Is SL Too Addicting?

Ok asking yourself whether you're addicted or not is not that hard of a question, but how far can SL make someone go just to be on it for a little bit longer?

One resident I know from SL who is actually 13 years old (Will not reveal his name to avoid trouble) has told me he was ready to very badly hurt his parents if they got in the way of his SL. He no longer does his homework at school and is failing most of his classes. When his brother tried to take over the computer while he was playing, the resident hurt his brother very badly and sent him to the hospital. The resident went to a mental institution for a few weeks. His parents tried their best to keep him off of SL, but he always found ways to get back on.

Is that a case of SL being too addicting or is it just an unstable kid with a deep love for this community? What else will people do just to spend their extra few minutes in SL?

When it comes to non-narcotic substances there's no such thing as "too addicting." Sounds like a kid who needs to learn some personal responsibility and some parents who need to teach some discipline.

crackpot. whoops. that was an internal thought.

i think its more a case of a specific person who may have some other, unresovled issues.

with that said, i can see where SL is addicting to people. except me... im not addicted.

Any and all deeply immersive consistent online world is going to be addictive. Witness Evercrack, scuse me, Everquest. I've played a lot of online mmo's past 5 years, and I really think SL is a mild addiction compared to most. The others -require- hours upon hours in single sessions to complete some of the quests and dungeons. SL just doesn't compare to that kind of time-sink.

The kid? A nutcase for sure, If SL didn't send him off the deep edge on his brother, something else would have. You'd be doing him AND his family good if you reported him to the Lindens and possibly the police.

The police?? Yes, the police, a lot of kids these days have done some crazy stuff for about as much reason.

Sounds to me like someone with some personal issues and some parents who, like others said, need to get some control over their kid.

This happens in every online game I've ever played -- there is always someone who spends too much time there, and who attaches too much importance to the game. EQ is a perfect example. Remember, by any chance, the guy who committed suicide after something that happened in EQ and his Mom sued Sony for not listing the game as addictive? You can't blame a game for personality disorders. It just, well, may amplify those personality disorders.

Personally, if that were my kid, I would be removing all computers from my home and sitting his butt down for some serious counseling. SL may be a substitute for a social life for some of us, but most of us get up every morning, go to work and come home, hang out with our families, make love to our spouses, go to our kids' little league games . . .just cause one person is has a major issue doesn't mean the game is the problem, IMHO .

Zana

Right, anything that's not physiologically addicting, like heroin, caffiene, nicotine, alcohol, etc, can be emotionally addicting. (Yes, yes, but in some cases, it's the endorphin rush that... etc.)

However, this isn't a case of SL being addicting, it's a case of someone who desperately needs help, probably from their parents first. If you're a parent and your underage son or daughter's SL usage is a detriment to their mental health, there are some very easy ways to get them off it permanently.

SL provides a very efficient escape from "reality", as do many MMOGs, and yes, combined with existing mental health issues, it can result in obsessive behavior.

Regarding the myriad "Everquest killed my son!" lawsuits out there, yes, MMOGs and disassociative mental illness are not generally a good combination. However, be it Everquest, Second Life, or Jane Austin novels, entertainment isn't a substance you can abuse.

Is SL too addicting? Yes. And kids shouldn't be playing it for that reason.

As an aside, you're not doing anyone a favour by hiding that kid's identity. SL is for 18+ only. If there's a non-PG incident of some kind, it could get Linden, the parents, the kid, and other players in trouble.

Darwin works in mesterious ways (No not you appleby )

Sounds like that kid has a sickness. He shouldnt be playing any MMOG.

The kid doesn't play anymore because he revealed his age to the wrong person. I kept in contact with him using AIM. I agree the kid needs help, but I kind of question whether or not this would have happened with another game or another massively multiplayer community like SL. SL has had an influence on my life (for the most part, a positive one) but could this kid be getting the wrong influence from SL and the power of scripting or building the residents are given?

If this kid has these kinds of problems, SL or any other game did not create them, and it's the parents responsibility to keep their children in reality, not absorbed by comp games.

