Unplugged

The dark world of video game addiction.

by Ryan G. Van Cleave, Ph.D.

The Future of Video Games. . .Involves Gambling?

Players will soon be able to wager on the outcome of video games. Now anyone will be able to load up their account with up to $500 per day and see if they can win their way to more cash. Read More

A Virtual Cataclysm Is Coming. . .or Is It Already Here?

When Google released a free version of Pac-Man this past May, the American workforce lost $120 million thanks to lost productivity. The new World of Warcraft expansion, "Cataclysm," might cost America many times that when it releases on December 7 since plenty of Warcraft's 12 million diehard gamers will play hooky in order to binge-game. Read More

National Gaming Day Is Sending the Wrong Message

On November 13, 1,800 libraries throughout the world will participate in the largest simultaneous national video game tournament ever. While folks from Guinness World Records might be supportive of this, the rest of us should not be. Read More

Why Johnny Can't Stop Playing Video Games

"Johnny" is 18, and he can't remember the last book he read. He stopped watching TV recently because it "sucked." He dropped out of school because it's "boring." His mother got him a job at a local sandwich shop, but he stopped showing up after three days because "it got to be too much." But ask Johnny about the latest sequel to the video game Call of Duty . . . Read More