http://www.mmorpg-life.com/wow/addiction-therapists-for-world-of-warcraft/1015/
[color=blue]WARNING - Game Imagery[/color]
Imagine that Blizzard is going to allow Therapists the opportunity to practice with those who are playing excessively!?
Text from article for those not wishing to expose themselves to gaming websites or imagery:
"Although this title might sound to you like a joke, itaEU(tm)s not. According to The Telegraph newspaper, addiction therapists are creating their own avatars in online fantasy games such as World of Warcraft in the hope of treating youngsters addicted to virtual worlds.
With a little help from therapists, to youngsters who are spending too much time playing the game and have lost touch with the real world, will be stressed the detriment of their social lives and education. A recent report by SwedenaEU(tm)s Youth Care Foundation described World of Warcraft as aEUoemore addictive than crack cocaineaEU.
This project will be launched by the end of the year. The psychiatrists will have to stay within the parameters of the game. They certainly wouldnaEU(tm)t be wandering around the game in white coats and would have to use the same characters available to other players.
One solution proposed by Dr Graham is recruiting existing players to act as aEUoepeer mentorsaEU for other users of the game. He said that internet addiction was very difficult to identify, as the isolation involved meant sufferers were often out of sight and out of mind.
Blizzard Entertainment was unavailable for comment at the time of publication."
"There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative." --W. Clement Stone
interesting concept
The question is....will you be able/courageous/adult enough to sacrifice that which merely pleases you...for that which will truly fulfill you? That is the question of personal growth.
~~~Dem518
~~~wow-free since 8/22/09
We had a guy come to the site once who told us Blizzard was working on a program very much like this. We thought he was a troll. He may not have been. Can't remember his login.
"Small service is true service while it lasts. Of humblest friends, bright creature! scorn not one
The daisy, by the shadow that it casts,
Protects the lingering dewdrop from the sun." -------William Wordsworth
Alcoholism counselling in a bar, except the convo goes like this.
Enter the 'therapist' into trade chat.
"I've come to save you..."
Users respond:
/ignore x 2000
Reported for spamming x 2000
The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions.
-Alfred Lord Tennyson
____________________________________
Now I think that Blizzard not commenting on this is not saying that Blizzard is not going to support something like thiss. Whats wrong with having recovery for online gaming online. A lot of people have criticized us for this same concept. We know different. Its a news story, nothing more right now, that I know of.
"There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative." --W. Clement Stone
I think bgh is right. If someone had wandered into your den where you did drugs, sat down, did drugs with you and said, "I've come to counsel you on your addiction," how would you respond? I know exactly what I would have done to anyone wandering up to me in a bar or at a party where I was drinking and tried to talk to me about alcoholism--I would have laughed at them or told them to leave me the **** alone.
The most interesting facet of this--the counselor is attempting to be in the substance of addiction and counsel at the same time. It's like shooting up *with* the junkie you are trying to convince to go to detox, no?
Outside issue for sure--and I can't help but giggle at this facet of the story: so will the counselors level their characters and raid or pvp on them? Or are they going to be level 1s?
Insert jokes! Mind you, not laughing at the desire to help that is being displayed--another level of taking this addiction seriously. I'm suprised to see them list addiction to WoW as on par with crack.
Cheers, Desire to Stop
ALL quoted text (unless otherwise stated) comes from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous (with wording sometimes changed only to make it more relevant for gaming addiction). I will include page numbers.
Hoping & praying for a measure of recovery for all of us today.
Oh well, I guess enough people have banded against me *again*. So I must be wrong. Thank you for being so forthright & *honest* with your OPINIONS.
You try and figure out how right you both are all the time and then we'll see who is correct and who is simply trying to help!
"There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative." --W. Clement Stone
I had read about this 'therapists in game' item a few days ago- seemingly that Swedish group, who are at the forefront of gaming expertise, think this is an excellent plan for reaching gamers.
It is always worth a try. If one can be reached......
lol
The question is....will you be able/courageous/adult enough to sacrifice that which merely pleases you...for that which will truly fulfill you? That is the question of personal growth.
~~~Dem518
~~~wow-free since 8/22/09
Wonder how many addicted therapists they may wind up with :)
" ... don't question it just go" "... where the body goes the mind will follow"
.
Borrowed from "Desire to Stop"
I'm really sorry I ever posted this thread.
"There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative." --W. Clement Stone
sigh...
Don't be.
Its just another example of how people are recognizing a problem and trying to find a way to deal with it, in a way the people with the problems can understand.
I personally don't think it will work, but at the worst some counsellors will get a feel for the pull of the game from personal experience without becoming addicted. So this might help them become better counsellors.
Leveling in Real Life
John, I don't think people are banding together against you. They are just sharing their opinions.
"Small service is true service while it lasts. Of humblest friends, bright creature! scorn not one
The daisy, by the shadow that it casts,
Protects the lingering dewdrop from the sun." -------William Wordsworth
Ahh. All is well within the kingdom.
"There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative." --W. Clement Stone
I think it's just a sign that the professional community still doesn't really understand the implications of what we are dealing with. It's going to take years before there is any consensus, and even then there may never be one.
Ron
Co-Founder of OLGA and member since 2002
Truth.
Cheers, Desire to Stop
ALL quoted text (unless otherwise stated) comes from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous (with wording sometimes changed only to make it more relevant for gaming addiction). I will include page numbers.
Hoping & praying for a measure of recovery for all of us today.
Have any of you guys read the AA big book?
Is it just me or does this look similar to the challenges faced by the founders of AA?
Many people do not understand, so it may be neccessary to go through the extensive efforts that AA had to do at the beginning. Tell your story, get doctors to support it with a real desire to help people, and have abosolutely nothing to do with politics and the companies creating these games.
Yes Soccer, I'm in AA. I definitely agree that many of the challenges faced by early AA are getting a go round here too. We don't really have a traditions study section, although after reading some posts last night, I can see it's been suggested.
People talk about the traditions as a way to not kill each other while sticking together as a fellowship. The traditions also represent the very real trial and error that 12 step groups encountered in the early days. The notion of people going into a bar to try to convince a drunk to stop drinking is far from new, but there were other exciting things that didn't work either.
Cheers, Desire to Stop
ALL quoted text (unless otherwise stated) comes from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous (with wording sometimes changed only to make it more relevant for gaming addiction). I will include page numbers.
Hoping & praying for a measure of recovery for all of us today.