Pat: I don't think I have an addictive personality. *Drinks large can of Red Bull*

my grandparents were worried my mum was 'getting lost' in books when she was a little girl and that reading too much would make her mentally ill. She just always encouraged my reading and video-game hobbies because she had bad memories with her books being taken away as a kid and i remember as a kid when she defended my gaming by comparing it to how her reading hobby had been treated

I always like getting an appearance from psychology Pat.

Research on video games is so frustrating to follow. So much of it is made by people who can only see video games as a factor in a cause-and-effect relationship, yet skill, time playing, habit-creating, and overall effect of specific genres on players are either poorly defined or completely ignored. Hopefully over time more people who know what the medium is start participating in experiments, and create better data to inform policy making.

Pat's addiction grinding off screen and Red Bull

I think it’s the idea of just escapism that is really addictive. With me I spend whole days just listening to music as if they’re parts of an OST to some fantastical life scenario. The problem with labeling someone as being a “escape addict” is well how in the hell are you supposed to treat that? Try your hardest to show what the real world has to offer? And what do you do when that doesn’t work? It’s very complex but a serious thing to consider.

Before video games, I was legitimately obsessed with reading books. My middle school made books addictive via making them more appealing and having a library that brought about another vibe than the school (dimmed lights, better architecture and visually pleasing because it doubled as the school’s basement storage) They introduced books to me and was immediately hooked because [insert introverted thought process] and it got so bad that my teachers were worried because I was actively ignoring kids and teachers alike. But they couldn’t say anything because I was in the top three best students every year and doing work fast just to read more

Wouldn't it be addiction to to escapism? Instead of video games, T.V. and videos?

Man, when Matt talked about how Animal Crossing was messing with him missing tests and stuff, I related so hard with college. I was fully focused on FF7R and P5R, I couldn’t work on ANYTHING the whole month of April. I definitely feel I have a problem, but I’m gonna try to change. I miss these guys so damn much.

I agree with Pat. It's people who have a natural addictive behavior to begin with, not the source itself. I mean I've played games since i was 5, yet here i am holding a job, a social life, working out, ECT. without having to be forced to do them. Why? Because i know moderation, and understand that passing my life away and my health in favor of a "high score" is not a good idea.

Strange, PhilipDefranco and Best friends upload video game addiction at the same time while I'm playing video games.

i like these conversations, because i get to bring up that late 1800's, early 1900's article that said "reading books stunts your familial connections and disrupts social cohesion", because that was the start of public literacy, so condemn the books. fearmongering is the oldest tactic there is, and feel free to slap that in people's faces when they attempt to fearmonger against games.

Escapism is both a blessing and curse, 'cause we all need a little respite from reality, but even then we get lost into our own little world.

What did the Green Ranger say while struggling with addiction? "It's morphine time!"

Your platinum purchases would beg to differ as to your addictive nature

Damn pat looking good with the full beard and clean cut

Gotta love Pat talking about addiction while he slams back those red bulls.

I'm addicted to Detroit become human let's plays

"Do you think a scientist invented butt chugging alcohol?" - Pat

When I was between 10-14 half the kids in my class dedicated their entire lives to football/soccer. They watched every game (Be It the state championship, National, inter-american, european) and that was the only Topic of conversation they could come up with. In PE, they would only play football and If anyone wanted anything else they would start a fight. After School, they ram to the field and played till late night. Some of them even joined gangs of fans of their favorite teams and haressed rival fans. Never in my life I've heard of addiction to football.

Video games are a disorder now!? CAN I GET DISABILITY CHECKS NOW!?

I mean I’ve never met anyone who was able to make money off of being a professional alcoholic, so video games have that going for them

The new hotness: Addiction to an idea.

I don’t think people can get addicted to video games but rather the distraction, immersion, and escapism that video games provide. However, that can be applied to anything such as comics, movies, weed, porn, etc. anything that is distracting and provides a sense of safety and security at an instant can be and IS be very addicting. That being said, there are millions of people who see video games as their way of life rather than a small hobby and it’s quite concerning when you look at the gaming community as a whole and realize this.

Wooo boy Oof...Not getting that dopamine hit from interaction with ppl hits home a little.

By that logic I guess I was addicted to books as a kid, even more than them damn evil vidyuh gaymes now. As a kid I used to read so much that adults would _punish me by making me go outside and play._ I used to _read dictionaries for _*_fun._* Reading is addictive ban books protect the children.

The thing is I don’t think I’m addicted to video games, I’m more an escapist, but I’m not quite sure if I’m addicted to escapism. You could spin it that way i guess.

I've been waiting for these three to have this talk for years now. Super appreciate you guys putting this up on the public YT channel.

3:05 its the devil! kids love the devil!

I remember in a commercial there was a medicine that was supposed to stop you from gambling.

13:10 That reminds me of that Batman Beyond episode where Max almost let Batman die so she could jump back in the dream game.

