Second Skin, an award winning documentary about MMO players, is finally going to find its way to DVD on August 25th, as reported here. It will also have a limited theatrical re-release in a few major urban centres.

I have used the Second Skin theatrical trailer with groups as a way to introduce gaming and MMO’s in particular to addictions professionals, police, educators and parents. There is tremendous interest in this film and I look forward to buying a copy for my personal enjoyment.

Tags: Addiction, compulsive computer gaming, compulsive online gaming, gaming addiction, Online Gamers Anonymous, online gaming addiction, second life, Second Skin Movie, Video Game Addiction, Videos, virtual worlds

It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

- Teddy Roosevelt

Tags: Famous Failures, Inspiration

This morning, I recorded an interview for BBC Radio Four’s program Beyond Belief, a “series exploring the place and nature of faith in today’s world.” The interview delves into my experience of addiction and recovery, including a very candid discussion of my struggles toward a more intimate relationship with God through my marriage, church and working the Twelve Steps.

We expect the episode to air across the UK and on the Internet in July. Check their web site to listen or download the podcast when it becomes available.

Tags: BBC Radio Four, Beyond Belief, Ernie Rea, online gaming addiction, Video Game Addiction

What follows is cross posted from the Dr. Phil Show forums…

Hi folks,

Since being on the show last year, I’ve done quite a bit of media and public speaking on the subject of addictive/compulsive gaming. When I heard a few days ago that the episode was going to air again, I had mixed emotions.

First, “Good, some people will get something out of this…” Then, “Oh great, here we go again…”

Let me explain…

I don’t think we’re quite at the point in our society where we can have a civilized debate about this issue, evidenced by a good chunk of what I see online, not just around this episode, but video game addiction in general. For example, someone on a gaming site jokingly referred to my blog ‘ExGamer.net’ as ‘TraitorousB***ard.net’. Not helpful.

And so we’re supposed to line up in our opposing camps with torches and spears:

“VIDEO GAMES ARE THE DEVIL!”

while the other side cries…

“STOP BLAMING VIDEO GAMES… LOOK AT ME, I’M A STRAIGHT ‘A’ STUDENT WITH A GIRLFRIEND AND A NICE CAR…”

Meanwhile, a lonely minority of us tries to stand in the middle of the battlefield, dodging bullets, trying to figure out how to explain this incredibly complex world to influential people like Dr. Phillip McGraw.

Imagine for a moment, if you will, looking into that camera, knowing that about 30 million people around the world will hear what you say about gaming. You’ve got just a few moments to share your story, good or bad, with millions of people. What will you say? That was my experience in Los Angeles last September, and I think I did a pretty damn good job, and I was fair to all of you who love your gaming. My focus was on Fred, the addict who was still suffering.

Video games are NOT THE DEVIL. As my good friend Wendy Kays so eloquently put it, they were created by artists and programmers for emotionally healthy individuals. They are part of our modern age; we must learn to live productively with gaming as part of our popular culture, especially given the fact that many positive social and interpersonal skills can be enhanced when gaming is enjoyed as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Having said that, the X percent of the population that is NOT emotionally healthy and games to excess needs help. The same operant conditioning models that make your World of Warcraft game engaging can be quite addicting to that small minority of players, in the same way that playing the slots or other forms of gambling can be very problematic for some.

At some point, our X percent of video gamers lose control and have a very, very difficult time letting go of their passion, to the detriment of their personal care, work and family life. This is my story, and I know many others who have suffered similarly.

To say here or elsewhere to a suffering gamer or his/her loved one, “Look at me, I game and I have a girlfriend, a job and a nice car,” is as cruel as walking into an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting with a bottle of beer, announcing, “Look at me, I can drink in moderation!”

Sure, you’re doing great. Congratulations. You’re either telling the truth – hooray – or you have a problem you’re not tuned into. The former scenario is likely true, so go enjoy your life and your gaming hobby. It’s okay, nobody thinks less of you. Really.

My work in the past six or eight months has involved bridging the gap between the fear and anger that grips the hearts of parents and spouses of gamers and helping them to better understand what’s going on behind that compulsive gaming habit they see. What went wrong? What can they do to help?

