The signs of addiction: Dry eyes, migraine headaches, backaches, changes in eating or sleeping patterns, craving more and carpal tunnel syndrome? No, these are not the signs of your everyday heroin addiction. These are the symptoms associated with video game addiction, according to the Computer Addiction Service.
Through a realm in World of Warcraft, a level 60 human paladin is being led by Kelly Miller, a senior telecommunications major. Some might say she should be studying or going out with friends. However, between classes and during any other gaps in her schedule, the urge to sit at her computer exploring the regions and quests in her game overwhelm her. She says she is addicted.
Jason Neuman is also a senior telecommunications major. He said he is not currently addicted to his game of choice, Socom 2. However, with the release of Socom 3 coming on Oct. 11, he is anticipating losing many hours of his recently-reclaimed life to the game. He once was addicted and knows that the release of the game will stir up familiar urges within him.
They are not alone. Many people are finding online games addicting. On Aug. 9, a man in Korea, identified only by Lee, died after a nonstop 50-hour session of online gaming, the MSNBC Web site said.
Dr. Maressa Orzack is the founder and coordinator of the Computer Addiction Service at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. She said the case in Korea is a very extreme case, but an example of what can happen when a computer addiction goes too far.
"There certainly are people who go on [a game] and quit," she said. "It's the ones who stay on longer than anyone else that cause worry."
Most people who have a serious addiction to computer gaming have other mood or anxiety problems, according to Orzack.
Pete Mathias is president of the Electronic Gaming League at Ball State University. He said what happened in Korea is an extreme and rare example of an unhealthy addiction.
"An unhealthy addiction to a wide variety of things can have negative consequences including death," he said, "Sitting in front of a TV or monitor for unthinkable periods of time is no different."
Both Miller and Neuman said they spend many hours of their lives playing their games.
Miller admitted to playing World of Warcraft for hours on end. "I have a break from classes for two hours and I'm playing instead of doing homework ... I don't do homework as much as I should, and I don't go out as much as I could," she said.
Neuman said it is easier to get hooked on games now that online play has been added to the equation.
"Online gaming adds another element to video games," he said. "Now, you can no longer 'beat' the system. That is to say, you can't figure out the artificial intelligence because you are constantly playing new people, who are real and do things differently every time, instead of the computer following a pattern."
It's these elements of online play which allow for games to go on forever, making them easier to get caught up in, Orzack said.
"It's just constantly something new and someone new," Neuman said. "So you take a really fun game that now does not ever get old, because you are always experiencing something new in the game."
Despite her main character on World of Warcraft being at the top level achievable, Miller said she continues playing because there is always something new to do.
"There is no end to it," she said, "Even when you get to level 60, you never really get finished with it - there's always something to do," she said.
Orzack, however, said it is the complete world provided by Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs), like World of Warcraft, which scares her.
"The problem with these games is that they are geared to be addicting, to keep people online," Orzack said.
Orzack said when people keep playing, there is a possibility they start to neglect their classes, exercise and maybe even hygiene.
Neuman said he had become so addicted to Socom 2 that it got in the way of his everyday activities. "Pretty much the biggest negatives [of playing] are getting so caught up in the game that you put off doing things that are actually productive such as school work, friends or - I don't know - showering."
Orzack said when gamers use games to comfort them when they are overwhelmed or fill a void created by boredom, that is when they are most susceptible to addiction and cross the line from casual player to obsessed.
Despite the possibility of addiction, there are elements of gaming that draw people in.
Mathias said, "I personally have met many friends through games that I still talk to today, even if we no longer play the original game ... Video games are a medium through which people can meet and share a common hobby."
Miller said she shares the same opinion.
"It's something to do to meet different types of people," she said. "I've met a lot of people, and it gives me something to do to relieve stress."
Mathias said video games also offer a lot of positive challenges to gamers. "Video games tend to encourage creative thinking and problem solving," he said. "The puzzles and challenges games pose can be healthy mental supplements to receptive children and adults by encouraging mental skills ranging from simple memorization to abstract thinking and creative problem solving," he said.
Mathias said the goal of the Electronic Gaming League is to bring people together in a social setting with those who share their interests.
"As outlined in our constitution, the objective of the Electronic Gaming League here at Ball State is to bring together gamers from all across campus," he said. "Like many things, games are usually much more fun when enjoyed with a group."
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