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Slot machines: The big gamble

July 31, 2011 5:00 PM

Lesley Stahl reports on the proliferation of gambling to 38 states and its main attraction, the slot machine, newer versions of which some scientists believe may addict their players.

Slot machines: The big gamble

60 Minutes OverTimePlaying the odds

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by Infinity_NYC August 1, 2011 2:10 PM EDT
The same triggers that gambling uses to cause addiction in the brain, video games do, as well. Online video games never end. Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games (MMORPGs) are the worst culprit, WORLD OF WARCRAFT for example. However any online games are incredibly addictive. The reward system is in place, so that you feel you're always on the cusp of the next best thing, always winning. Other than MMORPGs, look at a game like MODERN WARFARE. The online version has the same bells and whistles as a slot machine. It's intoxicating. Not everyone who eats gets an eating disorder, not everyone who drinks becomes an alcoholic, but anything intensely pleasurable has the potential to become an addiction. Video games are for some people. Not just children either! Adults perhaps more so than children who have no supervision, or buffer.

This is the story you must tell on 60 Minutes. Please, we need to raise public awareness of this issue. The overall revenue of the video game industry out paces the film industry. It's insane. There are positive effects for sure, it's not all bad, but it can be life destroying, as well, and people need to understand their potential. We do not, yet.

A little research will show, China already has laws in place limiting people's video game usage to games like WORLD OF WARCRAFT. The have rehab clinics for Video Game addiction that offer people electric shock therapy. There is a billion dollar industry dedicated to virtual commodities in these games. People are paid to play games everyday for 8-12hrs to farm these virtual commodities and sell them online for real money. You know what these workers do after work, they go home and play on their own accounts. Please tell this story. America needs to know. We're losing people, that we don't need to lose. Had I known the power of games like WORLD OF WARCRAFT I would never have wasted half a year of my life playing it. I was taught the addictive qualities of drugs in school, so I have stayed away from them for that reason alone. I simply had no idea of the power of MMORPGs and would have avoided them if I did. I'm sure. If you need more evidence go to www.wowdetox.com A confessional site built to allow people to say how WORLD OF WARCRAFT destroyed their lives. Please do this story 60 minutes.
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by YakovBenMeyer August 1, 2011 1:29 PM EDT
Good luck!
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