There are no easy answers here folks, just some very hard work that cannot be accomplished in a 40 minute television show, as important as it is for Dr. Phil and other media personalities to carry the banner for this cause.

The industry, gamers, and their families have got to be willing to take a long, hard look at the way games are made, how they’re played, and how we can move forward to treat this quiet epidemic of addiction before it destroys any more lives.

Tags: compulsive computer gaming, compulsive online gaming, computer games, Dr. Phil Show, My Story, online gaming addiction, Video Game Addiction, Virtual Chaos, world of warcraft

If you’re not new to this blog, you know that last October, I was a guest on the Dr. Phil Show’s Virtual Chaos episode. That 72 hours in Los Angeles seems like such a long time ago, especially after the brutal winter that followed the fantastic weather we enjoyed before the mid-September taping in Los Angeles.

I am frequently asked about my experience of the show. The three days were really a blur, but I have to say that I was most impressed with the incredible professionalism I saw behind the scenes. Everyone was so accommodating and welcoming; I wish we’d had more time to spend in the L.A. area.

If you haven’t seen the Virtual Chaos episode yet and you or someone you love is dealing with an online gaming addiction, check your local television listings for June 3 and tune in then post comments or send me an email. Also, On-Line Gamers Anonymous is available as a resource.

Thanks for visiting!

-Brad

Tags: compulsive computer gaming, compulsive online gaming, Dr. Phil Show, Los Angeles, Online Gamers Anonymous, online gaming addiction, Video Game Addiction, Virtual Chaos

I’ve been privileged over the past couple of months to spend some time with skilled and experienced addictions professionals and law enforcement officers here in Ontario. As you may have read and heard here, I have addressed the issue of gaming addiction in front of mixed audiences across southern Ontario from February to May and learned a lot about how people are struggling with their own and their kids’ gaming habits.

I maintain that addictive gaming is a quiet epidemic affecting our families in profound ways – separation and divorce, parent/teen conflict, financial difficulty etc. Recent research out of the Iowa State University suggests that more than 8 percent of kids may be at risk of developing ‘pathological’ gaming habits.

While we can debate the methodologies and the final figure – is it eight percent or six or five – the issue deserves to be taken seriously. When I speak, I say that the best time to set limits is when a new game or console is introduced to the home. But that doesn’t really help parents who are in the midst of a battle for their kids’ lives. How do we help teens who are gaming 12 hours a day and getting aggressive with their families? Do we look to law enforcement for answers? Do we forcibly remove the gaming systems and wait to see what happens?

I want to suggest that we consider harm reduction strategies based on available resources from the gaming industry, community supports and good counselling. While they are controversial among many, harm reduction programs for drug addiction, including safe injection sites and needle exchange programs, are underway in many cities in North America. In the case of gaming, we have a legal process addiction that threatens the safety and well-being of many youth. How should we craft a harm reduction strategy?

First, look at available resources from the gaming industry. Popular gaming consoles such as the Xbox 360 have built-in parental controls which provide the ability to limit access to content deemed harmful or undesirable. In most cases, games can be blocked altogether based on their ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) rating. Windows Vista has more robust parental controls, as does the Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft (WoW). These controls allow parents to ‘micro manage’ hours of each day, further freeing up or restricting times that their teens may play. I would like to see the parental controls in the console systems enhanced to match what WoW and Windows Vista have in place.

Referring to the ESRB system takes on greater urgency when we realize that over twenty percent of children aged 8-11 may own and regularly play games rated for players aged 17 and older. This was a significant finding of Dr. Douglas Gentile’s Iowa State University report, suggesting that parents require a much greater level of education on what is age appropriate content. Consider the ESRB rating ‘M’ for Mature (17+). Given that the rating system is an industry initiative, we have representatives of the artists, coders and marketers clearly telling parents, ‘Do NOT buy this product for your young children.’ We would do well to heed these warnings.

The industry has gone to a great deal of trouble to create some useful resources through the ESRB site. Among them are an email newsletter that updates parents twice monthly on games teens are likely to have on their wish list. I am operating on the experience-based belief that some titles have a much greater appeal and more potentially addictive design elements than others.

