Faux News investigates WoW addiction

by Vladimir Cole { Oct 4th 2006 at 1:15PM }

Games don't cause violence, "news" reports like this cause violence.

Culled from Australian news program "A Current Affair," this sensationalist news report has it all: demonizing language, foreboding music, a weeping, broken mother, and a teenager's den that looks like a crack house. Watching it, one cannot help but hate this awful, awful pandemic known as World of Warcraft, or "WoW" as it's known by the criminals who play it.

The piece's one redeeming feature: at minute 4:10, they actually turn the camera on Joystiq!

[Thanks, Alex T]

Tags: joystiq, world of warcraft, wow

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

untitled @ Oct 4th 2006 1:24PM

I've never been so accurately insulted in my entire life. How dare you..

Chris @ Oct 4th 2006 1:24PM

WoW just WoW....im a addicted and so are my parents sucks to be that kid.

Matt @ Oct 4th 2006 1:26PM

...so your his mother! Take the computer away! I love how completely useless parents are these days.

Petrie @ Oct 4th 2006 1:27PM

Couldn't she very easily just stop paying the bill and get rid of the internet in her home? It's not as if the young man seems to have any time left for work to pay for such thing. Plus, it is HER house. Parents who let children control their lives never cease to amaze me with how desperate they are to have their children "like" them. Heaven forbid you do anything that may upset little Johnny.

jc @ Oct 4th 2006 1:28PM

Congrats Blake Snow, you are famous...

JD @ Oct 4th 2006 1:29PM

I guess the kid must have some kind of trust fund or something, or is "Mum" supplying him with an internet connection and a WOW account?

Geez, lady, grow a backbone already.

qbix @ Oct 4th 2006 1:29PM

They make him look like a caged animal with some of those camera angles. Anyhow, 12 hours is not that much and it's perfectly ok as long as you don't neglect other responsibilities. What I don't get is why in the hell doesn't the mother pull the plug and restricts Internet time. If you ask me, the person that makes me saddest is her.

Anehii @ Oct 4th 2006 1:31PM

Honestly, all that I had to do break my addiction of WoW was to look at all the console games I missed during the year I played it, then the addiction virtually ended and I had no wanting to play it.

eh, I think that mom needs to stop looking so deep into it, and if he is truely not going to school, she needs to stop paying the internet bill and/or WoW Subscription.

juicebytim @ Oct 4th 2006 1:32PM

That lawn chair looks mighty uncomfortable to be sitting in for 12 hours straight.

Honestly, take away the computer or cancel the kids internet service. Then use the money your saving by not paying for internet and fix whatever is going on with that wall.

comradetrotskii @ Oct 4th 2006 1:32PM

Sorry was that from a new episode of Brass Eye? Its not as sunny as it used to be... What that was real?

That boy should consider a Warcraft addiction as the least of his problems. Notably absent from that video was a father, furniture and a fucking door on his room.

I wonder how much heroin his 'mother' was able to purchase with the money she was paid for taking part in that travesty.

comradetrotskii @ Oct 4th 2006 1:33PM

sunny = funny

Ray Hargreaves @ Oct 4th 2006 1:35PM

Wow. Quit school, doesn't have a job, and plays 16 hours a day? This kid is lost. Why doesn't his mother do something with her authority?

ChuckSteak0331 @ Oct 4th 2006 1:37PM

I could not get over her teeth. She should take that 14 dollars a month subscription fee and put it towards dentures, or crowns, or even braces. As for the kid, I love how his room looks like a freakin garage. The rest of that house looked nice, but only his room was there no paint on the walls, crap ripped down, a hole punch completely through both ends of the dry wall.

? X ? O @ Oct 4th 2006 1:38PM

Good God...he speaks with an *American* accent!!??

Someone needs to do something about this...

Nep @ Oct 4th 2006 1:43PM

Glad to know I'm not the only one sickened by the state of that wall.

ElChibo @ Oct 4th 2006 1:44PM

The whole topic of video game addicitons makes no sense. It's completely stupid. It really angers me that people say that video games can be addicting. They can seem to be addicting, but it in no way alters you. Drugs and other things such as cigarettes actually have a drug inside of you that makes you want it, when the only thing making someone want to play a video game is their own will. The mom shoulda put her foot down and made sure he stayed in school and/or got a job. She could have taken away his computer privelages, or set time restraints.