I hate it when old conservative people that don't know anything about my hobbies talk trash about my hobbies. In 50 years when the give up machine is invented and "Are You Ready Player One?" becomes reality, I'm not gonna judge my grandkids for escaping reality to be in a better version of reality; I'm gonna agree with them and be all like "hey jimmy watcha playin and can I join in too?".

This is a legitimately deep dive into addiction. I've got an addictive personality and this discussion echoes my thoughts on the matter

"The pinker the spot, the faster it gets in ya" -Woolie, 2018

What about football addiction or breaking bad addiction?

That whole memory thing reminds me of that old "Batman Beyond" episode.

It'd totally down to personality. I was addicted to books when I couldn't afford videogames, I'd spend 6 hours or more of my day reading, not doing homework, eating, sometimes even not properly sleeping. I read the first volume of the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy in one 13 hour sitting.

Just wanna play video games Just wanna play video games Just wanna play video games all the time and everyday

Coming from a family with addictive personality prevalence, and having inherited that, I appreciate this dialogue. It's super legit. I have fears and anxieties that keep me from drinking or recreational drug use, sure. But that doesn't mean I'm without addictive vices at all, and it's all psychological. I liken it to obsessive compulsivity sometimes, as well. It really does need to be treated more as a disorder or something unique to the person, because you can absolutely be addicted without physical dependency

Im happy woolie knows about Bob Marley mellow mood

There are a lot of Professional Psychologists that disagree with WHO.

I think the reason video games are singled out is so many people spend time alone gaming that it reaches that point of addiction more often than like hockey where you go out with people and it becomes a group experience and you can get the socialization you need.

Still waiting for Pat to go out wearing a Dr. Robotnik costume

The comparison to hockey addiction is pretty accurate I think, because of the way that things like the DSM are set up they allow room for cultural activities that are seen as normal to not be diagnosed as disorders. If you have a culture where it is seen as socially acceptable, or even encouraged, to get really into football or hockey then the people who pursue those interests aren't considered to be addicted or obsessed if its a normal level for the culture. I think that this is why there has been so much government pushback on videogames, because the younger generations are growing up in a culture where they are overly accepted while the older generations don't see them around them in everyday life as much.

Vidya is in its own category because it provides something no other media does: micro-success. every monster you kill, every chest you open, level passed, stat increase, item picked up is a personal accomplishment that passive entertainment does not give you so addicts would either be people with limited success in real life, or those crazies who always need to be the best and rage when it doesn't happen

Matt, I can 100% understand where you are coming from with that Animal Crossing story. People may laugh that off as ridiculous, but that sort of mental recalibrating is legitimate. I even dealt with that last semester in college. Granted, it was with video games, but the medium itself isn't the inherent issue. It was a matter of shifting my secondary tasks (in this case, video games) as my primary focus while finding excuses to brush off actual responsibilities (seeing friends, going to class, etc.). Tasks in life were evaluated based on how they would detract from me playing video games. My grandmother broke her hip this summer, and while visiting her I thought, "Okay. I don't care. She doesn't even know who I am with her darn dementia. She's taking time away from me fighting through Hard Mode in Terraria." It sounds ridiculous, selfish, uncaring, and short-sighted, but that's what the "addiction" did to me and can do to many others regardless of their medium of "choice". I'm doing better now, but falling back into those habits is easier than you could imagine. You think you can control and moderate your own addiction. You can't. You absolutely can't. Sorry for this long comment. Just thought I'd show some support.

I mean if you hold down a job, pay your bills, and don't disregard your commitments then who cares what you do with your free time? Seems like a pointless category to add to addictions.

I like how know matter how close you feel to it being a mental disorder, or how many tests you can take It is always completely possible that it will be brought up as "maybe I'm just a deep seeded asshole"

Grinding games and lootboxes are very dangerous to people who get addicted easily. BUT Who the duck can get addicted to a story driven experience!

Woolie's addiction to Aliens and betraying his race Pats addiction to being a toilet Matts addiction for breakfast rules

That Knuckles and Rouge guy sounds like some dude that also had a similar obsession to Ryu X Chun Li, even writing a 300 page comic dedicated to the ship

You can get addicted to pretty much anything. Ever hear of soda addiction? What about the people who just like soda alot? TV shows and anime aren't all that different marathon stranger things no problem marathon any anime and suddenly addicted ? Weird

Matt "I would kill and die for chicken" McMuscles.

I feel that the isolation is a bit more of a stronger factoid than just games themselves

If you get addicted to books you become the Globglogabgalab

Now the WHO is saying video games help cope with COVID-19. Wowzers

Small correction on the coke thing: Some friends of mine that know more than I do say that rubbing it on the gums is more to test purity as you can better sense a numbing effect on your gums.

