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Often, our Special Agents answer questions that are so time-consuming, they are inclined to do further research. So here is our Agents choice for question of the day:

Q: Is playing video games too much an addiction?
A: The AMA doesn’t consider it to be a legitimate disorder, but one Swedish study claims that World of Warcraft can be “more addictive than crack cocaine.”

Know more:

An addiction treatment center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, assists those seeking to break their video game dependence.  Think of it as WoW detox.

Addiction experts in the United States are taking notice.  Some suggest that it is an addiction similar to compulsive gambling – a clinical impulse control disorder.  Addictive behaviors are similar to addictive substances: A person needs more and more to keep them going and become irritable and miserable when they don’t get enough.

However, the biological basis to video game addiction is uncertain.  Research suggests that gambling elevates levels of dopamine, a feel-good neurotransmitter in the brain.  Gaming addiction may have a similar basis but it is unclear.

What may be clear however is the fact, for some, a virtual life is more appealing than an actual one.  Experts suggest that young teens who play 4-5 hours a day get robbed of normal social development and that older addicts jeopardize jobs and relationships.

Dr. Richard Graham, a U.K. psychiatrist, wants to begin offering treatment to kids addicted to World of Warcraft from within the game itself and hopes to get the program rolling by the end of the year.

World of Warcraft Addict

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Source:  Video Game Addiction No Fun
Therapist Wants In-Game Treatment for WoW Addicts