More Useful Gaming

Here are two instances of video games helping people in real and dangerous situations. This first one is a post from GotGame about a child who survives a moose attack and the second is a man who saves a a crash victim's life. These are both "violent" games that have ended up helping people rather than hurting them.

12-year-old Hans Olsen saved himself and his sister from a charging moose using World of Warcraft hunter moves. More here at GotGame.com

That same month Paxton Galvanek saved two men at a car crash scene using medical training he received from the FPS America's Army. He had no prior medical training or knowledge and treated a serious wound to the driver. More here at Gamervision.com

I love the World of War-Crack?

So the semester is over, and for the first time in eight months, I am bored out of my freaking mind. All my friends have jobs or summer school, and I'm left in the lurch with no nine to five. It is this series of unfortunate circumstances that has driven me back to the ruiner of social lives... the World of Warcraft. I've been two years clean with no relapses (well maybe one, but if its not more than 8 hours it doesn't count right?). Once I was a strapping young gnome warrior with a devil may care attitude and a haircut to match, but the game took over my freshman year of college, I decided it was time to quit. It took my hard drive getting destroying to quit cold turkey, but in the end, it was worth it. A beautiful woman took pity on me and took me under her wing, and I got drunker than I ever wanted too.

But this brings me to my point. As I re-installed WoW, I was reminded of an article I read a few months ago about Internet Addiction in the New York Times (picture left). More specifically, it was about a South Korean internet addiction rehab camp for youngsters. As the internet becomes more inextricably tied to our lives, the potential for abuse and addiction has grown at an incredible pace. The junkies of cyberspace didn't even exist fifty years ago, and now there a kids who log eight, ten, twenty hours a day and ODing (very isolated cases but ODing none the less).

Internet addiction has become a serious concern that has gained attention from the American Medical Association, networks and news outlets like CBS (click link for a quick vid), and by individual doctors like Dr. Kimberly Young who heads the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery campaigning for treatment and rehabilitation. The withdrawal symptoms are similar to those of alcohol and other drugs and can lead to unhealthy lifestyles.

I only hope that as I delve ever deeper into the world of WoW that I don't lose hold of my discipline and social life. As always, moderation is the key to maintaining balance, a mixture of good judgment and self-discipline.