When Internet Fun Goes Too Far

By: Daniel Sieberg
Topics: Tech Talk

(CBS)

Earlier this month I mentioned a story we were working on about people addicted to online games like "World of Warcraft," "Final Fantasy" or "EverQuest." Tonight you'll get a chance to see it as part of a three-part series called "Caught in the Web" during the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.

I'm fairly close to this subject matter as I have a level 64 character in "World of Warcraft." (Believe me that requires quite a bit of time.)

Caught In The Web Series:
Video Gaming Addicts
Addicted To Porn

Am I addicted? No. But I do love playing fantasy and role-playing computer games, and I can understand how some people get too caught up. I've seen a couple of my friends nearly ruin their lives because they couldn't stop. The key is recognizing when it takes over your family life or work or other responsibilities.

Video:
Addiction To Computer Games

What is it about these games that make them so enticing? It's a combination of developing a character that gets stronger and more powerful, achieving goals and prestige, and socializing with other players. Plus, it's certainly an escape for many people who don't want to deal with the real world. These are open-ended games without a "Game Over," so they could literally go on forever.

Again, not everyone who plays online games gets addicted, but I believe it's a problem that goes largely underreported. Tonight you'll meet one woman who had her life torn apart because of her addiction, and we'll talk about the medical implications and solutions that are being offered.

Tomorrow night I'll introduce you to a unique church group XXXChurch.com that helps Christians and others dealing with addiction to online porn. They take a traveling roadshow across the country with gatherings called "Porn and Pancakes." Then on Wednesday night Barry Petersen will show us clinics in China where internet addiction is a serious issue.

Video:
First Look: Online Gaming

And here is a "First Look" video I did for the Web site describing this week's series.

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by dimwit999 May 3, 2007 12:11 AM EDT: images count:

[img]http://www.cbsnews.com/images/2007/02/08/image2448156.jpg[/img]; Reply to this comment


by psykiblue May 1, 2007 4:18 PM EDT: Playing with a spouse or partner does not do anything to help the feelings of neglect, being ignore, the hurt of the broken promises or anything. All that happens is you sit there feeling more resentment burning while ignoring everything around you.

It is not a solution, it is a tiny bandaid to a more serious issue. Yes, there are a lot more serious issues at hand when someone plays that much. Which is why therapy should be sought for those going through a really hard time playing WoW or any other game like its another job.

It was never the game that I hated, it was a lot of other things. Sure things in my household are not that bad as some other situations and my husband as regulated his gaming so much that its wonderful. He still plays but he spends time with me now and when I ask him to be done if something comes up he is.

Saying that a guild relies on you, and that's why people ignore families is ridiculous. Your family depends on you. They want you to be a mother, a wife or a father, a husband. They dont want to look at the back of your head and putting guildies before a family, you should be ashamed.; Reply to this comment


by itwasntme000 May 1, 2007 2:58 PM EDT: hi kay,

You did find an addicted gamer. I pretty much have been since i was 10 maybe younger. I started playing games on the original nes. and own basically every single gaming system up to ps2. Then i found computor games and the counsil have no comparison. I got started on the computor games with diablo. and i played the *** outta D1-D3 LOD. Then started WoW.
world of warcraft is by far the most addictive game i have ever played tho. At least diablo I had quit a few times for 5-6 months at a time or so. But WoW with the guilds and the "closeness" you get to some of the players. I mean a group of like 10 of us "2 real life friends" are in the ventrilo channel basically every second that we play the game. And chat constantly. It makes it harder to quit when you actually know the people and like to play the game with them.

But i made it through 6 years of college with a 3. whatever gpa. ( i switched majors but i have a bachelors degree) I now work 40 hours a week and have not missed a day in the 8 months i have worked, nor been late.
It all depends on the person how much it effects them.; Reply to this comment


by ignored1 May 1, 2007 2:57 PM EDT: To itwasntme000: start playing with him? excuse me? Then how does the house get cleaned, his laundry done, meals cooked, homework checked, bills paid, yardwork done, plus work a part time job, plus take care of changing furnace filters, unplugging toilets, etc.??? Why doesn't he play with me instead? because I'm real - he can't only deal with virtual apparently! What do ya think of me burning my hand on a hot lid and he didn't know anything about it for two days until he saw the broken lid on the counter wondering what happened to the smashed plastic ***. While I'm screaming from pain - he continues to play? You, you're just another one of 'them'.; Reply to this comment


by kay--2009 May 1, 2007 2:07 PM EDT: Part 2
This is just the start of the coverage, and documentaries being filmed and due out this year. Some are calling it the addiction of the century. It doesn%u2019t matter the wording you use or your choice of MMORPG, ORPG or RPG, they can be compulsively played. If you have a computer and/or gaming system with internet in your home; everyone is at risk.

