Some of the people covered in today's show include a husband who ignores his whole family and a guy who is $24,000 in debt due to his addiction. Check out some clips of the show at the Dr. Phil website.
[Via GamePolitics]
Today's Dr. Phil tackles the 'virtual chaos' of game addiction
by Alexander Sliwinski 
on Oct 20th 2008 1:58PM
77
Some of the people covered in today's show include a husband who ignores his whole family and a guy who is $24,000 in debt due to his addiction. Check out some clips of the show at the Dr. Phil website.
[Via GamePolitics]
Reader Comments (77)
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 2:52PM Puli said
"Dr. Phil, I'm addicted to pretending to be a doctor and giving people advice on topics I know nothing about. All while blaming anything and everything on things I don't like. What should I do?"
Dr. Phil: "Get a TV show."
Dr. Phil: "Get a TV show."
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 3:01PM RyanS said
"Today we're going to be talkin' 'bout people who overpronounce their H's, hwho they are, and hwhy they say it and just hwhat makes them do it."
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 3:04PM (Unverified) said
Someone needs to give this guy around the head! So he can wake up in the right sense of mine :|!...
Yes there is Game Addiction, you can get addicted to anything, but hell trying to blames games for lifes social problems is not the way to go...
If games didnt exist that guy who died from everquest thing im sure he would of fallen into another addiction.
Some people even go to a point to even state..
"Addiction is a Choice"
Yes there is Game Addiction, you can get addicted to anything, but hell trying to blames games for lifes social problems is not the way to go...
If games didnt exist that guy who died from everquest thing im sure he would of fallen into another addiction.
Some people even go to a point to even state..
"Addiction is a Choice"
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 3:13PM (Unverified) said
reminds me of a certain Mr. Jeremy kyle
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 3:19PM chuckrich81 said
Gaming addiction is just like any other addiction. When somebody has an internal problem that they try to fix with something external (drugs, sex, food, games, whatever). It'll make them feel better for the moment but doesn't fix the problem so they go right back to feeling bad. So they keep going back to it to get that temporary comfort again. The more they get used to it, the more it takes to get the effect.
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 3:24PM kaneda26 said
"It-sa mee! Mario!"
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 3:25PM (Unverified) said
Addiction is NOT a chioce. Its a chemical imbalance in the brain.
Habitual psychological and physiological dependence on a substance or practice beyond one's voluntary control.
Its like saying, "Just one more game". How many times have you said that. Then the next thing you know, its a few more hours before you get off. Even for kids. Neglecting your home work, not hanging out with your friends. Sitting back and getting fat. Or, think about the last time you lied to someone so you can play your games. "mom, my homework is done!!!"or "I'm going to bed in a few" knowing damn well you aren't even close to shutting it off..It has repercussions. The problems come when you can't maintain your life and take care of you personal life.
Dr. Phil is stupid, and is trying to explain this without having any knowledge of gaming. All he is refering to are stats and other crap. He doesn't understand the accomplishments and self gratification that it can bring. But there is a line you have to draw.
Dr. PHIL is retarded, but Addiction isn't a choice !!! Just because you can put the controller down without a problem and walk away, others cant.
Habitual psychological and physiological dependence on a substance or practice beyond one's voluntary control.
Its like saying, "Just one more game". How many times have you said that. Then the next thing you know, its a few more hours before you get off. Even for kids. Neglecting your home work, not hanging out with your friends. Sitting back and getting fat. Or, think about the last time you lied to someone so you can play your games. "mom, my homework is done!!!"or "I'm going to bed in a few" knowing damn well you aren't even close to shutting it off..It has repercussions. The problems come when you can't maintain your life and take care of you personal life.
Dr. Phil is stupid, and is trying to explain this without having any knowledge of gaming. All he is refering to are stats and other crap. He doesn't understand the accomplishments and self gratification that it can bring. But there is a line you have to draw.
Dr. PHIL is retarded, but Addiction isn't a choice !!! Just because you can put the controller down without a problem and walk away, others cant.
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 3:25PM Keithustus said
This week's WRAP tackles the 'oppressive chaos' of Dr. Phil addiction
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 3:28PM baby sea tuna said
Wow, 24 Grand in debt from gaming?! How is that even possible? Is this the dude that has the 36 active WoW accounts or what?
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 3:51PM KaneRobot said
Ah, the best place to go for an unbiased opinion on this situation - the feedback threads of a video game website!
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 3:56PM Gonetotheedge said
The games are not the problem. People with addictive personalitys are. The same person who is addicted to games would be addicted to something else given different circumstances.
These people who claim a person was "normal and healthy" before games are full of it. They probably had another addiction that they simply changed from. Chances are they were depressed long before but you never noticed it untill the symptoms became more noticable or the mask they used to hide it was dropped.
These people who claim a person was "normal and healthy" before games are full of it. They probably had another addiction that they simply changed from. Chances are they were depressed long before but you never noticed it untill the symptoms became more noticable or the mask they used to hide it was dropped.