Many would say that I just don't understand, but according to their understanding of video game addiction, I used to be addicted to Maple Story (free MMORPG game). I used to play 8-9 hours a day on weekdays with school, and sometimes more on weekends. I would always have it running even if I was going other things. I met new friends through the game and would explore more throughout the world it offers just like this kid in the video, however I did have the will power to simply stop playing. If a friend called me up while I was playing and wanted to hang out, I would easily be able to stop playing and go out. Eventually though I broke the habit after I moved (houses). The week as I moved I could barely play the game because of being busy packing up everything, and barely playing just stopped my addiction. I still played a bit after I moved, but I just didn't want to as much, until it diminished to almost never playing it. I'll pop back on for old times sake maybe every month lol, but that's it.

There is nothing physically making him play that game. End of story. It's not an addiction.

Todd @ Oct 4th 2006 1:45PM

I agree...parents today are useless. They whine about not knowing what to do simply because they don't want to upset their children. Stupid parents that's your job. Keeping your child happy versus raising a well rounded child has taken over modern parenting. Wise up parents! You pay the bills, you make the rules, and you lay down the law.

I was a child that would try to get away with stuff. I spent too much time playing games and when my parents told me I had to cut it down to 1 hour a day I make the mistake of saying "you can't stop me". The next day when I got home from school the only thing in my room was my bed, clothes, & books. Everything else was gone. I was told that I'd have to buy back everything that was in my room by doing chores. I was pissed and threw a fit, but the fact was all of my stuff was gone and it wasn't located anywhere on our property. I learned a valuable lesson that summer. My sisters learned that lesson too. They went away for a weekend and when they came back all of their stuff had been moved from 2 of the largest rooms in the house to the 1 smallest where they were forced to share.

KVN @ Oct 4th 2006 1:46PM

Why doesn't he put the headset on stupid kids.

reguy @ Oct 4th 2006 1:47PM

hey guys, i know that joystiq will have the story later but in a recent interview miyamoto, the nintendo man himself, pretty much admits that the wii is a gamecube 1.2

i am looking forward to reading the nintendo guys spin on that one because according to them the wii is not a gamecube

if your faces!!!

YourParody @ Oct 4th 2006 1:47PM

"...all of Europe ... England"

Donnie Bouchard @ Oct 4th 2006 1:50PM

Seriously, take that stuff away. He's your kid, smack him in the mouth and tell him to go outside. Parents are really sad nowdays. He'd probably die from the sunlight. Did yall notice he had a sheet for a door. Holy Hell

rasgueado @ Oct 4th 2006 1:54PM

Oh man... yeah internet addiction is a sweeping epidemic. Rock music is also from the devil. I don't know if the collective memory is getting shorter, but this I've lost count of how many times I've seen a report *like* this before.

I remember in the 80's and early 90's people were talking about television addiction. The internet and gaming is a new media form that a lot of people don't understand. Instead of trying to figure out how best to deal with the problem, the reactionary response of course is to do what this report does. I think we can all agree that some people have a "problem" with playing too many games. Instead of condemning the entire media form it would be nice to see a reporter actually performing due diligence and actually going out and discussing possible solutions to dealing with people that are unable to control their behavior. You know... actually dealing with the problem itself for a change.

Todd @ Oct 4th 2006 1:57PM

The Wii is a Gamecube...The Wii is not a Gamecube. It doesn't matter to me.

However a fanboy will always be a fanboy and will always be spouting their drivel even in places where it's not appropriate.

ZeboMan @ Oct 4th 2006 2:00PM

I hate World of Warcraft but man I hate the news more. They perform uneducated investigations that prove nothing. Everything is made to look worse than it actually is.