For example, squad based combat games such as the Call of Duty series have an experience point system not unlike WoW or other MMO’s. This combined with an intense first-person-shooter (FPS) experience creates an incredible drive to succeed and ‘level up’ in many dedicated gamers. Contrast this to the casual game play of many Nintendo Wii titles such as their sports titles. I spoke with a father of ten children recently who said he never caught his kids up at 3 am playing Nintendo Boxing, but MMO’s such as Runescape were a different story.

Useful industry web sites include:

• GetGameSmart.com – How well do you know your gamer?
• WhatTheyPlay.com – A family guide to video games.
• PlaySavvy.com – Similar to What They Play…

Use of the parental systems and industry resources assumes that we can speak openly with our teens about their gaming habits. Personally I am against two things. First is the forcible removal of the system – the cold turkey approach. Second is the weaning of a hardcore habit with no notice or consultation.

This brings me to my second point. End the silence on gaming addiction. Get your family or social network involved. I do believe that most teens are rational human beings when confronted intelligently with the consequences of their negative lifestyle choices.

Simply put, you are going to sit them down, preferably with the support of extended family and others that the teen respects, and outline your concerns. Then put in place an action plan which includes rigorous compliance to the usage of the parental controls, good grades in school etc.

Failure to abide by this plan will result in suspension of his or her gaming privileges. I would like to add here that professional counselling is essential – my third point. Recognizing that this is a luxury for many in this tough economy, I think it should be a top priority whenever possible. I know that in my life, gaming was the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

I plan to research and write more on topic of harm reduction and gaming in the near future. Thanks for your interest and input. What has been your family’s experience?

Contact me: exgamer@exgamer.net

Tags: Cold Turkey, Harm Reduction, online gaming addiction, Video Game Addiction

The Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation Open Mind series on adolescent addictions wrapped up in Toronto this afternoon with about 60 people in attendance at the downtown YMCA. I repeated my presentation from April 16th with some changes and revisions based on feedback and Iowa State research project on youth gaming addiction.

One unexpected highlight of the afternoon was a brief but productive exchange with a rep from the gaming industry who attended the seminar. We discussed gaming addiction research, particularly that pesky Iowa State research project. I conceded after our conversation that further age subset research with the younger children would be desirable, and very helpful in guiding public policy and education on excessive gaming.

Just finished listening to the whole speech… had to laugh at my description of playing MMO’s… “an endless pursuit of nothing.”

During my speech, I described one M-Rated game which featured drug use. Here is the ESRB rating information for Velvet Assassin. The quality of the information provided is excellent and readily available at the ESRB’s web site. Follow the link to the right to access their site and do a search for any game to learn more.

Velvet Assassin

Platform: Windows PC, Xbox 360

Rating: Mature

Content descriptors: Blood, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Drugs

Rating summary: This is a stealth action game in which players assume the role of a British assassin who engages in missions of sabotage against German forces during World War II. Players navigate through enemy bunkers and strongholds, disrupt Nazi activities, and assassinate enemy soldiers in a variety of ways: players shoot soldiers, slash their throats, bash their skulls, and stab them in the eye or from behind. Blood gushes out when enemies are killed, and slow-motion effects and gurgling sounds can sometimes be heard. During the course of the game, players can collect morphine syringes to enter a performance-enhanced, dreamlike state (i.e., “Morphine Mode”). The drug allows players to get to enemies before they can notice. Some German profanity appears subtitled in English (e.g., “f*cking,” “sh*t,” and “a*shole”).

Thanks for your interest in the speeches. The April 16th presentation is a bit different, so I may upload it tomorrow. Stay tuned.

 CPRF May 12, 2008: Download (65)

Tags: Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation, compulsive computer gaming, gaming industry, online gaming addiction, Podcasts, Toronto, Video Game Addiction, world of warcraft

Click here to download the Iowa State research paper on video game use among American youth 8-18 years of age.

The ink was still wet on the paper when the game industry and its advocates were dismissing Dr. Gentile’s findings:

• The questions were too hard for eight year-olds to understand
• The survey was done in January when more kids are indoors playing games, rather than outside playing sports in good weather
• The sample size wasn’t truly representative because there weren’t enough minority kids
• There’s no such thing as video game addiction
• Using gambling addiction criterion as a springboard for his research/questions makes the whole thing invalid
• Gentile’s relationship with the National Institute on Media and the Family calls the results into question
• There’s no such thing as video game addiction! (saying it louder makes them right)

This is the first National representative sample to take a serious look at the issue of video game addiction. The sample size is large and diverse enough for high validity. Previous ‘convenience samples’ haven’t given the same level of confidence in research. Bottom line: this is a good study of > 1100 American kids from every region of the country.

