Minot Daily News on Video Game Addiction: Try Parenting

You know, it’s not often that games receive a ton of positive press from the mainstream media. But, in the wake of the AMA’s recent consideration of video game addiction as a bonafide psychiatric disorder, some more reasoned individuals are seeing this news as ludicrous.

Case in point, an editorial in the Minot Daily News. Of course I want to discuss this piece further, but let me give you the quick summary, straight from their article. “Video game makers, of course, have dismissed the notion their products are addictive. They are right.”

Let me quote a portion of the article for you, and then I’ll comment on it.

“We’re not naive enough to believe that there aren’t children and adults who spend entirely too much time playing games. But addicted to the point that they simply can’t hit the “Off” switch on the Playstation 2 and walk away from the game? We’re not buying it.

It sounds like another convenient excuse for people who don’t want to take responsibility for their personal behavior, or for parents who let their children rule the roost.

One person who testified before the council said her son would curse at her and threaten her with physical violence if he wasn’t allowed to play video games. “It was as if he was possessed,” the mother testified.

Possessed?

How about spoiled.

Possessed?

How about smart enough to know how to get his way.

There’s a simple cure for a child who plays video games excessively. It’s called parenting.”

YAY! This is one of the best pieces on the subject I have read. Period. Along with my fellow Gaming Today staffers, I have called out for people to realize that parenting is the answer to this issue (and others, such as ‘M’ rated games being played by minors). Finally, here’s someone who understands that personal responsibility still counts!

Honestly, I could wax rhapsodic all afternoon about this article, because it’s just that good. However, I think it stands on its own. Kudos to Jim Eykyn, Publisher; and Bryan L. Obenchain, Editor of the Minot Daily News, for not being the “Games Must Be Responsible” lemmings that so many of their colleagues are.