(The Herald Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)WHO would have thought it? Once innocent paragons of childhood play, computer games are now deemed to be harmfully habit-forming.Next month will herald the beginning of an inaugural programme designed to tackle a particularly 21st century affliction - video game addiction.Aswith many maladies of the modern age, its origins lie in the US, home to millions of gamers. But it has since slithered down the transatlantic ether to Europe.The continent's first such clinic will open in Holland next month. Keith Bakker, director of Amsterdam-based Smith & Jones Addiction Consultants, said he has already treated 20 computer game addicts between the ages of 13 and 30 since January. Some clients, he revealed, exhibited withdrawal symptoms such as shaking and sweating upon looking at a computer.
The detox programme begins in July, running for four to eight weeks, including discussions with therapists and efforts to build patients' interests in alternative activities."We have kids who don't know how to communicate with people face-to-face because they've spent the past three years talking to somebody in Korea through a computer, " Mr Bakker said. "Their social network has completely disappeared."In Scotland, some computer game lovers admit to being addicted, but not all have to suffer the consequences. Keir McCann, a 23-year-old from Gorbals in Glasgow, works for Four Kings, a gaming company - also known as a clan - which involves players taking part in professional tournaments around the world.Though he has not made a fortune, his lifestyle is sustained by gaming. It began after he finished university, finding himself with more spare time. He did, he admits, "become increasingly addicted" to games, but has managed to harness his passion to make a living out of it, for the moment at least.Mr Bakker explained that addiction can start with a Game Boy, perhaps given by parents. From there, it can progress to multilevel games that aren't made to be won. Mr Bakker said he has seen signs of addiction in children as young as eight.Elizabeth Woolley, who founded the Safe Haven halfway house for addicted gamers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, welcomed the idea that treating addicts is spreading to the Netherlands. "Thank God that somebody has finally recognised this is an issue, " she said.Hyke van der Heijden, 28, a graduate of the Amsterdam programme, started playing video games 20 years ago. By the time he was in college he was gaming about 14 hours a day and using drugs to play longer.Van der Heijden first went to Smith & Jones for drug addiction in October last year, but realised the gaming was the real problem. Since undergoing treatment, he has distanced himself from his smoking and gaming friends. He says he has been drug and game free for eight months.
More details
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Are computer games aiding NASCAR drivers?
BROOKLYN, Mich. - There's been a lot of talk since rookie Denny Hamlin's win at Pocono a week ago about how much help racing video games can actually aid a driver racing at the Nextel Cup level.
"You have to understand that we're talking about video games on a computer, not on an X-Box and Playstation," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. "If you saw how realistic it was you'd be surprised. Some of the new games they come out with, especially some of the road course stuff, it's pretty impressive.
"Some of the NASCAR games on the PC, specifically one I don't endorse, but it's a 2003 version of a game that continuously has been updated by some guys that broke the code. ...It does help."
Beyond the virtual world, Earnhardt Jr. had the fifth fastest lap in Saturday's final practice and starts fifth in today's 3M 400 in a No. 8 Chevrolet painted with a retro scheme honoring his grandfather Ralph.
Budweiser, his primary sponsor, will also debut a commercial honoring Ralph and Dale Earnhardt and Earnhardt Jr. during today's race.
"Sooner or later," said Earnhardt Jr. when asked if he thought he could win here today at this 2-mile track where he's had only two top-10s, with a best of seventh, in 13 career Cup starts. "I think that as good a driver as I am and as good of a team I'm with, sooner or later I'm bound to win at every one of them.
"We had to adjust the setup a little bit and just try to really click on something. We're pretty decent right now but there's some guys that have found things and have things to make the cars really fast. We've just got to figure out what that is."
More details
"You have to understand that we're talking about video games on a computer, not on an X-Box and Playstation," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. "If you saw how realistic it was you'd be surprised. Some of the new games they come out with, especially some of the road course stuff, it's pretty impressive.
"Some of the NASCAR games on the PC, specifically one I don't endorse, but it's a 2003 version of a game that continuously has been updated by some guys that broke the code. ...It does help."
Beyond the virtual world, Earnhardt Jr. had the fifth fastest lap in Saturday's final practice and starts fifth in today's 3M 400 in a No. 8 Chevrolet painted with a retro scheme honoring his grandfather Ralph.
Budweiser, his primary sponsor, will also debut a commercial honoring Ralph and Dale Earnhardt and Earnhardt Jr. during today's race.
"Sooner or later," said Earnhardt Jr. when asked if he thought he could win here today at this 2-mile track where he's had only two top-10s, with a best of seventh, in 13 career Cup starts. "I think that as good a driver as I am and as good of a team I'm with, sooner or later I'm bound to win at every one of them.
"We had to adjust the setup a little bit and just try to really click on something. We're pretty decent right now but there's some guys that have found things and have things to make the cars really fast. We've just got to figure out what that is."
More details
Jocuri Online la discretie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)