KVN @ Oct 4th 2006 2:03PM

Did the reporter compare videogame addiction to alcohol and drug addiction.Right there i wanted to stop the video,i know videogames can be addicting but to compare it to drugs and alcohol is silly.For one videogame addiction is a mental addiction drugs and alcohol is a mental and phisical addiction that's harder to break and can kill you because your body get so dependent on it.

uh_oh @ Oct 4th 2006 2:06PM

Make him pay for the internet connection, simple. LOL

bayushisan @ Oct 4th 2006 2:10PM

*sigh* ok here's my advice to any parents out there who read this site with any degree of regularity. is everyone paying attention? good. you are the parent, they are the child. turn the computer off for them and tell them to get a job to pay for it themselves or the account goes bye bye. also you can simply put a time limit on how long they can be on the computer or play a console. your problem is now solved, please stop whining and contacting tabloid news shows so you can have your fifteen minutes in the spotlight.

thank you.

Mischa @ Oct 4th 2006 2:13PM

I think I'm going to jump in here and play the devil's advocate. I take issue with what you say ElChibo, that video games can't become an addiction because there's no psychological hold from the game, like drugs literally have something in them to get you psychologically hooked. Well the same could be true about gambling, there's nothing that psychologically holds the person that has a gambling addiction, there's no drug, but gambling is definetely an addiction.

I think there is some weight to what is being said in this story, however I agree with what's been said above, that parents really should regulate this kinda stuff, and to just blame the video games is completely ridiculous. It's a psychological thing. A friend of mine who used to be addicted to counter-strike and natural selection, he would literally play just as much, if not more than the kid in the video, he would get temper tantrums like the kid in the video, there would be holes in the wall, and both kids had weakass parents that would let them walk all over them. Now, my video game friend has now moved away, where he has no internet access, and his good computer is still here in town so he can't play video games, but now he told me that he would like to be able to stop drinking every day.

It's not the video games that cause addiction, it's what's in the person's personality.

otakucode @ Oct 4th 2006 2:19PM

Yeah, the only messy teenage boys rooms are those of WoW-addicted players. All other teenage boys go to school, get straight As, keep their room clean, don't even think about sex until they're 18, and never try drugs.

Parents need to wake the hell up and realize that being a teenager is hard as hell, the kids LIFE is on the line (teenage suicide doesn't happen without reason), and if the kid is just a bit nutty over a game, it WILL PASS. It's not like the kid if playing Counter-Strike (which is a lifelong addiction that has claimed many and transformed them from normal human beings into sub-human twitch machines not worthy of drawing breath).

Savok @ Oct 4th 2006 2:23PM

Being an Aussie I know the show quite well and this is pretty much par for course with them. Sensationalist crap is their life blood, buffering that report would of probably been a study on how much fat those low fat tubs of lard really have and yet another bloody story on how to find a bargain in a garage sale.

Poor Tracy (the host), being host of that pile of drek has pretty much killed her career.

Oh by the way, like around half of their stories it was about as real as Jerry Springer's latest trio of inbred lesbians throwing chairs and showing their breasts. Least it wasn't Today Tonight, they'd of "found" a connection to Satan worshipping or something equally ridiculous.

MrSnowflake @ Oct 4th 2006 2:24PM

Well, you can't deny you can get violent over game (frustration). But you can get violent over carpenting frustration (like when I hit my thumb with a hammer I tend to hit stuff en speak 'bad' words). Aren't most addictions causing the sufferes being violent, like alcoholics tend to hit quicker, gamblers like to kick their gambling machines, ...

Icicle0424 @ Oct 4th 2006 2:32PM

oy... someone slap that woman... and I wonder why the kid let 'em stick a camera in his face while he was playing, geez... that'd distract the hell out of me

and what's so terrible about an "american accent"?

the news guy said the kid plays for 16 hours a day, but the kid says that the longest he's ever played was for 12 hours... I guess it's good to see that bullshit news isn't just an American phenomenon...

"hey, lets call something an 'illness' and then show how big a problem it is!" why don't you ever hear about people with air conditioning addictions or car addictions? I'm sure there are many people who drive more than they walk or run the AC over 16 hours a day...

that mom needs to develop a toothbrush addiction, yech...

Icicle0424 @ Oct 4th 2006 2:33PM

also...

"I don't want to live like this anymore..."

then kill yourself! the kid'll get a job when you stop paying for the internet! maybe it'd be a good thing for everyone to remove yourself from the friggin gene pool

satt @ Oct 4th 2006 2:35PM

This is the funniest thing ive ever seen. World of Warcraft is only addicting to the crazies. I played it for half a month. Got bored, and moved on to the real addiction GUITAR HERO.

