Within the overarching topic of whether Internet and gaming addictions are, in fact, addictions in the psychiatric sense of the word (which I don't know enough about to render a meaningful opinion), I saw this article. According to the post, a psychiatrist in England is discussing the possibility of offering game addiction treatment to people who play World of Warcraft excessively. His idea is to have mental health professionals available in the game setting, and potentially work with the peer supervisors to identify individuals who may need assistance. Going into the game is a way of reaching the group who might not otherwise surface much into the real world, thereby slipping through the cracks.
I have no idea of how prevalent excessive game play is, whether players would even respond to any sort of outreach, etc. I don't think it's ever a bad idea to have suggested guidelines or recommendations for any activity, and certainly if someone isn't paying bills or going to work because they are playing a game 15 hours a day, they need to get theri priorities in order. I just think that the idea of mental health professionals roaming through multi-player game scenarios sounds funny, even if the effort is serious and legitimate. In fact, my first thought was of the "Angel" in the movie Disclosure, the all-knowing Internet guide...
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