Josh

Oh hai kan I hav teh MPX plz? KTHXBAI.

Bad kitty.

I don't even have cable, so no, no cablecard.

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.