And now, on a Civilization side note:
Civilization makes the front page of the Univ. of Michigan's newspaper,
The Michigan Daily
Michigan Daily Article Link
Addictions provoked by computer, Internet use
By Kylene Kiang,
Daily Staff Reporter
Reuben Logsdon, a software writer from Washington, dealt with a chronic seven-year addiction to the computer game "Civilization."
"I would play it again and again, even though I always won, and a normal game might take eight to 24 hours to complete," said Logsdon, whose addiction started in college.
"Civilization" is a game where players create their own armies in pursuit of world domination. Like many computer games, "Civilization" had the means of providing Logsdon with an escape from the tedium of college life.
Logsdon's past behavior is a standard example of computer addiction, according to Maressa Hecht Orzack, a Harvard University psychologist and director of Computer Addiction Services at McLean Hospital, located in Belmont, Mass.
Not simply isolated to computer games, numerous cases of addictive behavior have been associated with persistent online chatting and viewing of Internet pornography.
"Adults also need to realize how they can be caught in a darker side of the Internet," Orzack said.
Her treatment program for people addicted to computers includes behavioral therapy and anti-depressants such as Zyban, a prescription drug used to help wean smokers off cigarettes.
People who are often bored, depressed, lonely, have low self-esteem and poor social skills are more likely to be pulled into excessive computer usage, Orzack said. She added that having a history of other addictions also makes people more susceptible to computer addictions.
"Physically, people can undergo stresses such as gaining weight from lack of energy ... have repetitive stress injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, migraines from staring at the screen too much and backaches," she said. Orzack also noted loss of sleep and forgetting to eat as warning signs of addiction.
Logsdon said that even though it has been more than two years since he destroyed the disks and kicked the habit, he has "not totally gotten over it" and will occasionally play other games.
Logsdon said for a person showing signs of addictive behavior, it is critical to uninstall the program from the computer and also physically destroy the CDs or disks.
"This demonstrates your power over the addiction," he said.
For some, it may not be so easy.
Engineering senior Joe Giannetti said that "massively multi-player online role-playing games" such as "EverQuest" and "Lineage" are notorious for keeping players glued to the screen. Since its release in 1999, EverQuest has amassed more than 250,000 online players. The characters, which are designed by the players, make alliances with other online players and go on quests to kill monsters, solving puzzles along the way.
"There have been people from (Bursley Residence Hall) who have dropped out of school because of 'EverQuest,'" Giannetti said.
Adding that it takes at least six hours of playing time to make "good progress" in the game, Giannetti said he cannot imagine anyone in college playing the game successfully while still "maintaining a social life and academics at the same time."
Logsdon said the need to return to his computer stemmed from an "unmet need" for control in his life. Since quitting, he has realized that, rather than providing a suitable outlet for these needs, computer games actually stood in the way of meeting them.
"The games need to be coded to force timeouts after too many hours of play. It's like having bars be required to stop serving alcohol to a patron who has had too much," Logsdon added
