Are you addicted to CBS?

[GaliemVaelant]

I originally posted this in another thread, but it's way back on page 9, and it brings up a side topic that I feel is a very valid discussion point.

This is in regards to that website about online gaming addiction, and the way the whole thing started.

Also, my apologies to Furor. This is neither a screenshot thread, nor one that started as one, but since it started in the SS forum, it had to be posted there so that the conversation could continue.

I know I don't have to tell you to feel free to move it or even rickshaw it.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I'll give anyone a chance to speak. Who know? Maybe they have a valid point. Afterall, it is very unwise to close your mind or your ears.

Upon visiting her site, this is what I see:

They talk about God alot. Now being a christian myself, I have no problem with God, but this is a major problem in any credible organization meant to help any group, even if it is only the organization that believes their views.

Why? What if they're right. They're not, but let's theorize. Let's say that there are people out there addicted to online games.

The only people who would listen to them are those who either believe in God, or are open to the possibility of such beliefs.

Wiccans, Muslims (remember they believe in Allah, and they do see a difference between Allah and God, from what I gather), Buddhists, and Atheists are only a tiny percentage of people they would not reach.

Now with the benefit of doubt factor removed, let us analyze.

They claim that their views are not exactly the woman's views whose son died, yet she is a moderator on their forum.

The whole thing, in my opinion, is bogus.

Consider the fact that Everquest alone has over 400,000 players. That number was obtained by calculating the sum of players on each server, back when that data was displayed.

It has grown considerably since.

Let's use the last solid number obtained, however, just to be fair and scientific. By giving only a little credit to every other MMO out there, let's say the total number of players is 475,000. We know it's considerably more, but let's only use numbers we have.

That's 475,000 people who, generally, do not spend alot of time watching television. Now it is true, I'm sure, that there are those gamers who watch alot of television, as well as those who watch little or none, but the generalization that has formed is that MMO gamers do not watch TV.

This generalization is widely known, even among network executives for media companies, such as CBS. We'll say CBS because they are the only company that has consistently and repeatedly attacked MMOs.

That's 475,00 people who may not be watching their channel.

That means they may get less money.

So, to keep a percentage of their current fans in place, and stop the loss to the rapid growth of online games, they run a little story about this woman, how her son died, and how MMOs are evil.

Yes, they DID say evil in the original story. They compared EQ to the devil. Insane? Not to the loyal God fearing people out there with children and grand children who may want to play EQ. If granny Baptist hears something is evil, she'll use whatever words or catch phrases she needs to in order to keep her grandchildren away.

Any parent who doesn't know any better will head a warning from their parents about how something is bad for their kids. This is especially true of the unknown, and anything new is an unknown.

Considering the "brain rotting" thing about video games that was plentiful in the 80's, this is not a hard thing for a network like CBS to shove down peoples' throats.

So, they compare online games to everything evil they can. By using words like "evil" and "satan", they hit the religious crowd. By using words like "addiction", they remind people of drugs, and hit a bigger crowd.

They used this woman. Now, they get someone to help her make this organization... This... Website, and they have something "official" against online games to put in their next story.

To the gullible media loving crowd, hearing an "organization" formed against something makes it sound important. Keep in mind, folks, that the average Joe with average IQ may not know that in this age of the internet, an "organization" could be formed that is dedicated to why people should jerk off using mayonaise of lube for their health. In short, an "organization" holds no meaning now, but people don't know that.

I feel bad for this poor, delusional woman. Honestly, she has been used. Her grief has been exploited. It is fucking sickening. Sony should put a counter-story on Fox (they're usually willing to represent truth.. hell, that's how Fox made it to begin with). Additionally, the whole industry should get together and sue the fuck out of CBS for misrepresentation and slander.

Additionally, this woman should wake the fuck up and sue them, as well. What they have done to her is wrong, and by giving her a false outlet to blame for her son's death, they have completely prevented the natural grieving process from completing. If that's not grounds for a lawsuit, I don't know what is.

I hope the executives at CBS all meet someone in a dark alley who shoves burning red hot iron torches up their asses, and skins them alive. People who lie so blatantly to the public the way they have are, to me, lower than the bacteria that grows in shit.

