I've overcome addictions far more detrimental to my mental and physical health than any video game ever will be. If that's the worst addiction I have left, I think I can live with that.

I tend to put my faith in what Reneer says. Mainly because he makes more than a little sense when it comes to these matters.

No.

you're getting old and cynical just because you can, Vom

amen brother, amen.

IIRC it was the APA who wanted grief classed as a mental illness, and even they didn't support this.

I think I'll ignore all the experts on addiction and psychology in this thread (i.e all of you, apparently) and say that the report was probably trying to say that playing over 2 hours of video games is a sign of possible addiction, it's not concrete evidence and should not be taken as such but it shouldn't be ignored either.

This is why I dislike doctors in general, not the actual person most of the time but the profession.

That article is so full of BS it isn't even funny.

Being a single person when I get home from work and eat dinner it's about 6:00 pm. I normally play video games at least 1 -2 hours a night. On the weekend I normally play about 3-4 hours on Saturday and Sunday.

Saying all that, I can say that I have also not played any games on nights when I have responsibilites to take care of. Furthermore, I have spent Saturday's and Sunday's without playing games when I have responsibilites to take care of.

I guess what I'm saying is that as long as you don't let gaming take over your life and keep you from fulfilling your responsibilites than you can play as many hours a day as you like.

Obviously the misinformed AMA needs a refresher course on what exactly an "Addiction" really is, because it seems I know better than Doctors with PhD's.

I play games all day erryday and have yet to care what others think of me.

I still talk to people, I still have my little jobs that I do (if its REALLY needed) and I still associate with people face to face, believe it or not.

This isn't the 70's, people just don't 'hang out' outside anymore, its all about electronics.

They just call it electronics to disguise the fact that it's really witchcraft.

Oh we know you do plooph lol


Just kidding!

Anyways, this is silly. If I want to come home from work and veg out in front of my PC for the next 6 hours, whether it's staring at teh screen, posting on forums, watching youtube videos, using netflix or playing video games I will. I don't want to do anything more productive, I want to do this, which is why I'm doing it. I don't care if I'm not benefting anyone but myself, and I don't care if the only benefit I'm getting out of it is current enjoyment, as long as I'm happy right now, I don't give a damn about anything else.

I used to be addicted to gaming, I wouldn't go on camping trips, wouldn't do this or that and would miss work at my old job. But hey guess what, I hated that old job. In my current job I haven't ever missed work for gaming, other than taking off work for a game..and I was getting paid to do that. Nothing like getting paid to enjoy myself at home spending no money at all, that's my kind of vacation. But yeah, I live my life how I want to...aiming to please only myself when it comes to most situations.

Whelp, it was about time I got addicted to something anyway.

Bah. Addict? Never been late for work, never been anything because of gaming.

Hell, the day Skyrim came out, I was practically bouncing off walls in excitement, but did I skip work? No!

I actually refused to play Skyrim for 2 hours after I actually got back to my apartment (picked it up over my lunch break), because I wanted to watch MSU basketball in the Carrier Classic. (of course, the game wasn't... entertaining by halftime, so I broke and started playing Skyrim)

THEN, I went to bed at midnight!

I play more than one hour a day and my daily functioning is just fine thank you very much.

I prefer to combine my addictions. That's why I crushed my Fallout 3 disk into tiny pieces, blended it into a thick slurry, and mainlined it with a rusty needle.

Oooh, the rush. . .but now it's fading.

Where's my New Vegas disk!

Dude, you're gonna go broke. Switch to digital distribution, you can just copy the files.

Don't let the DRM get to you. Take it slow.

You might need to add some crack, if ya know what I mean.

Yeah, but you're a "moderator". We all know that's code for "genetically enhanced superhuman government experiment". The rest of us? We're just weak-willed addicts who have trouble functioning socially, financially, emotionally or at all.

School - up to 9 45-minute long lessons per day - fine.
Job - 8, 12, up to even 16 hours a day - fine.
TV -several hours a day - fine.
2 hours of computer game - ADDICTION! Beware!

Well, that just made my day. ^.^

This.

Apparently I didn't think to make it clear earlier, but I'll that oversight here:

1. The report is not saying that 2+ hours of video-game / screen time a day means you are addicted, as Exorince pointed out.
2. The 2 hour limit per day was originally set by the AAP and was meant for kids, not advlts. You're all advlt.
3. This report is talking about addiction potential, and even then there isn't clear evidence.
4. The report itself even says that there is no clear evidence that video-game overuse should classify as an addiction (page 4):

I am way beyond addicted then.

I think most of us are replying to the OP's interpretation of the report rather than the report itself, because most of us couldn't be bothered to read the report. Although, seeing as how nigh-everyone now has ADD and ADHD, I wouldn't be surprised if the report actually stated the things the OP indicated it did.

Screw this. I'm addicted to everything. I spend on average 67 hours a day being addicted to something.

We can't stop here. This is Cliffracer country!

I agree that most are likely responding to the OP's view.

And the report didn't, because I read it in its entirety - it isn't saying that 2+ hours of screen-time should be classified as addiction. They say it may be, possibly, a sign of addiction / addiction potential. Of course, if the reader doesn't believe me... go read the report yourself.

And, yeah, OP is misreading the report and/or being hyperbolic.

The DSM-V is going to end up becoming one hot mess when it comes out. First they're totally rebooting diagnostic criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorders (which include stricter criteria as well as doing away with Asperger's), and now this...

Tim (aka the Slipperman)

I wasn't doubting you. I was just saying, I wouldn't be surprised if X were the case.

If 1-2 hours = addiction, the I have sleep addiction and school addiction too.

It's not an addiction if your doing it because there's nothing else to do.
(too cold to go outside and don't have a job)

The only major, proposed change regarding Autism is integrating the various Autism Spectrum Disorders (Autistic Disorder, Asperger's Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder NOS) together under ASD, which includes rolling Asperger's into the Autism Spectrum (a change which has been coming for a long time).

And "this" is not getting anywhere near the DSM-V. Stuff like that report pops up all the time. Plus the report itself says there isn't enough data to really recommend anything - plus the DSM-V Task Force already looked at Internet addiction / video-game addiction and determined there wasn't yet enough evidence to include it as a disorder.