Daniel asked me this %u201CWhat do you want to say to the addict out there who might be watching this?%u201D I replied %u201CI%u2019m not doing this for the addict, because this is prime playing time and probably won%u2019t be watching. I%u2019m doing it for the widow of the gamer; let them know they%u2019re not the only one out there going through this. They are not alone.%u201D It%u2019s that simple. I am a gamer widow.; Reply to this comment


by kay--2009 May 1, 2007 2:03 PM EDT: Part 1
Hello, I%u2019m Kay from the segment. I%u2019d like to say thank you to CBS, my producer, Karen Raffensperger and Daniel Sieberg for portraying my story so eloquently. Thank you to GamerWidow.com for all your support. It%u2019s great to see the responses this segment is receiving here and in Tech Talk.

Imagine for a moment you take the worst secrete from your closet and put it on National TV. It was my choice to do so, and I did it for the right reasons. Game addiction, excessive playing, whatever you call it, is a growing, very real problem. A virtual world affects real life. I%u2019m not proud of what I did and I don%u2019t blame a game; however, I do know gaming was a large contributor to the demise of the marriage. It was our choice to allow it to interfere with our real lives.; Reply to this comment


by itwasntme000 May 1, 2007 12:21 PM EDT: To get to level 64 in World of Warcraft requires approxmatly 30 Days played In-game, thats quite a dedication...
Posted by Lead4u at 06:57 PM : Apr 30, 2007

possibly...
but I am assuming he dosen't play all the time. So if you only play when you have rested exp it takes alot less time. Once i got my first lvl 60 (pre expansion) i started a few alts. I played pretty much only when they had lots of rested exp to burn off, and lvled to 60 in under 20 days played time.

But yea that is prob his first char.. my first char took ages to lvl up he is at 30 days at least.; Reply to this comment


by itwasntme000 May 1, 2007 12:11 PM EDT: He's even go so far as to not eat supper with us - he's crawled out of his 'hole' and everything has been put away. He was made because I was sitting in the cardiology dept. for an EKG on a Thurs. night (apparently raid night!). Sorry - pardon me that I should have to have an EKG at the request of my doctor because his life (or lack of) has upset me to beyond oblivion!!!!
Posted by Ignored1 at 10:53 PM : Apr 30, 2007

Well he cant just leave the raid group for awhile when he is stacking sunder armors .............duhhh!!!
lol

Start playing wow with him... he will love you even more...; Reply to this comment


by tawnee1969 May 1, 2007 8:37 AM EDT: I too have been widowed by wow. My once smart, funny, loving partner is now a wow zombie. It is all he does, the last few days 16 hours a day.
He is now boring. Instead of funny intellegent conversation all he knows is wow. He doesn't keep up with the world, the house, our life. He told me the other day that he couldn't turn the heater off because he didn't know how, yet he has numerous level 70's.

He has also taken MY credit card and spent $800 Aus on wow gold without telling me and even though it is my card and he knows I hate wow, he was quite happy to upset me than upset his guild.

If it wasn't for gamerwidow.com I don't know how I would have coped. I felt so alone and of course he made it sound like it was just me so he could continue playing. It is not me or you, it is them! This site saved my sanity and really helped me through the tough times.

It is over now. There is no love left. He is a shadow of the man I fell in love with.

Please, if anyone recognizes this as their life, stop playing!; Reply to this comment


by climarathorn May 1, 2007 6:11 AM EDT: I watched this story, and I realize game addiction is a serious issue, i just hope someone wont take this story and turn it into something to use against the online gaming community.; Reply to this comment