Well, either the same boy made it to the headlines or another teenage son did.
We all need to realise that LAN GAMING IS AN ADDICTION.
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LAN Gaming as a Team Sport
Just like how boys/men like to get together for a game of soccer, basketball etc, LAN Gaming is the team sport of the millennium. It is not difficult to understand why it is exhilarating to meet up at a LAN Gaming Centre with your friends to thrash another team of strangers online.
- Being part of a team feeds some kind of human desire to be part of something bigger than oneself. And that one 'has friends'.
- Each kill provides INSTANT GRATIFICATION. One can see and hear the kill instantly. There is no delay in the high.
- It is fashionable to be playing the latest LAN Game.
Compare the above-mentioned properties of LAN Gaming with those of a conventional team sport, say basketball. Basketball was all the rage when Michael Jordan was at his prime. Most boys were playing basketball before, during and after school. They formed a team. They shot hoops. They bought the latest gear (ball, shoes, jersey, shorts, pencil cases etc.)
The instant gratification of scoring a 3-pointer or completing a lay-up is similar to making that kill in LAN Gaming. The thought/act of entering a LAN Game probably fires up the pituitary gland, leading to production and release of endorphins, and that coveted high. And any kind of high can be potentially addictive.
This explains why your son, boyfriend, husband, lover etc keeps asking for 'personal time' away from you, home etc. This time is also commonly known as 'guy time with the buddies'. He is feeding his addiction, regardless whether he is playing soccer or LAN Gaming.
FATIGUE: Physical vs Virtual
However, there is one key difference between playing a physical team sport and a virtual team sport. And this difference makes all the difference (haha!).
In a physical sport, there is a limit how long your boy can last in the game. Regardless how happy he is in his basketball game, physical fatigue will stop your boy after a couple of hours. His body simply does not allow him to carry on further than that.
He may not run home immediately into your arms, but be comforted that he is not playing soccer for the entire day.
This involuntary cessation of the sporting activity is the best form of control in the absence of self-control. With a couple of team members dropping out, the rest may stop the game altogether and call it a day.
Now, look at the virtual gaming situation. Here, the boys are in comfy chairs, in an air-conditioned room, movements are limited to their eyes and hands, with the occasional swearing/laughter. Physical fatigue does not set in until many hours later. They do this once, thrice, 7 times a week with each session lasting 2 - 8 hours.
This means once they start their game, the boys are constantly in a state of high for many hours. This has to inescapably condition the body and mind to believe that this is the default state to be in. In other words, the body and mind will feel awkward if they are not in a state of high. This is the classic root cause of (behavioural) addiction.
Reasoning with the Addict
This is an absurd statement: Reasoning with the Addict.
There is every need to PREVENT anyone from becoming an addict.
If prevention did not stop your boy, so-called DRASTIC (REHAB) MEASURES will have to be taken.
As to who should be responsible for prevention and drastic (rehab) measures, it's a separate discussion altogether. Somehow, our society has become rather confrontation-adverse. Anything that requires one to be strict with another is seen as unacceptable, and often avoided by the individual. This also means, individuals like to pass this to the State.
There is no 'right' or 'wrong' is passing such responsibilities to the State. However, one must recognise that the State only acts when individual problems become a phenomenon, i.e. gets to a certain scale, and/or lead to significant costs to the State (e.g. political costs). Hence, not every individual's problem will receive State solutions, and/or in a timely fashion.
Addiction & Loan Sharks
And as with every other type of addiction, it renders one desperate. And in desperate times, one becomes susceptible to suggestions by opportunists, such as loan sharks seducing your boy to borrow cash to continue feeding his LAN Gaming obsession. This is not different from gambling addicts borrowing from loan sharks to keep gambling.
Remember: You don't hear of boys borrowing from loan sharks to feed their soccer or basketball obsession. So which is more dangerous? Addicted to basketball or LAN Gaming?
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