Addiction.. why do we have to create labels for everything?

Addiction is a loaded term which has been used as a way to describe problem behaviour in society. Therefore can this concept be used in the same way as it is used for drug addiction, as we now understand as there are no changes in the chemistry of the brain or body with regards to gaming. Like other concepts that we have discussed addiction and gaming appears to be contextual, what someone argues as addictive behaviour may differ to the next person and so on. There seems to be the idea that because gaming can often be a solitary activity in which someone may spend hours playing a game that this is linked with addictive behaviour and the people are categorised as a particular type of person. As I have stated this is all contextual and therefore trying to lump different kinds of behaviours that are chemical, social, solitary becomes somewhat problematic. It is due to media hype such as debates which are often uninformed, or reporting of the opening of game addiction centres that fuel the fire of gaming addiction. People play games most of the time for the enjoyment of it, (well I do anyway), the amount of time that people play games for can be argued to be based on how much they enjoy that game, for myself there is often times where it is nice to escape into a different world, sometimes this turns into hours buti wouldn't call this addictive behaviour, I am still able to function in society, unlike other types of addiction, and for some who play games particularly with MMOG's (where there is the idea that they are locked up in their room by themselves) they are in fact receiving some form of social interaction. As a society we have the tendency to try to create labels for things that we don't understand, therefore until new media and gaming in particular receive the study necessary, I would argue that it is not prudent to try to fit such things into boxes where they don't belong.

Jarrod Te Moananui