american medical association

Virtual Heroin


Bob de Graaf

Step away from the console. Drop the Wii controller. A study conducted
by the American Medical Association suggests that too much gaming
could be a viable addiction. Though the authors caution that there
hasn't been enough research yet to make a definitive case, and some
addiction experts lambasted the idea, the report definitely makes
over-play—more than two hours a day—sound like serious business.
Rough estimates suggest that as many as 10-15% of gamers could be
addicted. The group most at risk? The 9% of Americans involved in
Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Games.

Apparently, spending
three hours a day as an entirely different person in an alternate
universe could leave some psychological marks. Wow. Who would've
guessed that?—Gregory Mone

View the entire report here

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