Lara Croft video game designer says moderation key to avoid addiction

The article, at http://canadianpress.google.com/...">http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5ijYdf1DcG5Dj4zPX7k78L4qJta..., says:

Quote:Parents must enforce moderation if they're going to keep their kids from getting addicted to video games, the developer of one of the hottest games to hit the market said Friday.

Vance Wallace, the lead designer of "Tomb Raider: Underworld" which is set for release later this month just in time for Christmas, admitted gaming could become an obsession for some kids.

"I'm not a politician, a judge or even a parent, but I would say that just like with anything else, moderation is really important whether you're talking about video games or anything in your life - movies, TV," he said.

Just like Vance, I am also not a parent, but I have read enough stories, mainly in the I">http://www.olganon.org/?q=forum/16]I Need Help for Parents of Gamers forum, of dedicated and conscientious parents who have unsuccessfully tried to enforce moderation. Unfortunately, if a child really wants to, they will usually find some way to keep playing. As such, although trying to enforce moderation is a common sense and logical thing to try, and quite likely will help many children, it is a bit simplistic and will not work for everybody.

In regards to Brandon Crisp's disappearance and his tragic death, the article also later says:

Quote:The tragic tale has again raised questions about problem gaming and the appropriateness of certain video games for youth.

Still, Wallace cautions against blaming video games themselves and suggests they're often the scapegoat when things go wrong.

"I think that video games are the new Jazz music or TV," he said during a stop in Montreal for Festival Arcadia, dubbed Canada's premier gaming event.

"Whenever there's something that's understood by one generation and not understood by another, it becomes a scapegoat for people and they just say 'Oh that's obviously the problem."'

I only know what I have read in the news reports, but it seems that his compulsion for playing video games was an important factor for running away when his parents would not allow him to play. Although that is not blaming video games directly, they are quite obviously a factor.

The issue of video game addiction is currently very newsworthy due to things like Dr. Phil's show and Brandon's tragic case (e.g., we have had quite a few recent interview requests on this site). As such, I suspect that there will be quite a few more similar articles to this one where video game designers, players, etc., will try to defend video games even though I have yet to see any reputable news organization produce any story that tries to directly blame video games, say that they are bad in general, or anything else like that which articles like this are trying to defend against!