Lekko @ Oct 4th 2006 2:36PM

I've been addicted to games, a lot of gamers have. I know when some games come out, I'll be an addict for a few days or a week depending on the game. Honestly, how many of you are going to pencil in a few days off to play Halo 3 when it comes out? The only reason WoW makes waves, is because that game does not end, whereas other games do.

I remember when GTA:VC came out and I played that game almost nonstop for a week, but then once I beat every single thing in the game, there was nothing left, and there was no more reason to go back in and play it. There have been a few other games that have done that, but they all have ended and reached a point where there isn't anything left to do in the game that I want to do.

The other thing I see with that kid: 5 years from now, when he looks back on the time he spent playing WoW, what will he actually remember from it? Personally, I played a bunch of Evercrack when it was first out, and today, I only remember about 3 or 4 things from it, despite having spent hours and hours playing. Sure I can remember the different characters, the spells, the mechanics and some of the locations, but never any real events. Meanwhile, I can remember pretty much every major plot point and part from MGS or in FF games. Those stick with me, MMO moments just plain don't.

That's why I personally generally stay away from MMO titles and online multiplayer, there just aren't enough memorable moments in it for me to really care, they're just time-killers. Besides, his parents have already noticed this trend with him and... called a TV show to exploit him? "we're going to cure you of your addiction! Right after we put you on TV..". *sigh* Parents just don't know how to act these days.

Denney @ Oct 4th 2006 2:37PM

FFS right it is a game.Its a good game but its not the best I have play it but theres soo much better games out there.

"Violent" hardley i mean look at GTA,AND mostly all FPS they are way more violent.AS for him acting violent it happens with all games.

AT the end of the day if the mums still pissed then whats stopping here from taking the PC away.I just cant wait till when they guy gets a job and a place of his own how will mum stop him then.

Matt @ Oct 4th 2006 2:57PM

This is absolute trash journalism, regardless of where you stand on the "adictiveness of games" issue. Where's the objectivity, the investigative journalism? The story features a single family (that obviously has problems other than the game), and a single professional interview. Nearly all information given in the story is obtained from the self-proclaimed expert with no facts, statistics, or studies cited. There are no opposing views given anywhere in the entire story. The entire story is pathetic.

Internet and gaming addiction does exist and needs to be addressed in many people, but it entirely different from chemical addiction. Sensationalizing it and spinning it to scare people does not help anything. It only increases the amount of misinformation out there, while provoking the people it impacts most to fight back against said misinformation.

As for the kid featured in the story. It's pretty obvious that what he really needs is a parent who will do more than simply cry about the situation and actually do some parenting.

Dasutin @ Oct 4th 2006 3:00PM

Ummm why doesn't the mother just cancel their internet service and if he wants to play he should go out and get a JOB! to pay for it. I think the mother just wanted attention and money from people, take a look at the house its a mess. She mother should also call up Blizzard and cancel the account, he is wasting his time playing that game, what is he going to do; "Mom I hate you!!" then he realises that there is more in this world then a game. I played it for 2 months every single day and then I hit the mid 40's and got fed up and left its been a while since I played it.... I'm going to start back up right now!!!!....

Josh @ Oct 4th 2006 3:17PM

Playing devil's advocate for a moment here: there are, in fact, chemical changes that occur in your brain when you play video games. These are what cause the sense of frustration you experience during a really tough section and the sense of accomplishment when you finally make it through. It's what makes your heart race and your hands sweat when you play survival-horror games, racing games, FPSes, and so forth. If these chemical changes didn't occur, the games wouldn't be as much fun; however, people _can_ become addicted to the feelings they cause. Gaming addiction may not have the overt physically detrimental effects of alcohol, tobacco, or drug addiction, but a teenager who regularly plays upwards of twelve hours a day, doesn't work, and doesn't attend school is being negatively affected.

That being said, it should be treated as any other addiction: with understanding, education, and treatment. We don't see sensationalist news stories about alcoholics, or smokers, or really even gambling addicts any more - internet and gaming addiction exist, so let's start figuring out how to treat them.

It's been said many times but it's worth saying again: parents need to start being parents again. If you don't like what your child is doing, and you're still providing food and shelter, lay down rules and (here's the important part) ENFORCE them, even if your kids get mad.

