The Sun is reporting on teenager Zach Richardson, a 17-year-old UK native who has a slight addiction to video games that rings to the tune of fifteen hours per day. Unemployed, he sits in front of his television for a little over half a day, everyday, playing Call of Duty or FIFA to his hearts content. While he acknowledges he has a problem, he doesn't seem all that compelled to resolve it.
"It is really distressing but I just cannot help it." Zach states.
Despite not leaving the house for days on end, being cast aside by friends and teetering on the brink of losing his girlfriend, his mother doesn't really seem all the interested either in taking steps to help her son, "There is nothing that I can do to stop him playing." continuing on saying, ""Doctors have warned him of the health risks but playing video games is the only thing that makes him happy." But perhaps most asinine would be her statement, "I do not want to upset him by taking his consoles away."
Well mom, I don't know what to tell you. But, unless you want an unemployed kid sitting in front of his television for the next several years playing the part similar to a bump on a log, it might be high time you took the console away and did something about it. This is yet again a case of parents not stepping in to do the right thing when it comes to their kids, which The Sun invariably attempts to pass off seemingly as video game addiction.
Under proper circumstances, anyone can become addicted to anything if they fail to take it in moderation. So, all I can say is that this parent needs to knuckle up and do what she has to, even if it means upsetting her little baby boy to send him a clear message that he can't wallow away his life hunting for that next goal, kill or achievement.
Moderation is not difficult people - Nevertheless, how many hours per day do you spend playing video games? How much do you think is too much?
Hit the comments and share.
Comments
Wish my mom allowed me to consume my life with video games instead of making me get off my ass and get out to find a job.... Note the sarcasm.....
Im 30 years old, have a full time job with a major corporation and an actrive social life. I could easily spend 15 hours a day on a console, and at the weekends I often do. Video games are education and develop analytical thinking. Give the kid a break - you people are nothing but busy bodies. You make me sick.
I play 18 hours a day, I dont have a problem, I am just enjoying myself, dont judge me!
The Internet How Did I Ever Live Without Thee :)
My son was trying to play games all day, so we put him in music classes. Now he plays Rock band both on the console and on a real guitar. We have him laying down tracks to sell or use in his own music. There is a way to move kids out of the addiction gracefully.
Rock Band? He must be really talented then. /sarcasm
takin his console away may cause some anger issues to arise, this problem could've been dealt with during growing up by simply teaching the boy who's boss.
I learned this way.
I play xbox about 2 hours a month (unless a new game is out)
I play XBOX about an hour a day, and comp games around that as well. Some days more than others. Some days not at all. I guess I'm playing moderately. :P
Let me tell you something-- This exact thing happened in my house when my brother was 17. My mom did nothing. Guess what? He's 21 and he's still doing it. Woot.
If there was only some way to console this guy.
I've gone a couple days straight of playing games, but usually like 10 hours give or take depending on how busy my day is. 10 hours of gaming, and I still get class and everything done.
Losers need to stop using games as an excuse as to why they are failures in life. Then again if he's playing games over his girlfriend I don't think he had much hope in the first place.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/mrmario9494
Thats how long I spend.....
That sounds like me. So what if he does? Nothing to do with them.
I played EverQuest for 15+ hours on the weekends and as much as I could cram in during the weekdays while I was in high school. My parents taught me that one day I would ultimately have to be responsible. Today I am a college graduate and work a full time job in proposal management. I still game a little on the side, but it's not a big deal. You people are overreacting.
When you are picking gaming over your girlfriend then you have a problem. This kid will never leave home. Why would he? He plays games all day and doesn't have to be responsible for anything. Momma needs to grow a spine.
Women are a pain in the ass. Games are fun. I know what I'd rather do.
Picking gaming over a girlfriend is easy if you don't actually like the girlfriend that much.
The girlfriend wouldn't be having this problem if she knew how to play with the guy's prick. No non-gay 17 year old boy chooses to play video games for 15 hours a day when a smoking hot slut wants to screw his brains out.
Big deal! I got this kid beat by about 2 hours a day. He needs to step up his game.
haha hell ya i once skippped 3days of highschool to play mw2 when it came out. I noow work 30 + hours a week and am in my senior year, yall need to chill.
Wait. How the hell is this guy merely teetering on the edge of losing his girlfriend and I can't even get a girlfriend?
i know, shit, im fucked right?
The kid is 17, shouldn't he be in school or something if he doesn't have a job?
Isn't it summer?
Well I used to be like that when I was high school, but my parents tought me that if I wanted to get any new games that I would have to get a job. So slowly I got tired of playing video game since I never had the time to play. Now im in college, and I still play games, but only a few hour's a week. Unless a new game comes out that I like. then I play for a long time. But then I dont play for the same amount of time that I did play. Let the kid grow out of it.
My 15yr old son over the summer spent 18+ hrs a day playing WOW and his 360. At least I knew where he was. I on the other hand could only get in about 6 hrs a day of WOW cause I have to work a job to pay for stuff.
The Sun is a trashy tabloid. You might as well write an article based off a National Enquirer about how Britney Spears has 5 vaginas.
If I have a new game then I play a lot more, but since I have school now I only play a couple hours a day
I played for 16 hours a day and now I'm in medical school. i think games are stupid now.
I've given this a lot of thought as I used to devourer video games like this when I was a teen and I'm of the opinion a partial ban might have been most beneficial to me. a simple family rule saying I was only allowed to play on alternating weekends. I would have hated it at first I'm sure, but this method would have forced me to consider thinking outside the box for what I would do to entertain myself every other weekend. Without introducing that sense of unfair arbitrary punishment you would create by taking away the console for seemingly no reason for an undetermined amount of time.
knowing precisely how long it would be gone for, and sitting down with my parents and having a long talk would have helped curb the emotional blow that this mother appears to be fearing.
If I were a parent, this is how I would begin to handle it.
I for one am a pretty big gamer. I usually play for prolly 8 to 9 hours a day, depending on the game and the time of day. I've also got evening classes and I sat down one evening and planned out the times when I could game and when I would work on school stuff. Prior to starting this fall semester at IUPUI, I would be playing games almost all day. Knowing that when school started that I needed to get my GPA up motivated me to rearrange my priorities and focus on what needed to get done. My point being, the parent shouldn't have to tell their child to stop playing games and do something to better themselves. It should be a conscious decision on the child's part. And don't go saying the reason he played games was because he's depressed all the time. The kid's just lazy and doesn't feel like doing anything else.
he plays for 15 hours a day and is "on the verge of loosing his gf"? wtf I want a girlfriend? this is fucked man I'm way more normal then this guy
Gaming addiction is often a symptom of emotional avoidance. Some games (namely the MMORPG) are also intrinsically addictive in their reward/achievement system. There is also a physiological aspect of increased dopamine uptake while gaming. I suppose the point is that if you are going to reduce the urge/reliance to game, you have to first look at the reasons why you need to game - other than it being enjoyable.
Bs.. that kid is a NOOB.. Thats not enough hours.. his k/d ratio must suck
sounds like me
Today's headline will read: Boy Spends Summer Playing Video Games, World Amazed.
-_______-.
get your lazey but up off the couch and get a job and play outside
It passes with time, even if you think it might not, it eventually will. I played WoW for up to 12 hours a day, I eventually got a a job and quit playing, I'm fine. You play videogames when your bored you realize how boring videogames are when you go outside, it doesn't matter how "addicted" you think you are. At least the boy has a girl friend also.
ever since when is being unemployed and only 17 years old a problem, I wouldn't mind if my kid didn't have a job at his age as long as he did his chores and shit.
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