Those of you who feel like you were neglected or that your parents didn't pay you enough attention as a child, and those who are constantly getting hell for playing video games from your friends or said guardians....this one's for you. All you need to do is to 1. Remind yourself that your parents were (most likely) never as bad as these, and 2. Point this out to any gaming naysayers and tell them "At least I'm not that bad."
After all, there is a vast difference between a healthy escape from reality, and an abandonment of reality altogether for an addiction to another non-existent world.
Cases in point:
(These are only two examples, but unfortunately there are plenty more if you so wish to find them.)
March 3, 2010 - A couple in Korea is arrested for child neglect due to their online gaming. Their 3 month old baby starves to death while they are out all night at an internet cafe playing a virtual world game called "PRIUS" for 12 hours. The darkest irony of this story is that the couple was faithfully raising a "virtual daughter" in the game, while their real daughter was dying of starvation and malnutrition.
This past Friday - A woman has been charged with the death of her 13 month old seizure-prone son. Apparently she left her child in the bathtub by himself and he drowned as a consequence. Why did she leave him alone in the bath? To be in the more important world of Facebook.
The main point - - When simulacra takes over a person's life, it can be a dangerous illusion to maintain, to say the very least.
This leads one to wonder, why does everyone (including yours truly) ultimately need some form of reality escape in the first place?
Important Note: While some would erroneously call this "gaming addiction," I would call this "illusion addiction." Or even more palatable, "Simulacrum Addiction."
Also of import: These "gaming" examples are made public because it is socially acceptable to point out, or demonize even, this particular form of simulacrum addiction. The world of gaming is obviously not the only form of simulacra that has the ability to cause people to be so absorbed that they disregard their everyday responsibilities and reality...
Sources: http://abcnews.go.com/International/TheLaw/baby-death-alleged-result-parents-online-games-addiction/story?id=10007040
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41079606/ns/us_news
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