Video Game Addiction

Every day there is a news story about a family devastated by addiction. So many stories are paraded in the media that America has become almost jaded to the problematic social issue. On July 13, 2007; however, addiction once again made headlines, catching everyone's attention in the process.

The story of Michael and Iana Straw reads like page out of the book of drug addiction tragedies. The Straws had neglected their two children, ages 22 months and 11 months, while pursuing their habit. Despite there being food in the house, the children were found "severely malnourished and near death". The list of their injuries was so heinous that police and child service workers thought Straws were yet another drug statistic.

It was later that officials found the truth: the Straws were under the influence of neither drugs nor alcohol. It seems that the Michael and Iana had succumbed to a relatively new addiction-video games. The couple had been so engrossed in playing the video version of "Dungeons and Dragons" that they starved and neglected their children.

As news spread about this story, psychologists like Kimberly Young, author of Caught in the Net, were the only ones not in shock. She says that the Straws are not alone. According to the WedMD article, "Detox for Video Game Addiction", gaming addiction is a legitimate disease, which has increased greatly in recent years. As a matter of fact, the numbers of addicts increase with the number of new gaming equipment that becomes available each year.

Psychologists liken the problem to compulsive gambling and other addictive behaviors. Dr. Michael Brody explains that gaming addicts, like any other addict, "need more and more of the games to keep them going. If the person does not get more of the substance or behavior, he becomes irritable and miserable." Gaming disrupts the addict's life and relationships. Gaming addicts are also prone to withdrawals when trying to quit; just like a drug addict. The withdrawal symptoms include anger, violence, and depression.

The Shaws' story sheds light on addiction once again, because of the unique nature of their story. However, the truth is, says Patrick Killen, a spokesman for Nevada Child Abuse Prevention, that their plight is yet another "new spin on an old problem.". Hopefully, the press from this case will wake up the jaded public to the atrocities of addiction as a whole. This story shows that not only is addiction devastating, but it can take on any form. No matter how it manifests, the results are still the same. Lives of the addicted and those close to them are always destroyed.