EXTREME VIDEO GAME ADDICTION

Deaths related to video games has become a hot topic of discussion. I spend my 20's playing games like Civilization. I am guilty of marathon sessions where coffee kept my eyes opened as I conquered the world. I rarely play video games any more but my kids do. There is a Wii, an Xbox, Xbox360 and a couple of handhelds at our house. So far the kids play in moderation and for the most part age appropriate games. There is no Quake at my house but Lego Star Wars and Lego Indiana Jones are big hits.

On the way into work this morning I heard a story on the morning news about a teen who had died from complications related to a four day on-line gaming spree. Seriously I thought, how could that happen?

There is a darkside. Some gamers obsessed with their favorite titles have died while playing, committed suicide, or killed or seriously injured other people. What would cause these people to go over the edge over a video game? You may never look at a video game the same again.

This new digital drug works on the brain similarly to street drugs. Research has demonstrated that the brain becomes flooded with large amounts of dopamine during video game play in the same way that this chemical is released during the use of dangerous drugs such as amphetamines.Therapist’s and doctor’s are seeing increased visits by parents to address behavioral concerns such as increased irritability, failing grades, lack of interest in things that were previously enjoyable to the child (such as sports), and difficulty sleeping.

Korean man obsessed with the online StarCraft game died after playing over 50 hours , stopping only to sleep for short amounts of time and to use the restroom. The exhaustion, combined with lack of food led him to collapse in an Internet café in Taegu. He was taken to a hospital, but passed on shortly afterwards. The official cause of death was heart failure, but this video game related death

In 2002, Hudson Wooley played several hours of Everquest, a popular role playing game, before he decided to commit suicide by shooting himself with a gun. Relatives said he sacrificed everything to play the game, losing a job, and ignoring family and friends.

Devin Moore -- a young man from Fayette, Alabama arrested and taken to the police station for suspicion of car theft -- suddenly flipped out, grabbed one of the officer’s 9mm gun and shot policemen to death, each with a shot to the head. Devin was obsessed with the Grand Theft Auto game and played it for hundreds of hours.

A man in China who died after a three-day, non-stop gaming session at a Beijing Internet café. The unnamed 30-year-old man was rushed to the hospital -- most likely after passing out -- and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter

These are just a few examples of a disturbing trend amongst gamers . Video games, like any other type of addiction, can lead some people to obsession. We have to ask ourselves: are the games really the influence, or are they a catalyst that can bring out these tendencies as a result of upbringing, environment or genetics?