Chinese Killer Blames Video Game Addiction

from the responsibility?-what's-that? dept

For years, video game haters like Jack Thompson have tried to use bogus claims about video games to absolve criminals of responsibility for their crimes. It's really rather sickening, that rather than getting criminals to stand up and accept responsibility, they try to blame some video game. However, with China now embracing the concept of internet addiction, it appears that an accused killer is now trying to similarly pin the blame for poisoning his parents on his online video game addiction. These stories really have nothing to do with video games, and everything to do with criminals trying to skirt responsibility for their actions by throwing the blame on video games that had nothing to do with the actual crimes.

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Overhype

by Mike Masnick

Tue, Nov 11th 2008 12:27pm

China Says Six Hours A Day Online Makes You An Internet Addict

from the seems-a-bit-extreme dept

While there are some doctors who are pushing to make internet addiction an official disorder, most folks recognize that internet addiction has been shown not to be a clinical addiction, but rather a sign of problems elsewhere (depression, family problems, etc.). However, over in China, where folks have been treating internet addiction with shock therapy for years, it appears that the government is getting set to officially recognizes internet addiction as a disorder. However, the definition is raising some eyebrows, as apparently it's based on some "research" that says someone who spends more than six hours a day online is an addict.

Of course, it's worth pointing out that the Chinese doctor who set the definition that the government is expected to approve just so happens to have built China's very first internet addiction center. In other words, he stands to personally benefit quite a lot by having internet addiction made official, as it will drive "business" to his treatment center. It's difficult to see how you can claim that an addiction is based solely on the amount of time one spends online as well, considering that plenty of people have to spend that much time (or more) online for work, and others spend much more time online but don't have it negatively impact other areas of their life. Once again, this seems like an attempt to call something an addiction just because it helps get some doctors business, rather than a real attempt to look at the underlying issues of said "addicts."

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