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Slaying dragon of online addiction and saving youth from predators
By Deng Ran |
July 27, 2009, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A CASUAL visit to any Internet cafe in any Chinese mainland city demonstrates the vast popularity of online games among the Chinese youth.
They run amok as warriors, slaying dragons and other enemies, winning one victory after another in the virtual world where they are highly successful.
Many of them are lost in the real world, however, and they are not high-functioning.
Last year the China Youth Internet Association reported that nearly 10 percent of young Netizens were addicted to gaming and felt irritable, depressed and lost when unplugged from the Web. School, work and personal relationships suffer too.
Efforts to treat Internet addiction abound.
One psychiatric hospital in Shandong Province applied electroshock therapy, an attempt at aversive conditioning to treat addicts. Media reports caused the Ministry of Health to ban the dangerous practice.
But sanctions (blocking Internet access), reason, appeals, diversions, talk therapy and other efforts don't work for many people who are glued to their computers.
Under these circumstances, why should not online gaming companies be held accountable?
The huge profits of online games are reaped at the cost of ravaged youth and childhood.
Numerous cities are targeting online gaming as a rising industry with great potential to raise their GDP.
Last week the enormously popular "World of Warcraft" passed the scrutiny of the Ministry of Culture and is ready to wage war.
The timing is perfect, as students on holidays have plenty of time to kill.
Now GDP-hungry governments and profit-thirsty online game developers and operators have joined forces, the voices of educators and parents have even little hope of being heard.
They run amok as warriors, slaying dragons and other enemies, winning one victory after another in the virtual world where they are highly successful.
Many of them are lost in the real world, however, and they are not high-functioning.
Last year the China Youth Internet Association reported that nearly 10 percent of young Netizens were addicted to gaming and felt irritable, depressed and lost when unplugged from the Web. School, work and personal relationships suffer too.
Efforts to treat Internet addiction abound.
One psychiatric hospital in Shandong Province applied electroshock therapy, an attempt at aversive conditioning to treat addicts. Media reports caused the Ministry of Health to ban the dangerous practice.
But sanctions (blocking Internet access), reason, appeals, diversions, talk therapy and other efforts don't work for many people who are glued to their computers.
Under these circumstances, why should not online gaming companies be held accountable?
The huge profits of online games are reaped at the cost of ravaged youth and childhood.
Numerous cities are targeting online gaming as a rising industry with great potential to raise their GDP.
Last week the enormously popular "World of Warcraft" passed the scrutiny of the Ministry of Culture and is ready to wage war.
The timing is perfect, as students on holidays have plenty of time to kill.
Now GDP-hungry governments and profit-thirsty online game developers and operators have joined forces, the voices of educators and parents have even little hope of being heard.
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