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 4:07PM Lithium98 said
Dr Phil's solution to video game addiction; "Just STOP IT"
Dr. Phil is a joke and isn't even a licensed doctor. He just tells people to stop doing whatever it is that's a problem. People like him are the real terrorist attacking our society.
Fucker's probably just doing it for the money too.
Dr. Phil is a joke and isn't even a licensed doctor. He just tells people to stop doing whatever it is that's a problem. People like him are the real terrorist attacking our society.
Fucker's probably just doing it for the money too.
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 4:09PM (Unverified) said
We don't need your opinion Dr. Phil, we already got an opinion from a better fake doctor, Dr. House.
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 4:35PM (Unverified) said
I was watching Dr. Phil reruns over the summer and there was this one where a divorced father who had guardianship rights had gotten arrested for child neglect because he was addicted to playing MMORPGs on his PC and gaming consoles. One of the kids had told their teacher that they didn't have something to eat or money for lunch for weeks and the teacher had reported it to child welfare and a social worker checked into it and when the social worker showed up at the house, the father was playing World of Warcraft on a laptop in the living room. I have a gaming timer on my PC that will only allow me to play games on it for 20 minutes.
Ben
Ben
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 5:06PM (Unverified) said
In further news, not represented on this afternoons episode of Dr. Phil, the millions of perfectly mentally healthy gamers.
*facepalm*
*facepalm*
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 5:30PM TheE3Guy said
I was going to leave a very angry well thought out comment about this, but I decided not to. The reason being that people will never get it through their heads that video games are NOT the problem, so why bother even trying.
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 6:01PM Xiard said
For the record, I'm watching the Dr. Phil show right now. Unfortunately, the most pessimistic predictions in this thread have proven to be the most accurate. He is ignoring the addiction aspect almost completely. Most of the show seems to be focused on asking the addict questions about their game and then ridiculing them.
Example:
Dr. Phil: "So...what kind of character do you play in your game? Some sort of beast, or a human, or...?"
Gamer: "An elemental shaman." (this guy plays WOW).
Long pause.
Dr. Phil: "A what?"
Gamer: "An elemental shaman."
Long pause, with Dr. Phil sort of staring at the guy.
Dr. Phil: "Yeah...that's what I would have thought."
Uproarious laughter from the crowd.
This guy had lost his job, was having problems with his wife and kids, etc. They're on track to lose their house. Dr. Phil didn't ask him any questions about how he was feeling, what he was getting out of the game, what sort of escape it might provide for him, etc. Instead he focused exclusively on pointing out the reasons why he should stop playing the game, including lots of quips making fun of the uselessness of doing something so unproductive.
Basically, as an earlier poster pointed out, he was just saying "don't you think you should stop?" He didn't provide any insight or suggestions on how he might do that.
I have seen a couple of episodes where he was talking to people with eating disorders, drugs, etc. Generally speaking he is much, much more sensitive and probing about the underlying causes. With eating disorder victims in particular he is very sensitive (and with good reason, as that is a horrible disease). This episode was a marked contrast to that, with a clear goal of making the victims feel as foolish as possible.
Example:
Dr. Phil: "So...what kind of character do you play in your game? Some sort of beast, or a human, or...?"
Gamer: "An elemental shaman." (this guy plays WOW).
Long pause.
Dr. Phil: "A what?"
Gamer: "An elemental shaman."
Long pause, with Dr. Phil sort of staring at the guy.
Dr. Phil: "Yeah...that's what I would have thought."
Uproarious laughter from the crowd.
This guy had lost his job, was having problems with his wife and kids, etc. They're on track to lose their house. Dr. Phil didn't ask him any questions about how he was feeling, what he was getting out of the game, what sort of escape it might provide for him, etc. Instead he focused exclusively on pointing out the reasons why he should stop playing the game, including lots of quips making fun of the uselessness of doing something so unproductive.
Basically, as an earlier poster pointed out, he was just saying "don't you think you should stop?" He didn't provide any insight or suggestions on how he might do that.
I have seen a couple of episodes where he was talking to people with eating disorders, drugs, etc. Generally speaking he is much, much more sensitive and probing about the underlying causes. With eating disorder victims in particular he is very sensitive (and with good reason, as that is a horrible disease). This episode was a marked contrast to that, with a clear goal of making the victims feel as foolish as possible.
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 6:26PM PeVo said
Can I just say... paedosmile.
Posted: Nov 2nd 2008 10:27AM (Unverified) said
Anyone Notice the World of Warcraft Advertisement on the Dr phil page detailing the this particular show? Here's the screen shot
http://img516.imageshack.us/my.php?image=drphilpc6.jpg
http://img516.imageshack.us/my.php?image=drphilpc6.jpg
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 9:06PM (Unverified) said
Did you know that 100% of people who play video games DIE! Who would have thought!
