More Game Addiction Controversy as WoW Blamed for Divorces
Unhappy relationship leads to 'addiction,' leads to divorce. Games are to blame?
Slow news day? It is for the Daily Mail, which reports the claim that video games - specifically, World of Warcraft - is to blame for a large number of divorces.
Apparently 15 per cent of women filing for divorce are complaining about the time their husbands spend on gaming - a five per cent increase on last year, according to a study by Divorce Online. This is the same Divorce Online that once pinned a number of divorces on Facebook altercations.
After comment from a 24-year-old who said her hubby got increasingly addicted to World of Warcraft, the Mail got comment from a video game addiction expert - Ryan G Van Cleave - who added, "The problem spouses encounter with video game addiction is that the non-gamer doesn’t appreciate that it’s an addiction. This means it’s not a choice to spend so much time in a virtual environment versus time with the spouse and family. It’s a compulsion."
Perhaps most telling was a comment from Divorce Online MD Mark Keenan who said that "the increase could be a consequence of people staying indoors more because of the recession, or it might be being used by men in particular as a means of escape from an already unhappy relationship."
Are video games to blame for an unhappy relationships? Let us know your thoughts in the forum below.
Apparently 15 per cent of women filing for divorce are complaining about the time their husbands spend on gaming - a five per cent increase on last year, according to a study by Divorce Online. This is the same Divorce Online that once pinned a number of divorces on Facebook altercations.
After comment from a 24-year-old who said her hubby got increasingly addicted to World of Warcraft, the Mail got comment from a video game addiction expert - Ryan G Van Cleave - who added, "The problem spouses encounter with video game addiction is that the non-gamer doesn’t appreciate that it’s an addiction. This means it’s not a choice to spend so much time in a virtual environment versus time with the spouse and family. It’s a compulsion."
Perhaps most telling was a comment from Divorce Online MD Mark Keenan who said that "the increase could be a consequence of people staying indoors more because of the recession, or it might be being used by men in particular as a means of escape from an already unhappy relationship."
Are video games to blame for an unhappy relationships? Let us know your thoughts in the forum below.
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Comments
resiarlleh 31 May 2011 14:28
1/5
"Are video games to blame for an unhappy relationshio? Let us know your thoughts in the forum below.
"
should be relationship
"
should be relationship
tyrion 31 May 2011 18:08
2/5
resiarlleh wrote:
"Are video games to blame for an unhappy relationshio? Let us know your thoughts in the forum below."
should be relationship
should be relationship
Thanks, I've corrected the story.
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No one 31 May 2011 19:10
3/5
ok people let's all open our eyes a little bit - lets face it, the game is not to blame. Lets really take a minute to think this through. Addiction is a condition which centers in the mind. I am a recovering addict and know full well my problem was not the drugs or alcohol, my problem started and ended with me and me alone. Blame the game? How dumb. Wake up people. Addiction is all about the person not the circumstances or particulars. To be sure, it can
manifest in many ways. @resiarlleh
manifest in many ways. @resiarlleh
vernongetzler 1 Jun 2011 16:43
4/5
Hat’s off. Well done, as we know that “hard work always pays off”, after a long struggle with sincere effort it’s done.
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vernon
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vernon
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Clarevoyant 1 Jun 2011 17:44
5/5
Utter rubbish! Video games are designed to keep your interest and engagement, they are simply doing their job. I don't believe that there is real addiction involved in gaming. There are choices to be made. I know it is especially difficult if you're playing the early stages of a new game, I have spent too much time myself on WOW and in other virtual spaces when I started -and yes, fought with my spouse about the time spent, but you can make a choice -even if you'd rather be playing. Really, think about it, when you were a child, most of your learning was through play, and you didn't want to stop (Remember Frederich Froebel who invented Kindergarten?). As an adult, you can make your own choices, and some people choose to play -perhaps when they shouldn't. I play with several husband/wife teams in my WoW guild and they are very happy. I would suggest that the ladies who are having a problem and feel excluded, should suspend their disbelief and try it out. Do the 14 day free trail with an open mind and see what you think. I was really surprised how different the game was from what I had imagined after I began to play, and I love playing -responsibly.