If they lie so blatantly about fucking VIDEO GAMES, and use people the way they have over fucking VIDEO GAMES, how much trouble have they potentially caused in regards to serious issues? You know, things that actually fucking matter, like WAR, or presidential elections?

Excuse how graphic I am in descirbing what those fucks deserve, but who can really calculate the problems that they have or potentially could cause regarding things that actually matter and have an impact on all our lives?

[Dakamura]

What the hell are you talking about?


I am addicted to Jesus.

[Tweedius]

I saw something about numbers and I stopped reading.

Math is the devil.

-Tweed

[Jokah]

I'll summarise for the stupid:

CBS glorifies Wooley case to turn people away from interactive entertainment and keep its ratings (and thus revenue) high.

Of course, the original poster put it a lot better than that and gave many more elaborations on the topic. I for one found it a very interesting read, and indeed most plausible.

[Baadan]

Pretty sad CBS stoops so low and blows something like this so far out of proportion. For the sake of CBS's argument, let's say EQ was the sole cause of Wooley's death.

Thats 1 in 475,000. Woopdeedoo.

A quick search on Google.com tells me,

The U.S population is about 285,000,000.

10. Blood poisoning kills about 30,000/year.
9. Kidney disease kills about 35,000/year.
8. Alzheimer's Disease kills about 45,000/year.
7. Pneumonia & Influenza kills about 65,000/year.
6. Diabetes kills about 70,000/year.
5. Accidents (Car: about 40,000/year) cause about 100,000/year.
4. Chronic Lower Respiratory disease kills about 125,000/year.
3. Stroke kills about 165,000/year.
2. Cancer kills about 550,000/year.
1. Heart disease kills about 725,000/year.

Or over 1,910,000 deaths per year.

EverQuest has "killed" 1 person in 4 years. Or 1/4 person every year.

If people playing MMOs = the worlds population (475000:285000000=1:600), then, on a world scale, EQ has "killed" 600/year.

600 is a FAR cry from 30000, 50 times less to be exact.

CBS, please focus on what is important.

[Startica_Jurai]

Your ideas are intriguing and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

[Templor]

Originally posted by Baadan


600 is a FAR cry from 30000, 50 times less to be exact.

It's a good thing 600 people a year aren't dying from computer games, because then it would probably be an issue, just because there is no reason ANYBODY should die from a computer game, ever.

[Blazar]

These threads are so funny... the astute statisticians above have clearly demostrated that there is no statistically significant causal relationship between everquest and death. Of course we don't really KNOW how many people died due to eq related "issues". More than likely, the kid was predisposed to die no matter what games, tv, or friends he had.

the suicide rate in adolescents is HIGH. How many of these deaths are preventable is debatable. Having dealt with some depressed kids. it can be a daunting task.

It is tough to convince a gamer to stop playing an mmorpg, and even if the mom found some depression warning signs, etc. it could conceivably be HER FAULT. If it was her belief that the child was "addicted" then she should have intervened.

I'll bet the reality is that this child would have died of suicide no matter what recreation he chose. TONS of kids commit suicide on a WHIM. Kids drop dead left and right. Hell, schizophrenia is EXTREMELY common, somewhere between 1-5% of the population, also a common cause of suicide and homelessness.

Mentally ill kids are probably easily "addicted" from anything to smoking, drinking, playing video games, watching tv, recklessly fucking around, other high risk behaviors.... parents have been dealing with this for THOUSANDS OF YEARS. This is not new.

[Salelann]

Just one quick thought. Might it have been the publicity? I mean, that is an absolute assload of publicity now-a-days. A kid kills himself over a video game and it's on 4 nationwide news programs. Now you have kids everywhere thinking "what is this EQ game?" Of course this is reducing it to the old Evil plot idea, that SOE would use a tragic death to prmote it's product. But hell, it is Sony.

[ipsenozma]

Thats capitalism for ya.

[MadCow_01]

Pretty sad CBS stoops so low and blows something like this so far out of proportion.

One sided stories such as the one they showed are pretty much all blown out of proportion.

[Sinshiu]

Whats the URL for her website?

[Vhenc]

www.olganon.com (maybe .net or .org, i'm too lazy to check, just try it out)