Posted: Oct 20th 2008 11:24PM (Unverified) said
I was on the show and agree with what most of you are saying. They ridiculed my husband, offered him help for his addiction, and then gave him nothing. I never disapproved of my husbands gaming only the amount of time he spends on it. When your up there talking he doesnt really give you much of a chance to talk. Only to reply to what he says.
Posted: Oct 21st 2008 8:07AM Xiard said
Yes, you're absolutely right. Sad to say, I think this particular show was pretty much a setup. I'm sure your husband is feeling embarassed because of the way Dr. Phil tried to portray him, but I would encourage him not to feel that way. I would say that most people watching (who don't already view videogames with scorn) would see through Dr. Phil's antics.
Dr. Phil really showed his bias right at the top of the show. He was being making a comment about how popular videogames have become, and the way he phrased it was very telling. I can't remember the exact words, but it was something along the lines of "You'll never believe this, but people now spend twice as much money on videogames as they do going to the movies". He was basically saying that he was shocked that people would actually spend that much moeny, and clearly expected his audience to be stunned as well.
All that being said, I hope that you and your husband will seek help elsewhere. Your husband showed courage in going on the show, and basically got slapped in the face for it. One reaction to that would be to retreat into the gaming, insisting that it's not a real problem. After all, Dr. Phil didn't treat it as a real problem, right?
But it's clear that you and your husband do have a problem to work out. The mature and strong reaction at this point would be to forcefully acknowledge that you have a problem and seek help somewhere else.
Any activity done to excess can be a problem if it's affecting your life adversely. And clearly that's the case here. Don't let Dr. Phil's attitude keep you from getting the help you both need to live a full life. I'm sure you're both aware that gaming is not the root of the problem. Hopefully you'll be able to find someone that will help you discover that root (or more likely, roots).
And to your husband...real life is ALWAYS going to be harder than a virtual life. It's messy, complicated, and frustrating. If you're anything like me, talking to other people, even people you love, can be draining and uncomfortable at times. But it is absolutely worth it. Games are comfortable and comforting. They have easily understood rules, consistent behavior, and an ample reward system. So it's very understandable that a game would be attractive, particularly if other parts of your life feel difficult to deal with. But dealing with the messiness of real life and finding a way to embrace its difficulties along with its more nuanced rewards is well, well worth it in the long run. Don't stop fighting to reclaim your life, and be prepared for some pain when you do.
Reply
Dr. Phil really showed his bias right at the top of the show. He was being making a comment about how popular videogames have become, and the way he phrased it was very telling. I can't remember the exact words, but it was something along the lines of "You'll never believe this, but people now spend twice as much money on videogames as they do going to the movies". He was basically saying that he was shocked that people would actually spend that much moeny, and clearly expected his audience to be stunned as well.
All that being said, I hope that you and your husband will seek help elsewhere. Your husband showed courage in going on the show, and basically got slapped in the face for it. One reaction to that would be to retreat into the gaming, insisting that it's not a real problem. After all, Dr. Phil didn't treat it as a real problem, right?
But it's clear that you and your husband do have a problem to work out. The mature and strong reaction at this point would be to forcefully acknowledge that you have a problem and seek help somewhere else.
Any activity done to excess can be a problem if it's affecting your life adversely. And clearly that's the case here. Don't let Dr. Phil's attitude keep you from getting the help you both need to live a full life. I'm sure you're both aware that gaming is not the root of the problem. Hopefully you'll be able to find someone that will help you discover that root (or more likely, roots).
And to your husband...real life is ALWAYS going to be harder than a virtual life. It's messy, complicated, and frustrating. If you're anything like me, talking to other people, even people you love, can be draining and uncomfortable at times. But it is absolutely worth it. Games are comfortable and comforting. They have easily understood rules, consistent behavior, and an ample reward system. So it's very understandable that a game would be attractive, particularly if other parts of your life feel difficult to deal with. But dealing with the messiness of real life and finding a way to embrace its difficulties along with its more nuanced rewards is well, well worth it in the long run. Don't stop fighting to reclaim your life, and be prepared for some pain when you do.
Posted: Oct 21st 2008 5:19AM (Unverified) said
There's a dark side to every aspect of human culture. People can get addicted to anything and anything is poisonus in the right amounts. This I have grown to understand in the few years I have been alive. What I can't understand is why we need all these daytime talk shows, magazines and self-help books to tell us what should actually be common sense. My guess is the people that watch that kind of thing regularly are the ones that haven't grasped simple concepts like these. They are the ones that can't simply take away the tv of the kid before he kills himself, pay attention to him a bit more and maybe take him places to help make his life a little more exciting and interesting.
Featured Stories
Super Joystiq Podcast 004: 38 Studios meltdown, Gravity Rush, Civilization 5: Gods & Kings, Dragon's Dogma
Posted on May 25th 2012 3:30PM