers say they are "addicted"

  6. #6
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
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    These losers kick my arse on half-life. I say lock them up!
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  7. #7

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    offering in-house treatment for people who can't leave their joysticks alone.
    Hey I went to a place just like that in Nevada!
    I'm not immature, I'm refined in the opposite direction.

  8. #8
    Ecologist
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mad_guy
    I think those people need to get a real addiction like heroin or something and come back and talk about this kind of stuff.
    Why is it so unreasonable to believe that there are people
    who are addicted to video games? How would a video game
    addiction be any different than a gambling addiction? A
    pornography addiction (hi Cheez!)?

    There's absolutely nothing with what this company is doing.
    It's not like they're on a mission to get video games banned
    because they may be addictive (which I'm against, as I said
    here ); they're just trying to help people who have become
    addicted to them.



    I know a dude who quit cocaine cold turkey and it is almost insulting to hear these losers say they are "addicted"
    That has nothing to do with ANYTHING. There are psychological
    addictions too, you know. Personally, I think a psychological
    addiction would be much more difficult ot break than a physical
    one. I mean, half the time you may not even know you're addicted.
    And that's probably because psychologically addictive substances
    are very accessible -- you're not likely to regularly be in a position
    where you're out of reach of whatever it is you're addicted
    to. And becuase of that, you'll rarely experience withdrawals.

    Take Porn for example. Govtcheez has an internet connection at
    home and at work. So at any time he gets the urge to look at
    naked russians, he can do it. The comfort of nude soviets is literally
    at his fingertips.

    It wouldn't be until you seperate him from his technology that he
    realizes he NEEDS those images of naked russians to get him
    through the week. But since he spends a good portion of his waking
    life either at home or at work, it's not likely he's ever going to be
    out of reach of his "drug", and therefor won't experience the
    withdrawals that are telling him that he is, in fact, addicted to
    naked russians.

    I'm willing to bet that you're addicted to something and don't even
    know it. I'm sure we all are.
    Last edited by Cheeze-It; 06-10-2006 at 02:37 PM.
    Staying away from General.

  9. #9
    & the hat of GPL slaying Thantos's Avatar
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    There are three main types of addiction: physical, psychological, and social. Of the three physical addictions are the easiest to overcome, our bodies are surprisingly resilient. Most addictions are a combination of the three. For example, during boot camp recruits are not allowed to smoke cigarettes. After three months the physical addiction has long been defeated, however many still light up as soon as they have a chance because of the psychological and social additions they haven’t defeated.

    Social addictions can be overcome but changing who you hang out with, where you go, things like that. Not always easy but doable if the will is there.

    Psychological addictions are not that easy because you can not just walk away from them. Changing your friends and habits, or depriving yourself of the source of addiction doesn’t make you’re psychological need go away.

    Now let’s look at the case of video game addictions. Games provide a very high psychological high. Say you are the runt of the school being picked on; unable to defend yourself, but when you get home you can escape into a world where you have power to overcome your enemies. You are no longer weak but strong, no longer unnoticed but a hero, no longer unpopular but someone revered by all, life is no longer boring but exciting. You can’t tell me that wouldn’t make the person feel good. Eventually you want to feel good more often, until that’s the most important thing to you. That sounds awfully like a drug addict.

    Now its easy to laugh at them, say they are weak willed, etc. But honestly they are no different from someone who got caught up in drugs to escape reality.

    Now I’m not against video games in anyway. I think that some people, myself being one of them, are of the personality type that allow for an easier addiction to video games. That doesn’t mean we need to ban them but instead be aware of when they (or anything) begins to take over your life. Since about February I’ve wanted to get a new game, due to how I play the games I’ve been putting it off until the end of the semester. I then bought a new game knowing that I would over play it but that was ok since I had the time and didn’t have commitments that would interfere with it. However I came to terms with this several years ago and now control it. Some people, however, haven’t gotten to that point and need some help getting there. There is nothing wrong with that.

