Before you read: some questions to help you think about the topic and the words you might need.
Do you know anyone who can’t stop playing online games? What things do they do?
Have you heard of Internet gaming addiction before? What do you know?
What kind of people can’t stop playing online games?
South Korea is probably the world's number one in terms of identifying and treating gaming and Internet addiction. After building the world's fastest broadband infrastructure, South Korea's government spends millions per year to find out and treat gaming and Internet addicts.
About 8% of the country's population aged 9 to 39 have a problem with Internet or gaming addiction, according to a 2010 government study.
Some see South Korea as a window into the future: Perhaps other nations, including the United States, will see a wave of gaming and Internet addiction when its technological infrastructure catches up. Others say it's too soon to know if gaming addiction is really a new kind of addiction.
In the United States, Internet and gaming addiction are not listed in the official Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. In the next assessment of that list, however, the American Psychiatric Association has suggested that "Internet Use Disorder" be listed as warranting further study.
Some groups, however, have moved forward with treating Internet and gaming addiction.
One of the leaders in that field is Dr. Han Doug-hyun, from Chung-Ang University Hospital in Seoul, South Korea. Han's research lab treats people who are addicted to games using ways similar to those used to treat alcoholics, including counseling and virtual-reality therapy
As part of CNN's story on "Gaming Reality," Han gave his list of the top five warning signs that a person should get professional help for Internet or gaming addiction.
Here are Han's top 5 warning signs of gaming or Internet addiction:
1. Disrupted regular life pattern. If a person plays games all night long and sleeps in the daytime, that can be a warning he or she should get professional help.
2. If the potential gaming or Internet addict loses his or her job, or stops going to school in order to be online or to play a digital game.
3. Need for a bigger fix. Does the gamer have to play for longer and longer times in order to get the same amount of enjoyment from the game?
4. Not communicating with people. Some Internet and gaming addicts become irritable or anxious when they disconnect, or when they are forced to do so.
5. Cravings. Some Internet and gaming addicts experience cravings, or the need to play the game or be online when they are away from the digital world.
Guessing meaning from context
Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. The answers are below the table.
|
infrastructure |
A |
1 |
A large increase of something |
|
window into the future |
B |
2 |
A healing process from some problem, a cure |
|
a wave |
C |
3 |
Bothering, annoying |
|
warranting |
D |
4 |
A stimulus, a lift |
|
therapy |
E |
5 |
Things like roads, rail, subway, power, etc that are basic to a city or town |
|
Disrupted |
F |
6 |
A view into what will happen |
|
A fix |
G |
7 |
A strong need for something |
|
irritable |
H |
8 |
An interruption, a stopping, |
|
Cravings |
I |
9 |
To justify |
A=5, B=6, C=1, D=9, E=2, F=8, G=4, H=3, I=7
Some discussion questions using the new words to help you better understand the word meaning and how to use them correctly. Try to use the words in your answer.
1. Do you feel that having an excellent Internet infrastructure has had a negative effect on gaming addiction? Why or why not?
2. How or why is Korea a window into the future?
3. you agree that other nations will see a wave of online gaming addiction in the future? Why or why not?
4. If you had a family member who was addicted like in the story, then what action would be warranted?
5. What kind of therapy is talked about in the reading?
6. Have you ever had some addiction that disrupted your regular life? Perhaps you know someone else that you could describe.
7. What is meant by a fix in the story?
8. What are some signs of someone being irritable?
9. What advice would you give to someone who has cravings like in the story?
Some example sentences using the new words to help you to better understand their meaning.
1. Having good infrastructure in a city is very important to helping business to develop.
2. Cloud computing is a window into the future for how future computer storage of information will be.
3. Around Asia you can see a wave of Korean popular media culture.
4. Because so many people have smart phones, the government feels that free wi-fi everywhere is warranted.
5. For me, a good coffee is therapy after a stressful day, some people say it is my fix.
6. The subway was disrupted by the power failure.
7. In the summer, mosquitoes make people feel irritated.
8. One of my cravings is sweet food, so I try to avoid going past ice-cream shops or cafes.
ECK Education