The findings show pathological gaming rates of 8-8.5%. Dr. Gentile uses measures of various behaviours related to gaming, such as getting in trouble at school, failing to complete chores etc. The children/youth were asked to respond ‘Yes,’ ‘Sometimes.’ etc. to each question, and the results were compiled accordingly.

Beyond addiction, the study also sought to learn more about parental influence:

• Only about half of the homes had rules about gaming
• 22% of 8-11 year-olds and 41% of 12-14 year-olds in the study owned Mature (17+) rated games
• Some youth (7%) admitted to buying these games without their parents’ knowledge
• Dr. Gentile asks – like any good researcher – about correlations in his research. Does gaming cause ADHD or are kids with ADHD drawn to gaming for a sense of mastery and control?

This is an important question. You may wish to refer to the following article in the Journal of European Psychiatry. It affirms, “while no differences concerning video game use were found, ADHD children exhibited more problems associated with video game playing. It seems that a subgroup of ADHD children could be vulnerable to developing dependence upon video games.”

S. Bioulac et al. (2008) Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and video games: A comparative study of hyperactive and control children. European Psychiatry (23) pp. 134-141.

I have a PDF of this document if you’d like to read it for yourself.

Thanks,
Brad

Tags: Addiction Research, ADHD and video game addiction, Douglas Gentile, literature review, online gaming addiction, Video Game Addiction

A few weeks ago, I was interviewed by the Law Times, a publication of the Law Society of Upper Canada, regarding the legal implications of game addiction. While I’m no expert, I did introduce the issue of addiction labeling.

I am waiting to see what has been published in the Law Times. In the meantime, the following, attributed to me, appears as the Quote of the Week on their web site:

I think it would be very positive if Ontario would lead the way [by telling] retailers to put a sign on their counter: ‘Excessive game play may be hazardous to your health.’

The Law Society is Ontario’s Bar Association, representing the interests of thousands of lawyers and judges. While I am thrilled that so many legal professionals will read about this important issue, I do want to distance this quote from the work On-Line Gamers Anonymous. (OLGA).

It was attributed to me with a direct connection to my work with On-Line Gamers Anonymous. Addiction labeling is an outside issue and therefore one that OLGA does not take a position on. I feel strongly about it, and may lobby as an independent citizen to have this added to video games in the province of Ontario, but I do not wish to have OLGA’s good name drawn into controversy.

Tags: addiction labeling, Law Society of Upper Canada, Online Gamers Anonymous

One online gold seller has taken things to the next level… they have started an in-game escort service for your favourite role playing games:

Gamers across the world! You never have to feel alone and confused. You can now expect more and get the most out of your game… a chance to step ahead and have the upper hand! Hire an Escort Service and enjoy the advantages today! We can do anything you want and everything you ask for!

An Escort Service is a new feature that allows you to hire an escort to assist you in the game. Absolutely anything you want can be done, even when you have logged off the game! Ask any questions you want. Have him take you wherever you want to go. Give him orders to help you in your quests. Include him in your strategy. You can even choose from American, Canadian, or European escorts. There are limitless possibilities!

Our Escort Service Feature is designed to give you pure satisfaction without any risks involved! You never have to worry about being banned, looking bad, or tarnishing your reputation. Your escort becomes your loyal friend. Your account is absolutely safe.

Get what you want and when you want it. Simply submit your request and when you want your escort. You will receive a quote and complete information and directions on your order. Choose the best option! Take the lead and be worry-free! Order your Escort Service today!

The friendless and desperately lonely gaming addict can now purchase the services of a chum/whore to take his lowly mage from n00b to l33t, provided he has enough wiggle room on his credit cards for days of power leveling.

Suggestion: Spend the money on a personal trainer at your local gym, or if you really must play, find a guild and level for free.

Tags: escort service, online gaming addiction, Video Game Addiction