  10. #10
    Banned SniperSAS's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ethic
    That has nothing to do with ANYTHING. There are psychological
    addictions too, you know. Personally, I think a psychological
    addiction would be much more difficult ot break than a physical
    one. I mean, half the time you may not even know you're addicted.
    And that's probably because psychologically addictive substances
    are very accessible -- you're not likely to regularly be in a position
    where you're out of reach of whatever it is you're addicted
    to. And becuase of that, you'll rarely experience withdrawals.
    I know there are psychological addictions, but if my friend can overcome a chemical addiction as intense as that of cocaine's, I'm pretty sure these faggots can set World of Warcraft down for a few seconds

    Quote Originally Posted by ethic
    Take Porn for example. Govtcheez has an internet connection at
    home and at work. So at any time he gets the urge to look at
    naked russians, he can do it. The comfort of nude soviets is literally
    at his fingertips.
    you leave cheez out of this

    Quote Originally Posted by ethic
    It wouldn't be until you seperate him from his techology that he
    realizes he NEEDS those images of naked russians to get him
    through the week. But since he spends a good portion of his waking
    life either at home or at work, it's not likely he's ever going to be
    out of reach of his "drug", and therefor won't experience the
    withdrawals that are telling him that he is, in fact, addicted to
    naked russians.
    yeah except that would never happen because cheez isn't a pathetic, weak willed whiny piece of garbage

    Quote Originally Posted by ethic
    I'm willing to bet that you're addicted to something and don't even
    know it. I'm sure we all are.
    maybe you are but I have something called "self control"

  11. #11
    & the hat of GPL slaying Thantos's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SniperSAS
    I know there are psychological addictions, but if my friend can overcome a chemical addiction as intense as that of cocaine's, I'm pretty sure these faggots can set World of Warcraft down for a few seconds
    As I stated physical addictions are nothing compared to psychological addictions.

    Quote Originally Posted by SniperSAS
    maybe you are but I have something called "self control"
    Obviously you have no self control for the language you use or how to speak to others on this board.

  12. #12
    Lurking whiteflags's Avatar
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    Addictions are self-destructive all the time, that's what separates them from recreational things. If you smoke, you destroy your body no matter who you are--if you gamble you destroy your bank account and family life, no matter who you are. Those are the types of addictions that really need clinics, because they pose a danger to all humanity.

    Quote Originally Posted by Thantos
    Say you are the runt of the school being picked on; unable to defend yourself, but when you get home you can escape into a world where you have power to overcome your enemies. You are no longer weak but strong, no longer unnoticed but a hero, no longer unpopular but someone revered by all, life is no longer boring but exciting.
    Thantos' point is excellent, proving that you can get addicted to anything if you get the wrong self-image and have poor self-esteem.

    Eventually if we discover that the game companies set up this detox as a source of income to power business, I'll die. I'll die because that means that game companies have been selling a product that destroys its customers--they're no better than the tobacco industry, and then they deserve their own truth commercial. That's when we know we've got something.

    I see nothing wrong with this idea though. Gamer's who've developed a psychological addition are being returned to sociable human beings. Indeed.

  13. #13
    The Earth is not flat. Clyde's Avatar
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    As I stated physical addictions are nothing compared to psychological addictions.
    Is the orthodox psychology stuff, or is this personal impression?
    Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem

  14. #14
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by citizen
    Eventually if we discover that the game companies set up this detox as a source of income to power business, I'll die. I'll die because that means that game companies have been selling a product that destroys its customers--they're no better than the tobacco industry
    Rest assured this is yet another indexed value to be added to the already big list of gains from businesses that benefit directly or indirectly from the game industry.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  15. #15
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    As I stated physical addictions are nothing compared to psychological addictions.
    Cocaine is a physical addiction, as is nicotine, heroin, alchohol, and other barbituates. Physiological addictions are the hardest to overcome. The fact that you say physical addictions are nothing compared to psychological is astounding, and contradicts both science and logic.

    How in the world can you compare a psychological addiction (like gambling or overeating) to a physical addiction? The drugs I listed above actually change the user's body chemistry making the person physically depend on the drug just to stay normal. It can be so bad that stopping cold turkey could actually kill the user.

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