Game Addicts are Autistic

[Paul2]

UK,  April 3, 2008 - This year\'s British Psychological Society Annual Conference is shaping up to be a battle royale of contesting parties screaming the head-smackingly self-evident. Following yesterday\'s chin-felling revelation that games are relaxing, a separate study has staked its flag atop the peaks of Mount Obvious, discovering that videogame addicts display behavioral traits similar to that seen in Asperger\'s sufferers.

Research, carried out by Ian Danforth of the American Whitman College and Dr John Charlton of the University of Bolton, took a predominantly male group of 391 gamers. Findings showde that players edging closer to addiction displayed traits commonly associated with Aperger\'s, including introversion, neuroticism and a lack of agreeableness.

Apsergers is a form of autism most commonly found in men, with some 1.2% of the population believed to be affected. Dr Charlton remarked that, "Our research supports the idea that people who are heavily involved in game playing may be nearer to autistic spectrum disorders than people who have no interest in gaming."

hmm, interesting.  Anybody here have similar problems or know anybody that might be autistic?

[GmanJoe]

I WANT TO BE A WEREWOLF!

Is there the possibility that those who suffered from these symptoms beforehand are more prone to gaming addiction than the other way around?

I think I was somewhat addicted to videogames probably 10 years ago but I didnt suffer from any of these syndromes.

[Viper_Fujax]

they mistyped the word "showed"...that screams legitimate

anyway, i think unicron is right. That would need way more verification if games actually caused those traits because that\'s pretty big

but those traits are broad enough for them to get people\'s attention since a lot of people are introverted, or get pissed off when theres not really anything their specifically pissed about..its called testosterone

[Kurt Angle]

I am speshul!

Introverted, socially awkward people lose themselves in a world where they aren\'t socially awkward and introverted....shocking.