In today’s society the media, more than anything, has turned the word “addiction” into more than just a habit that is not easily broken, but rather a concept much more intricate than that. Reporters and journalists “all too often…adopt a viable scientific or medical term and warp it far beyond its original meaning to the point where the term loses all actual meaning. Addiction is one of those terms” (Allakhazam). Society views certain activities or items as improper and people who excessively partake in these activities are labeled as addicts. The media is very influential upon the society in general; people believe that reporters and journalists are supposed to be reporting facts and real-life issues, not lies and made up “facts.” So people, in general, trust that when a journalist such as Susan Spencer of 48 Hours reports in her documentary “Addiction” that Everquest, a very popular MMORPG, is addicting, this is a believable fact (Spencer). In all reality, the news story she wrote contained no real research into the possibility of online game addiction and lacked any real facts as proof that Everquest is indeed truly addicting in nature. Allakhazam, the founder of a popular Everquest fan site, had this to say in the game’s defense:
Playing Everquest is definitely a lot of fun, and some may prefer playing it to doing any of the other activities life may offer, even to the point of ignoring things society deems important. This is not an addiction, but rather a lack of self-control. A man sweating with the anguish of withdrawal from his normal dose of heroin is addicted and in need to help to kick his habit. His body needs that heroin. A man who plays Everquest to the point where he ignores his family, job and life is simply out of control. He may want to keep playing the game, but he does not need it. There is a difference. CBS’s premise that this is some sort of evil game that sucks the mind out of its players and causes them to lose control of their lives is simply ridiculous. If someone loses control of his life, it is likely that he would have found some other way to do it even if he did not find Everquest. It makes for a juicy headline, but really is tabloid journalism at its worst. (Allakhazam).
He makes an interesting point, that this is not an addiction but rather a lack of self-control on the part of the player and this lack of control is what the media is exploiting as an addiction. Another poster on the fan site agrees with Allakhazam’s post and responds by writing that “what used to be called irresponsible, undisciplined, lazy, slacker, childish, self-centered, wrong priorities, etc., is now called an addiction… if you are shirking your responsibilities by playing [Everquest], or anything else, you are not addicted. You are one of the above” (Martelus). An interesting concept, but can a person come up with enough evidence to support this theory?
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