Pikachelsea @ Oct 4th 2006 3:21PM

Haha, this is a PERFECT example of Jon Stewart's comment on his "Player Haters" show segment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=168oNT1wxeQ

"And as I stood there, watching him play these violent games, helpless to do anything about it, I can't help but wonder... WHERE the system has failed!!!"

What a pathetic excuse for a "parent". If he doesn't have a job, that means he's not buying any of the stuff required to play the game (computer, the game itself, internet connection, monthly subscription). His idiot mother pays for it all and then acts like she's so upset... oh, and also allows him to drop out of school and sit around at home instead of forcing him to do something productive with his life.

Absolutely disgusting, the lot of them. The only message they are trying to send is that the game is evil and forces kids to play while the parents are helpless to do anything. GROW A BACKBONE YOU EFFING RETARDS! And for that matter, do us all a favor and stop reproducing.

Ben @ Oct 4th 2006 3:35PM

You know what I'm addicted too? It's not WoW or games, it's game websites. Seems like every 15 minutes at work I can't help but hit refresh on Joystiq. I mean gosh, you want to talk about an addiction! :P

I can understand the WoW "addiction" theory, but then again some people are "work-a-holics". I think it's the same brand of people. You do something (in real life or virtual) and you get a reward. Makes you feel good, so you do it some more.

Funny stuff. I agree though, the mother should grow a spine. But you know, if you have a subscriber base of 6 million people it probably not too hard to find someone who does something crazy like this. (It might have been funnier if they had found someone that sold drugs to pay for their WoW account.)

~Ben

Damage Inc @ Oct 4th 2006 3:40PM

She was more irritating than him. She is a worthless pile that cant do anything but blame everyone else but herself. Like the reporter asked if when other people see this will they all notice their kids have an addiction...well maybe parents will see this and be like damn shes a bad parent. I imagine when a child lives with whacked parents they would rather indulge themselves somewhere else than with the crazy parents. Im gonna be a dad in the next year, I plan on being a part of my kids life and letting them play games, but being a part of it to keep an eye on them. Videogames arent an addiction they are a form of entertainment. Someone needs to tell the mother to get off her ass and stop watching TV....News flash TV could be considered an addiction as Videogames are now but no one bitches about that.

ldealba @ Oct 4th 2006 3:41PM

wouldnt it be funny if while he was playing... or "hooked" in the game, some one came in with a bat and just smach the computer to pieces?

i would die laughing watching his reaction like the world just ended!

look, to say video games are addictive is to say drugs or gambling is, its all about self control. and those who dont have it use a cop out call "addiction", and those need to be slaped back to reality.

like smashing his computer while his playing.. preferably in the middle of some intense battle or something.

isnt this what south park is making fun of tonight?

potato @ Oct 4th 2006 4:14PM

#23 LOL
Wrong place

eLegant @ Oct 4th 2006 4:15PM

- "There is nothing physically making him play that game. End of story. It's not an addiction."

You sir, are retarded. There is nothing physical about the wanting of drugs either. So, an addiction to crack is the same as an addiction to gaming... hence the comparison.

It's so pathetic reading some of the people's comments on here. Honestly, if you look like that guy (greasy, needs to shave his mustache, disgusting looking, etc.), YOU REALLY NEED TO GET OUT. A lot of you won't admit it, but I would say for 90% of you, looking at that boy is like looking in the mirror. What's more, is saying that 8-9 hours A DAY isn't addicted. That's fucking pathetic. I get on a computer to read the news. My whole life doesn't revolve around the Internet or a game.

All Your Lost Socks @ Oct 4th 2006 4:33PM

The swearing, the personality changing, the moodiness and antisocial behaviour - it all comes down to changing into a teenager, and if she can't take away his internet and computer and set him straight, she is a horrible parent. Shouldn't he be at school if he's 15? Jesus.

Hale @ Oct 4th 2006 4:45PM

Hmmm, for playing that long everyday, His gear could be better!

Scott @ Oct 4th 2006 5:52PM

This reminds me of that South Park episode where they dealt with ADHD:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ktk6HD58sDw

The Mum definitely should have done something about it a long time ago like telling him "No" or turning off the internet. Check out the dark rings underneath his eyes.