18:00 where do i find this story this sounds amazing

R.I.P the three ScrubLords of the Best Friends

Their discussion around the 12-minute mark remind me of the incredibly morbid factoid about suicide rates in 19th-century England; they went waaaay up upon the introduction of the gas-powered oven, because early models made it so easy to flood your house with gas and suffocate yourself painlessly. When they started rolling out newer models that couldn't be used to asphyxiate, suicide rates went back down. For a higher percentage of the population than we'd like to admit, ANY easy escape hatch is really tempting, whether it's drugs, antisocial behaviors, self-harm, or outright suicide.

This kind of thing scares me honestly, I have an addictive personality and had infact been addicted to the internet when I was younger. I spend hours playing videogames everyday (of course I can stop to do whatever like chores or work) and thinking about this being a possible addiction is scary as fuck and depressing as shit.

~ 3:20. Yeah, that'd be the dopamine release you get from all things that people find joy out of. It's all natural, but can lead to psychological addictions (differing from addictions in the strain of nicotine, alcohol, etc. More similar to the video game, marijuana sort of addictions.)

3:39 I like how Woolie corrected to the wrong word.

I like these. If you can continue to work on the format, and perhaps add screen sharing things, so you can read articles and live react to stuff.

Wow, I watched a video this morning about what would happen if you stopped eating meat and the Lone Star Tick was mentioned in it.

18:20 that's less of a addiction and more of a obsession.

Man, I miss when the only things I ever heard about Sonic was that Adventure and Mega Collection were rad.

Everythings comes back to Sonic. Especially the love triangle of Rouge x Knuckles vs Shadow.

Don’t discredit yourself Woolie, that just validates the “professionals” to not listen to you despite you working with video games for almost two decades.

Have they ever mentioned why they don't upload the full podcasts on this (or a seperate) channel?

I wasn't ready for the sonic shipping talk lol

I heard communism and I clapped because I know CHEEKI BREKKI IV DAMKEV

13:05 i believe that is a story Philip K. Dick wrote... or at least had a concept similar to that.

Did not expect to hear Patrice's name on this podcast

Anime addiction isn't a disease. Anime is.

Anything can become an addiction in a sense. If something gives you that dopamine hit, you'll want more from where that came from. I mean heck, people get addicted to internet fights because it gives them a bit of a rush, . Are there more often than not underlying causes to getting very attached to something? Of course there are. While in my last years of high school I was actually addicted to World of Warcraft - neglecting schoolwork, friendships, relationships with my family. But it wasn't the game that was the problem, it was just an outlet for then undiagnosed ADHD and mild Aspergers, and playing that game made me feel better than having to interact with real people as it gave the illusion of socialisation without the stressful interactions, and there was a pretty good hit of dopamine whenever I finally grinded enough for that one special mount or shit like that.

Oh, boy do I know those "hockey addicts". A lot of them here in Finland.

Super Best Oxygen Addicts

Pat and Woolie shitting on Yukari: "Ok I can understand the reasons they dislike this character even though it makes me salty because I think they're dumb reasons." Pat dissing Potemkins redesign: "I will Potemkin Buster your soft, shitty body you tiny man."

Matt with that Band reference that almost none of their 20-something viewers are going to get

24:59 RIP Patrice O'Neill

You just need more of that blue blood the androids have

I hope Pat cosplays as Kratos one day.

Pat: "Violently guzzling buttloads of red bull"

So we are all Bauldar basically

@thesw1tcher It's not super on-topic, but if it helps, Woolie mentioning countries where eating disorders aren't as prevalent as they are in Western countries may have been a reference to a specific study! after TV was introduced to a province in Fiji in the mid-1990s, the rate of eating disorders went way up, and there was a lot of subsequent writing about how that reflected on TV in the US also culture-bound syndromes in general are examples of fear/anxiety/anger/etc. coming out in patterns that mainly show up in specific countries :O idk this may be info Pat would be interested in

23:38 you guys are seriously the biggest david cage fans out there

dont let it set in

Well i've amassed over 1000 volumes of manga.....maybe books are an addition

When I don't get a God Of War or Detroit: Beyond Human in my sub-feed, I go ballistic!

If i recall, Code Geass has a drug dealing with memories, i haven't seen it in a while so who knows. Also Total Recall too

18:17 I want to read that!!

I think there is an absolutely fascinating study waiting to be put forth in the coming years over whether the interactivity and innate sense of self and control video games as a medium has is more dangerous for people with addictive personalities then other mediums, but this study is not it.

I might not play as many video games I did back in my teens/20's vs my late 30's,I buy more music than anything now.

pat looks like doctor eggman

I hate when Woolie steps up and suddenly becomes the Japanese authority and then gets shit wrong like Hikikomori Or Kusanagi no Kobushi wo

Im like hockey guy but its gundam... I like Gundam... I AM GUNDAM!

I need a link to this Knuckles x Rouge story. I NEED it.

If buying cosmetics and lootboxes can be an adiction, Pat is fucked

BTLs better than life. did they rip that from Red Dwarf?