Shawn Woolley never reached the end of “Everquest.” He could’ve played for years and never beat the game—“Everquest” has no end. The virtual world is constantly updated with new levels, creating a never-ending escape for gaming fanatics.
Shawn was 20 when he purchased “Everquest,” one of many Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs), in 2001. He had his own place, his own car, and was the assistant manager of a business. The future looked bright. But Shawn’s life took a dark turn a few months later. “Everquest” became his life, and the players he interacted with became his family. The real world didn’t matter anymore.
Shawn couldn’t afford food, so he stole it from his landlord. He wouldn’t sleep. “When I went to see him, I felt like an intruder,” his mother Liz says. “By looking at him, you could tell he was depressed.”
Liz never thought of her son as a gamer until he was already into the game. But after that, she never heard from him. “He wouldn’t see us,” she said. “He even disconnected the phone.” Three months later, on Thanksgiving Day, Liz again found her son in front of the computer screen. Like past visits, he didn’t respond to her. This time it was different. There was a gun at his side. Shawn had escaped this world for good.
Gaming addictions
There are millions of people like Shawn who indulge in online role-playing games. The most popular game, “World of Warcraft,” boasts almost 2 million regular users in the U.S. alone. And while some people play sporadically, the average player spends 22 hours a week on these games.
MMORPGs can be addicting. They offer online incentives, where the longer a person plays, the better chance they have of getting a reward. Players also join guilds in which all members need to be online at the same time, so there’s a level of peer pressure involved. But the biggest attraction is pretending to be someone you’re not. Even if you’re an old man, your character can be a leggy, buxom blonde.
About half of MMORPG players consider themselves addicted, according to the findings of Nick Yee, a scientist at the Palo Alto Research Center in California. “While there is no clear line between healthy and obsessive game-play, it is clear that problematic usage is not uncommon,” Yee says. Many have tried to quit. Few have succeeded.
Liz’s mission
Like any parent, Liz needed answers. She eventually contacted SONY Online, the creator of “Everquest,” to get access into Shawn’s gaming account. What she found was a character named “iluvyou.” Liz thinks Shawn had a relationship with one of the players and was somehow crushed by his virtual lover. Either way, this was Shawn’s only close relationship for three months, and whatever happened was enough for him to take his own life.
Liz was frustrated—and alone. “After my son died, nobody was saying anything about what was going on,” she says. That all changed when she founded Online Gamers Anonymous (OLGA) in 2002. Since its launch OLGA has gotten millions of hits. The purpose of this website is as simple as Liz wanted it to be—a safe haven where gamers and their families can chat to know they’re not alone.
Anna Meenan, the current vice president of OLGA, had no idea that video games could be an addiction. Her son played “World of Warcraft,” a never-ending MMORPG like “Everquest.” When the “play less, study more” lecture didn’t work, Meenan sought help for her son. “Some people have gone to therapists and counselors saying ‘just unplug your computer,’” Meenan says. “Some get laughed at.”
Meenan turned online for information on how to help her son. There she found articles about Shawn Woolley’s suicide. “That same evening, my husband asked, ‘So is there a gamers anonymous?’ and that’s when I found OLGA,” Meenan says. Today, Meenan is retired and spends about an hour a day on the Web site. She sends personal messages to any new parent that joins, and reads the profiles of the new members. As of April 2009, OLGA had reached 6,472 members.
In her time with OLGA, Meenan has talked with many mothers who are concerned specifically with a son addicted to “World of Warcraft.” “There is a social pull in this game that other games don’t have,” Meenan says.
The mission continues
OLGA has blossomed into a comprehensive online resource, complete with regularly scheduled meetings in chat rooms, tests to help gamers find their passions, and a database of counseling centers.
“Our members are our biggest success stories,” Liz says. “It’s great when members have to leave the site because they’re too busy with their new real world lives.” Many members who have successfully gone through the 12-step program stay on the site to moderate chats.
Liz has heard from at least a dozen mothers whose game-addicted sons have committed suicide. “We cry together,” she says. “Sometimes I get tired of telling about my son, though. It can be exhausting.”
Liz has taken her message across the country, appearing in many publications as well as being a guest on “Dr. Phil” last year. “These games suck the life out of people. I’ve seen it,” she says. “Many parents tell me ‘I don’t want to blame the games.’ I tell them, ‘Why not? I know how they make these games addicting. Go ahead and blame the games.’”
