By Katrina Barker
'Halo,' 'WWE Raw,' 'Madden NFL 2004' and 'Everquest' - chances are you have at least heard of, if not played, several of these games. You''ve probably had a few late nights with your Xbox, GameCube or PlayStation, or had friends come in sleepy-eyed to class after a 2 a.m. session of 'Halo.'
As kids growing up in the technology age, video games continue to be a popular activity among young adults. Roughly two-thirds of college students play video games, according to a University of Illinois at Chicago study.
Shannon Speirs, a senior from Anaheim, Calif., said her husband and two other friends spend hours at a time playing 'WWE Raw.' She said they play three to five times a week and one time told their wives to go have a girls'' night while they played until 3 in the morning.
'I think it''s ridiculous,' Speirs said. 'Any free time that they are home they want to play.'
She said it has caused some problems between them.
'I used to think that video games were more important to him than spending time with me,' she said. 'Its getting better, but I still think that way sometimes.'
So when does frequent video and computer game playing cross the line? When does it become more than just a fun way to de-stress from the craziness of tests, papers and dating?
Mitchell Rosen, a marriage and family therapist, said this line is crossed when playing video games interferes with school, work or socializing.
'As with any addiction, mental health professionals consider a behavior a problem when the person spends increasing amounts of time doing it, when other recreational activities or relationships are given up or reduced, when it interferes with obligations at home or school or when its use causes friction between family members,' Rosen said.
Rick Moody, a psychologist at BYU''s Counseling and Career Center, said some clients bring up video and computer games in the context of lacking motivation or as a way to avoid unpleasant emotion, but not necessarily as an addiction.
'Computer games may be one of their favorite avoidance strategies,' he said. 'Computer games can function like any another addiction, such as gambling or alcohol, in that it is an escape and keeps people from experiencing the unpleasant things of life that show up in human experience.'
Rosen said video games can become a poor substitute for social interaction.
'Playing video games, even with other people, limits creativity, spontaneity and developing the skills it takes to form and sustain friendships,' Rosen said.
Researchers around the world are taking notice of this problem among children, adolescents and young adults. Spanish researchers found video game playing behavior often resembles substance dependence. In their report in the December 2002 issue of 'Addiction,' they said this behavior can get out of control, be used as an escape from reality or involve serious risk to social development.
The British Psychological Society surveyed 147 11-year-olds, asking questions developed to determine substance addiction. They concluded video games can be both habit-forming and addictive, and stopping may bring on some of the same emotional withdrawal symptoms as quitting smoking, drugs or alcohol.
However, while the study at the University of Illinois at Chicago found that the majority of college students play video games, they concluded it is not taking them away from other activities or studying.
'What seem to have done is incorporated gaming into a very multitask-oriented lifestyle,' said Steve Jones, chairman of the Communications Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago, to CBS News.
Scott Cane, a sophomore from Fresno, Calif., said that when he first got his Xbox earlier this semester, he had more than one late night at the game console. He said he did not let it interfere with school, but his social life suffered.
'I didn''t hang out with my friends unless they were playing Xbox with me,' Cane said. 'My social life got put in the freezer.'
Cane said role-playing games, such as 'Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic,' are the most addictive because you want to always find out what happens next in the story.
'They are like a really long dragged-out movie, with fighting in between, that you are a character in,' Cane said. 'Say there''s this huge monster blocking a door and you''re like, ''I''m not going to stop tonight until I get in there.'' Then it''s 4 in the morning when you finally figure out how to beat him.'
In recent years, game addiction has caught more notice because of Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games, or MMORPGs, such as 'EverQuest,' where gamers log on, pay a monthly fee and live in a virtual world. Players from all over the world gather in fantasy environments to form social communities and assume online identities. As their characters, they hunt down monsters, learn trades and crafts, accumulate or lose power and move from one achievement level to the next.
These games have been blamed with breakups of marriages and relationships and loss of jobs. Support groups, such as On-line Gamers Anonymous and EverQuest Widows, have cropped up to offer help to those addicted and to their loved ones.
Cane said the MMORPGs are role-playing games without an end. He said he has friends who have been really addicted to 'EverQuest.'
Nicholas Yee conducted extensive research as a student at Haverford College on the addictive nature of MMORPGs. He concluded that MMORPG addiction is a real psychological problem and should be treated similarly as other non-physical addictions such as gambling or shopping.
Jim McCoy, a junior from Melbourne, Florida, said he thinks most people play video games to fill a psychological void. He described himself as an ex-football jock who finds enjoyment in realistic football games, such as Madden Football 2004. He said he plays everyday for an hour, and if his wife lets him, for 9 or 10 hours on Saturdays. He said although she gets irritated sometimes, she understands.
'Playing video games saves you from having to listen to a nagging wife,' McCoy said.