Game Politics reports that FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate has declared the following:
You might find it alarming that one of the top reasons for college
drop-outs in the U.S. is online gaming addiction - such as World of
Warcraft - which is played by 11 million individuals worldwide.
Taylor provides no hard data to back up this claim, but it got me thinking about some of the casualties I knew, not necessarily from online gaming, but gaming in general.
During my freshman year in college, there was a guy who literally punched a hole through his laptop monitor after repeated losses in Counterstrike. He didn't drop out, but he had to shell out for a new monitor. I don't think nerd rage was covered by the university insurance policy.
One of my R.A.'s had a then-new Xbox. He was a friendly dude, and invited anyone on the hall to come play it any time. Well, there was this one really smelly, socially awkward kid who spent nearly every waking moment playing the R.A.'s Xbox. They had to kick him out at night. On one occasion he was found playing their Xbox, dripping wet, with nothing on but a towel, after a rushed shower. He couldn't be away from Halo for even ten minutes. He dropped out after a semester.
Another guy on my freshman hall dropped out on account of Battlefield 1942. Another from Super Smash Bros. Melee. Another missed a final because he had spent the night speedrunning through Prince of Persia.
Do you know anyone who failed epically because he couldn't pull himself away from video games? Let us know in the comments.
Related Links:
Night Elves Anonymous: MMORPG addicts seek psychotherapy
Play Bejeweled Inside World of Warcraft
Boy Addicted to Call of Duty 4 Found Dead