Direct link to this page: http://orgs.l3.drake.edu/drake-mag/Features/Videogame-Addiction.html
Shawn was 20 when he purchased “Everquest,” one of many Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs), in 2001. He had his own place, his own car, and was the assistant manager of a business. The future looked bright. But Shawn’s life took a dark turn a few months later. “Everquest” became his life, and the players he interacted with became his family. The real world didn’t matter anymore.
Shawn couldn’t afford food, so he stole it from his landlord. He wouldn’t sleep. “When I went to see him, I felt like an intruder,” his mother Liz says. “By looking at him, you could tell he was depressed.”
Liz never thought of her son as a gamer until he was already into the game. But after that, she never heard from him. “He wouldn’t see us,” she said. “He even disconnected the phone.” Three months later, on Thanksgiving Day, Liz again found her son in front of the computer screen. Like past visits, he didn’t respond to her. This time it was different. There was a gun at his side. Shawn had escaped this world for good.
Gaming addictions
There are millions of people like Shawn who indulge in online role-playing games. The most popular game, “World of Warcraft,” boasts almost 2 million regular users in the U.S. alone. And while some people play sporadically, the average player spends 22 hours a week on these games.
MMORPGs can be addicting. They offer online incentives, where the longer a person plays, the better chance they have of getting a reward. Players also join guilds in which all members need to be online at the same time, so there’s a level of peer pressure involved. But the biggest attraction is pretending to be someone you’re not. Even if you’re an old man, your character can be a leggy, buxom blonde.
About half of MMORPG players consider themselves addicted, according to the findings of Nick Yee, a scientist at the Palo Alto Research Center in California. “While there is no clear line between healthy and obsessive game-play, it is clear that problematic usage is not uncommon,” Yee says. Many have tried to quit. Few have succeeded.
Liz’s mission
Like any parent, Liz needed answers. She eventually contacted SONY Online, the creator of “Everquest,” to get access into Shawn’s gaming account. What she found was a character named “iluvyou.” Liz thinks Shawn had a relationship with one of the players and was somehow crushed by his virtual lover. Either way, this was Shawn’s only close relationship for three months, and whatever happened was enough for him to take his own life.
Liz was frustrated—and alone. “After my son died, nobody was saying anything about what was going on,” she says. That all changed when she founded Online Gamers Anonymous (OLGA) in 2002. Since its launch OLGA has gotten millions of hits. The purpose of this website is as simple as Liz wanted it to be—a safe haven where gamers and their families can chat to know they’re not alone.
Anna Meenan, the current vice president of OLGA, had no idea that video games could be an addiction. Her son played “World of Warcraft,” a never-ending MMORPG like “Everquest.” When the “play less, study more” lecture didn’t work, Meenan sought help for her son. “Some people have gone to therapists and counselors saying ‘just unplug your computer,’” Meenan says. “Some get laughed at.”
Meenan turned online for information on how to help her son. There she found articles about Shawn Woolley’s suicide. “That same evening, my husband asked, ‘So is there a gamers anonymous?’ and that’s when I found OLGA,” Meenan says. Today, Meenan is retired and spends about an hour a day on the Web site. She sends personal messages to any new parent that joins, and reads the profiles of the new members. As of April 2009, OLGA had reached 6,472 members.
In her time with OLGA, Meenan has talked with many mothers who are concerned specifically with a son addicted to “World of Warcraft.” “There is a social pull in this game that other games don’t have,” Meenan says.
The mission continues
OLGA has blossomed into a comprehensive online resource, complete with regularly scheduled meetings in chat rooms, tests to help gamers find their passions, and a database of counseling centers.
“Our members are our biggest success stories,” Liz says. “It’s great when members have to leave the site because they’re too busy with their new real world lives.” Many members who have successfully gone through the 12-step program stay on the site to moderate chats.
Liz has heard from at least a dozen mothers whose game-addicted sons have committed suicide. “We cry together,” she says. “Sometimes I get tired of telling about my son, though. It can be exhausting.”
Liz has taken her message across the country, appearing in many publications as well as being a guest on “Dr. Phil” last year. “These games suck the life out of people. I’ve seen it,” she says. “Many parents tell me ‘I don’t want to blame the games.’ I tell them, ‘Why not? I know how they make these games addicting. Go ahead and blame the games.’”
Direct link to this page: http://orgs.l3.drake.edu/drake-mag/Features/Videogame-Addiction.html