The other day I came across this article form sprong, about the AMA wanting to recognize internet and video game addiction as a formal diagnostic disorder. To be honest, this surprised the fsck outta me, as I thought gaming was already accepted as "formal disorder". As a former "gamer" I've been labeling my self as a "recovering game addict" for many years now. From around-the-way game rooms to the arcade palaces of the old Times Squares, I was there. From waiting for school to be over, to saying "fsck it this is taking to long", I was there. WTF was a 12-13 year old doing in those Times Square arcades? Alone!! A recipe for disaster!

As I got older I found out that many of the around-the-way arcades were simply front-ends for crack dealers. I remember that day clearly; honestly I don't know how and why it took me so long to see the light. I guess the flashy lights and corny sounds had me in a daze. Buy some crack, get a lollypop. After a couple of "ass whoppins, and a NES, I decided to slow down (not stop) on the arcades. Not to mention I didn't really have that kind of money to be spending on tokens. Mom decided never to invest on any of those expensive-ass NES games. We were poor, and food and rent were the priority. So basically I leeched games from other poor friends with parents that had fscked up priorities.

Anyway, let's get back to the point here. So they attempt to define what a gamer is:

"A gamer is a term used to describe a person who plays games. Historically, a gamer was someone who played role-playing games or war games, but more recently the term has come to include computer and video game players. Although the term technically includes those who do not necessarily consider themselves gamers (ie, casual gamers), it is a commonly used colloquial term to identify persons who spend as much of their leisure time as possible playing or reading about games. Video gaming has traditionally been a social experience, and most video games are playable by more than one person. Multi-player video games can be played either competitively or cooperatively online by using multiple input devices, or by "hotseating."

And of course some people are bitching and complaining about this whole "issue" (for lack of a better word). But then again not too often do crackheads admit to their addictions. They could handle it. They only smoke crack during the weekends. I guess many would find it difficult to accept because there is actually no substance being consumed by the physical, but then this is also the case with gambling. Do you agree that gambling should be labeled as a "formal diagnostic disorder"? The addiction in it of itself should be viewed as a base platform, while the product one is addicted too may vary. Geeks should be able to accept that last statement with no problems. Once you understand this, then you shold not have any problems with the term

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