I’ve written a handful of posts on “internet addiction disorder” and a piece on video game addiction, but the Philadelphia Inquirer had story today on a combination of these issues with “massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs).” Basically these are video games that create an alternate universe where human beings play as fictional characters in real-time along with and against other people around the world. As the sophistication of this technology increases, more people are sucked into this virtual world and begin to develop real psychological problems such as social isolation, depression, difficulty in work and relationships, and being disconnected from reality. Fortunately this article gets it right, this type of behavior is an impulse control disorder like pathological gambling not an “addiction” per se. I think for some people that MMORPGs can provide a valuable style of social interaction, but it can become problematic when more time is spent with this depersonalized interaction than real interaction with other people. It will be fascinating to see DSM-V when it arrives, particularly in how advances in computer technology will be introduced as clinical disorders.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 12 Oct 2006
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.