I have an addict under my roof !

[Isolda Sage]

I am not much of gamer. I come on here to read the articles, really. I am however the mother of a 12 year old gamer, who has lost his mind to World of Warcraft. I have had to block all access to WoW because He had been acting like a true addict.
He plays all night. He sneaks up in the middle of the night to play. When I take the game and his computer away this normally well behaved child turns into a crazed idiot willing to fight me for his computer and the ability to play it.
So as it stands he cannot play and he is mourning the loss of his online friends. Is this a common experience?

 

[Miumaru]

Being oppressive does not help. If you want him to not do something, have something else for him to do. I dont mean chores either, but fun things. I spend most of my time gaming. Id spend less time gaming though if I could hang out with friends more, for example.

 

[Sacman]

Of course it's very common... and sometimes violent...
I was addicted to WoW for a while but it just sort of fell off of me when I picked up the guitar. so it's best to get him another hobby...
Edit:
Oh yes, one more piece of advice...

 

[AugustFall]

WoW and other MMO's offer the chance to escape into a world where time and time alone offers rewards. Grinding requires no input other than your time and provides rewards as to how much you throw in.
The main reason I have found for MMO addiction is a lack of feeling of achievement in real life. How is he doing in school? Socially?

Edit: I was actually mildly addicted to Guild Wars when I was younger, spent a lot of time on it for the social aspect (Officer in a guild) and the quick rewards for effort put in. I was forced off it (not too hard, as I said: "Mildly".) due to exams and I found after a few weeks of not playing I didn't really feel the need to, I was behind in what was happening with the game. I went from knowing everything about the game to missing several major updates and losing track of the economy, this dulled my enjoyment of the game and I didn't want to spend time getting back to that point.
I am older and more mature now and I know that real life achievements mean so much more, but when you are younger and can't see a quick pay off for working hard in school or in a social environment then MMO's and games in general can become more than a hobby.

 

[lasherman]

I'm sure it doesn't happen as often as Fox News and Jack Thompson etc... would like you to believe it does, but, like anything else, kids can get addicted to videogames.

Also, kudos for not over-reacting and condemning videogames as the spawn of Satan for turning your son into a mindless game-junkie. There are alot of people who would in your situation.

 

[Sacman]

Took two more posts than I expected for the freakout video to be posted.

yeah I was gonna be first but I got ninja'd while looking for the vid...

 

[NaturalCauses]

So as it stands he cannot play and he is mourning the loss of his online friends. Is this a common experience?

That does sound bad- and from as far as I can tell, it is a fairly common experience. I myself got a bit addicted to an online game like that last summer, and had to kick myself off when school came back around so I wasn't staying up until 5 AM anymore.

You should try to encourage him into new hobbies; figure out what he likes and try to find a local outlet, something like karate or archery. Eventually, after having been cut off from the game for long enough, he should move on to other things.

I will say, though, that it is really hard for him and I understand how he feels. While cutting him off is a good decision, try to be very sensitive and sympathetic to his emotions right now. Even if he does turn into some kind of raging tycoon.

Although if he's a really horrible raging tycoon, you might want help then...

 

[Sir Kemper]

Being oppressive does not help. If you want him to not do something, have something else for him to do. I dont mean chores either, but fun things. I spend most of my time gaming. Id spend less time gaming though if I could hang out with friends more, for example.

What this person said, mostly.


My suggestion would to be to try to find some other activities he likes, and perhaps scheduling when he does and doesn't play, don't be TOO strict, and try to get some input from him on when he would like to play.

 

[Sleekgiant]

Of course it's very common... and sometimes violent...

I love those vids

OT: He needs a new hobby, you might try to find a youth group for him so he can meet real friends.

 

[Isolda Sage]

Being oppressive does not help. If you want him to not do something, have something else for him to do. I dont mean chores either, but fun things. I spend most of my time gaming. Id spend less time gaming though if I could hang out with friends more, for example.

I do NOT believe I am be oppressive! I am providing as much for him to do as possible! I have been encouraging him to spend time with friends and do the other things he love to do!
He has fun when we are out doing things and goes right back to harassing me to let him play the minute we get home.
I don't mind him playing; not at all. I just want him to keep it in balance and show me some better behavior first!

 

[Blue_vision]

What this person said, mostly.


My suggestion would to be to try to find some other activities he likes, and perhaps scheduling when he does and doesn't play, don't be TOO strict, and try to get some input from him on when he would like to play.

What this person said, mostly.

Try to find something else that he can balance his time out with. But if he IS stubborn and continues to play as an addict, you definitely have to be ready to lay down the law and get strict. Just an issue of good parenting there; you have to teach your kid, and if it's not going to come willingly, then it'll have to be forcefully.

 

[Badger Kyre]

Being oppressive does not help. If you want him to not do something, have something else for him to do. I dont mean chores either, but fun things. I spend most of my time gaming. Id spend less time gaming though if I could hang out with friends more, for example.

That's a damn fine point - and you ninja'd something I said in PM.

I myself have some VERY real friends from online gaming - and I soon realized i was playing the game,which had quit being fun on it's own, because of the camaraderie I'd enjoyed there.

Sad to say, though far from impossible, it is a bit harder to find people for geeks to relate to in "meatspace", under normal circumstances.

let's be honest, being 12 SUCKS.

 

[Infinatex]

Difficult situation to be in, for both you and your son. What you really need is to find a balance for activities in his life.

Being oppressive does not help. If you want him to not do something, have something else for him to do. I dont mean chores either, but fun things. I spend most of my time gaming. Id spend less time gaming though if I could hang out with friends more, for example.

What this person said, mostly.


My suggestion would to be to try to find some other activities he likes, and perhaps scheduling when he does and doesn't play, don't be TOO strict, and try to get some input from him on when he would like to play.

This is it. If you can find other activities to keep him engaged that would be a great start. Perhaps it is possible to work gaming into a schedule as a reward for other activities? When I was younger my parents would let me play video games for the equivalent time that I participated in other things (sports etc).

 

[Eumersian]

If he's normally a reasonable child, he'll probably grow out of it. One of my friends was addicted to WarCrack for about a year. Before that it was RuneScape. He's clean and in college now. God bless him.

 

[AugustFall]

I do NOT believe I am be oppressive! I am providing as much for him to do as possible! I have been encouraging him to spend time with friends and do the other things he love to do!
He has fun when we are out doing things and goes right back to harassing me to let him play the minute we get home.
I don't mind him playing; not at all. I just want him to keep it in balance and show me some better behavior first!

Nor do I, indeed as people have said you did the right thing by stopping it when it seemed like an addiction.
I guess the best thing for it would be to monitor it, allow him to play after he does all his homework and until a designated time. He'll hopefully be a bit less harassing if you offer him it as a reward.

 

[manythings]

Not gaming related, but this one has a special place in my heart:

I always see these as suspect. What mother lets her son retard out with a video camera while giving her a bollocking? Then it goes on youtube? My hole... that's the end of the video and wow... I hope he is sterilized.