Nothing here did anything to his mind ... as a comic once said "Whatever happened to crazy?"

I totally agree. I'm surprised this kid has any type of computer access after this incident. The computer would have been gone if this happened when I was growing up.

I think he needs to deal with his real life and not involve himself in a virtual one.

Nah. Pointing at the power of creation (umbrella term) as a possible trigger is like expecting students in every CS/Art/Engineering/etc class to run amok and hurt other people.

As everyone else has said, the kid has preexisting problems, and his parents should have pulled his little butt back to earth long before. On the other hand, it could be that he snapped. On the other other hand, warning his parents of dire consequences should he not get his hands on SL is certainly a red flag, as is the flunking school.

However, (perhaps aside from Derek) I would caution that we don't know anything about the family situation for sure. So I'd hesitate to pass unequivocal judgement on the kid's parents. I've heard stories about children who could bully or abuse their parents into doing whatever -- sadly, I wouldn't be surprised if that's more common than is reported.

Anyway, regardless of who's responsible, if any responsibility can truly be assigned in a case like this, the kid needs help, which I hope he is getting.

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disclaimer: IANAMP -- I am not a mental professional.

And now for a digression -- Catherine: I'd argue that entertainment is certainly prone to abuse, as is anything else. Pr0n, for one. They call it adult entertainment, but we have loads of documented addicts, and I believe it's a legitimate diagnosis. We've also all heard the jokes about geeks who hole up in basements because it's easier to talk to people online rather than face the world. I would say that the basement thing counts as another case of entertainment-as-abuse, even if both examples have underlying psychological issues.

That's my take on it, YMMV.

I also agree that it isn't SL's fault that this happened; this kid is dangerous and unstable. The very fact that he's willing to talk about all this makes me feel he's a wee bit detached from what REALLY matters.

BTW: Considering he's not playing anymore, you're REALLY not doing anyone a favor by not telling us who he is (was).

You said the kid was only 13, and his parents couldn't stop him from playing? Who the hell wass PAYING for him to play?

1st Darwin: Am I able to? I'm worried I'll get in trouble with lindens for revealing it. I also feel if he wants to, he should be the one (even though he doesn't play SL)

2nd: Two words Devlin: Lifetime Membership. His parents bought it for him. If he acted this way before he got SL is something I don't know. It just troubled me that something like SL drove the kid to hurt someone even if it wasn't because of SL's influence.

No need to be troubled. It wasn't SL that drove him to do what he did. That behavior would have manifested itself eventually for any number of reasons. SL was just his current infatuation.

One more question: what did he say about not being able to play SL any more? Have there been any other outbursts?

I said I was having fun with it and it's gotten better in 1.1. He sent me death threats, warned me, and blocked me.

If you know where this kid lives you might think about forwarding the death threats to his local police department. Sounds like they should have a file on this kid if they don't already. Another thing to consider is that he's going through the typical 11-14yo male "big talker" phase. A lot of kids with self esteem issues go out of their way to talk themselves up as being "dangerous" and a bad ass. There's a good chance that much of it's not true or is greatly exaggerated. If he doesn't know where you live I hope you told him what orrifice he can shove his threats in.

And someone commented that without knowing the parental situation that it's not fair to pass judgements. You're right. I think I'm just projecting my own desire to beat that kids ass

My hint that what he was saying was true was that he said he had to be sent to a mental institution. I would imagine most 11-14 year olds to say "I beat his ass like a ho and then he went to the hospital and then my mom gave me a time out but then i beat her ass like a ho and then my dad came home and i bet his ass like a ho... etc..."

From a couple of standpoints, if you yourself are legally an adult, even if you aren't, really, you could be placing yourself in a very sticky legal spot if you have any more contact with him. It is probably just worse than usual hormones or something, but he could also have access to firearms or something worse.

Am I missing something? If the Lindens knew he was under 18 they could revoke his account, couldnt they?

I know there is somewhere in the rules that you cant post it here, but certianly you could file an abuse report. Esp if the threats were in game.

He doesn't play anymore, MJ.

The Lindens DIDN'T know he was under 18 till someone told them. Now he is gone.