Video Game Kids Going Crazy
Interview with Robin Williams by The Telegraph.com.au, Vicky Roach reporting.
December 2011
Vicky: Actor, comedian and hard core gamer, Robin Williams, in town to promote Happy Feet Two has admitted he is not surprised Australian parents are having trouble wrestling the controller from their over-stimulated children.
Robin: It's like cyber cocaine. You just get this thing, especially if your on-line playing against other people. It's totally addictive. You get lost in the world, so you have to literally, I recommend sometime okay, it's game-free time.
Vicky: Williams, who is such a gaming enthusiast he named two of his children after video game characters clearly speaks from personal experience.
Robin: I remember sometimes playing until 3:00 o'clock in the morning. Then I realized, I have to stop. I would get so anxious after playing the game. Sometimes when I was on a movie set I would play the games in between takes and people would knock on the door and say we're ready. No, I have to finish the game. We have to work now. You realize this has gotten too much. It would be like a cyber wing of a rehab.
Vicky: Never the less, Williams has some tried and tested advice for beleaguered parents.
Robin: You have to have times where you shut it down sometimes. When my kids, we used to take them up to Lake Tahoe and have no games. They would spasm for a day and then all of a sudden they would say what is that? Book. And then they started playing board games or even card games.
Vicky: The actor recently filmed a OUI ad with his daughter Zelda who shares her name with a title character from The Legend Of Zelda video game. Williams son, Cody is named after the character from Final Fight.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/video/id-hranIzNTrHfvPDINLXa7j5Le1E48fJ...
Liz Woolley
I glad that he talked about it honestly.
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Wow, I didn't know this about him. I did think it stange when I learned his daughter's name was Zelda. It all kind of makes sense now. He's was a brilliant man (in countless ways) with anxiety and depression. So sad. He brought laughter and joy to so many. Sometimes those who suffer most bring the greatest blessing to others. God Bless him and his family. May his memory be honored forever.
It's not surprising at all. He was an addict. He was suffering from depression. Having seen him on stage, it's hard not to describe that behavior as hypomanic. Which means he could have been bipolar. These things (mood disorders) are one of the big drivers of addiction. Stopping the addictive behavior (unfortunately) doesn't always fix the mood problem.
In addition, I have heard he had just been diagnosed with Parkinson's. Nobody wants to go there. Understandable.
He was an amazing actor, a hilarious comedian, an incredible talent. Let's not call him a hard-core gamer. In fact, nobody is just a gamer. We're people, we're a lot of things. People in pain. There's a lot of pain behind an addiction, any addiction.
I'm grateful for the gifts he gave us. I'm very sad that the he felt he had to end his life.
I am a recovering computer game and gambling addict. My recovery birthday: On May 6, 2012 I quit games and began working a program of recovery through OLGA No computer games or slot games for me since December 12, 2012. No solitaire games with real cards since June 2013.
The term "hard core gamer" didn't sit right with me either. Also, it's not clear how much time he spent gaming. While I think there's something to be learned (as you explained above) of his interest in gaming, right now I like to focus more on the gifts he gave to the world which were beyond amazing. I want to honor him for everything beautiful that he represented. It's still so hard to believe.
Here's a sweet clip he sent to a woman w/ terminal cancer:
https://celebrity.yahoo.com/blogs/celeb-news/robin-williams-sends-message-to-woman-with-terminal-cancer-shortly-before-he-died-145021492.html
I can't get the video working mommy3. But I read the touching story... He obviously had a lot of compassion and empathy towards his fellow human beings. That is probably why he felt the need to numb his feelings... The world is full of pain and despair especially for a person who can feel the others' sufferings as well.
He is deeply missed...
"The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past. You can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches." "The first step toward change is acceptance." "Once you accept yourself, you open the door to change. That's all you have to do." "Change is not something you do, it's something you allow."- Will Garcia
I would say that anyone who names two of their children after gamng characters is a hard core gamer.
Liz Woolley
You make a good point Liz.
I do not look at the "hardcore gamer" as a negative thing. In fact it made me relate to him and his struggles even more as someone that deals with depression and addiction my self. It may relate to others and be a warning to the the extreme end that living with addiction and depression can lead to without help. His description in the interview was spot on and would ring true to any gaming addict. As big of a loss and tragic as this is you have to also see the positives. The positive is this created awareness for depression and addiction. I have seen it flooded on Facebook. It is obvious he was honest about being a "hardcore gamer" I do not see why we would not include that amongst his many strengths, weaknesses and struggles many others share as well.
"Yesterday is History, Tomorrow a Mystery, Today is a Gift, Thats why it's called the Present"
Hi Reddog,
I think it is important for us to realize that we are not "unique". This is happening to a lot of people, of all classes. I loved Robin Williams and was very moved by his passing. I did not know this fact, until after he was gone. In a sad way, I find it comforting to know that he was one of us.
Liz
Liz Woolley