Gaming as addictive as cocaine, apparently
Crack, surely?
An 'expert' speaking to a local newspaper in the UK suggests that two hours of playing videogames is as addictive as a line of cocaine.
The obviously informed counsellor and therapist, Steve Pope, told the Lancashire Evening Post: "Spending two hours on a game station is equivalent to taking a line of cocaine in the high it produces. It is the fastest growing addiction in the country and this is affecting young people mentally, as well as leading to physical problems such as obesity."
He continues: "I saw one 14-year-old Preston boy who played on games for 24 hours non stop and had not eaten and was showing signs of dehydration. When his parents tried to take his console away, he became aggressive and threatened to jump out of a window."
The old chestnut of videogame violence rears its ugly head: "Computer game addiction can also spiral into violence as after playing violent games, they may turn their fantasy games into reality."
Pope claims to be treating 'increasing numbers of children' as well as a number of Premiership footballers for addictions. The article also quotes a large number of unreferenced statistics.
This is the latest in a long line of articles that paint video games in a negative light without citing any concrete evidence.
