WHEN THE GAMES START PLAYING YOU

I would like to share a case that happened recently in March 2010, a very bombing case that hit the worldwide headline. Have a brief summary about this case. I read this article in BBC News published on 5th March 2010 with headline “S  Korea child ‘starves as parents raise virtual baby’ too excited and were addicted to the internet, the couple neglected their infant by just fed the baby once a day. Police officer claimed that the husband has lost their will to live a normal life after losing their job and started to indulge themselves online. A popular role-playing game Prius Online which allow the player to nurturing a virtual girl called as Anima. – BBC.co.uk

Source : billmullins.files.wordpress.com

I would like to argue that this issue is strongly related to the real world escape way by joining the virtual world. This is all might be start from the pleasure that a person find by having an online identity. The addiction process is slowly shape through the enjoyment that they’ve obtained which at the end it will ruin a person real life by suffering mental health problem such as anxiety and depression. Suler (2002), stated that one of the interesting thing about internet is the opportunity provided to present themselves in a variety different way. You could alter yourself in terms of changing your age, personality, physical appearance, as well as gender. David SmallWood claimed that addiction treatment programme manager in London believed that the adolescents who gain their status through online expertise that they couldn’t get in real life and that’s the reason why they turned addictive on that particular game. (The Australian, 2010).

I would like to add in that Cyber addiction is just like the addiction for Cocaine. Refers back to the case above, the couple who get depressed after lost their job, spending most of their time in cyber world and neglected their baby for the sick of virtual baby is just the too irony. Steve Pope (2010), a therapist gives his opinion on the increasing numbers of youngster cyber addiction that most of them get themselves into situation whereby a game as an escape from the real world and they get hooked on the release of adrenaline it gives. In fact, spending two hours on game station is equal with a line of cocaine in the “high” it could produce.

To be concluded, this cyber addiction can be considered as the fastest growing addcition in the country. It is affected young people mentally and psychologically. Some people might criticize that the game company should take action and responsibility in this issue in consequence the game makers intentionally design their product with addictive quality.

References

BBC.co, 2010, S Korea child ‘starved as parents raised virtual baby’, retrieved June 15 2010, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8551122.stm

Parfitt, B, 2010, Gaming Likened to cocaine addiction, retrieved June 15 2010, from http://www.mcvuk.com/news/39153/Gaming-likened-to-cocaine-addiction

Lep.co.uk, 2010, Gaming addiction grips youngster, retrieved June 15 2010, from http://www.lep.co.uk/lifestyle/gaming_addiction_grips_youngsters_1_773488

Seib and Dayton, 2010, When games start playing you: cyber addicts, retrieved June 14 2010, from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/when-games-start-playing-you-cyber-addicts/story-e6frg8y6-1225869381676

Suler, J.R (2002), 'Identity Management in Cyberspace', Reviewed on 13th June 2010:

http://www-usr.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/identitymanage.html