On Friday, April 9, 2010, I delivered the following speech to the Missouri State University Board of Governors concerning my opposition to construction of the University Recreation Center, a $30 million facility set to break ground later this month. After my speech, Student Body President Chris Polley stood up and delivered an off the cuff speech to the Board explaining how the majority of students are totally behind this project and are “anxiously awaiting” its construction.

I was disappointed that the Board decided to approve the award for contract unanimously shortly thereafter; however, I am glad I had the chance to say what needed to be said. It was a long shot to change their mind at this point, but someone needed to speak out for common sense. Unfortunately, common sense apparently is just not too common anymore among government officials. Students are starting to wake up, though, and I think the next time one of these wasteful projects is proposed, Missouri State students are going to stand up and make their voice heard.

———————

MBA Student Zachary Becker to the Missouri State Board of Regents; April 9, 2010

A storm is on the horizon. Higher education budgets may be cut as much as 20 percent in the near future. Already, legislators are looking to renege on the previously-agreed-on tuition freeze at state universities. You know much better than I the implications these massive cuts will have on Missouri State University and the students it serves. Larger class sizes, elimination of programs, fewer experienced faculty, and tuition increases are all likely.

With uncertainty ahead, I implore you to re-evaluate plans to construct the University Recreation Center. I know this has been in the works for many years, but in these budget circumstances any project can and should be re-evaluated if it is not in the best interest of the university. Economic circumstances have changed drastically since this project was originally conceived in 2006. Spending $30 million on a recreation center and paying to staff and maintain it is an extravagance the university cannot afford right now. I am not necessarily saying we cancel this project. Rather, we should hold off for the time being and wait this storm out. Favorable bond rates and low construction bids are poor excuses to push forward with a building we do not need at a time when administrators are asking each department to make every dollar count in preparation for the worst.

Even on the cusp of construction, when most current students could conceivably use this building before they graduate, many are saying no to the recreation center. We have a Facebook group of 230 students who will attest to this fact, and I have no doubt many more see the folly in proceeding with this project during these economic times. Forward-thinking students understand that Missouri State only has limited resources and some things must be sacrificed to keep higher education affordable. While significant tuition increases appear inevitable, we should not add to this load by asking students to support a superfluous building.

When students originally voted on this measure in pre-recession 2006, it was not a slam dunk. Only 56 percent of students approved it, which was advertised at the time as a renovation of McDonald Arena at a cost of $23 million. With the project $7 million over budget and students tightening their own belts during the economic recession, I think the current student body would vote quite differently today.

Many say this new rec center is going to draw potential students to Missouri State who might otherwise choose larger schools like Mizzou, Kansas, or Oklahoma. But trying to compare the amenities of our university side-by-side with those of larger institutions is an exercise in futility. Students choosing on those criteria are going to pick another school every time, rec center or not. Students choose Missouri State because of the quality and affordability of the education we provide. We should be putting resources towards recruiting top-notch faculty, making our academic departments the best in the nation, and keeping our tuition and fees low. These are areas where we can stand out from our larger competitors.

A cold wind is a blowing, and a storm is almost here. Roughly 20,000 students at Missouri State University are counting on you to make wise decisions on their behalf. You have a duty to make fiscally responsible choices for this university. Tough times call for tough decisions. If you truly believe it is wise to build a $30 million recreation center on the cusp of the biggest cuts in higher education yet seen, then by all means go forward with it. But if you have doubts about the timing or cost of this project, do not be afraid to step up and say no. Do not let the power of group think lock you into voting for an expensive, obviously-unnecessary and poorly-timed project.

The current and future students of Missouri State University are counting on you to make the right decision. Thank you for your time.

It is a crazy world, and sometimes people just need to laugh it off.

Chad Harris, Springfield resident and founder of Fair City News, hopes his satirical publication provides more than a few chuckles to usurp the insanity.

Fair City News is a tabloid newspaper that pokes fun at local events through fake news articles.

“We take tidbits of truth and spin stories around events that are happening here locally,” Harris said. “Satire is a great way to escape the madness that exists in our society.”

Fair City News started out as a blog in March 2009, but debuted a print product this month, leaving Harris to joke that the publication is “regressing in technology.”

Harris has a background in improvisational comedy, having studied it in college and performed it for the last 12 years. He is associated locally with the Skinny Improv and The Improvadors. He felt blogging was the “next logical step” and found writing fake news stories a great way to “have an alternate source of creativity.”

Harris writes the vast majority of articles appearing in Fair City News and pushes himself to write at least one satire article daily for the website.

“When you’re on stage, you’re on a tight-wire, putting your head in a lions mouth, and you have got to perform on the spot,” Harris said. “Similarly, at Fair City News, I sit down on the computer and look at the news topics of the day. It’s my time to get a little written improvisational humor.”

While the Fair City News blog garnered plenty of readers on its own, Harris believed the time was right for a move to print.

“This was right around the time GO Magazine went out of print, and I wanted to introduce something students would enjoy and graduates would enjoy,” Harris said, adding that advertising support has been solid thus far.

Chad Harris, founder of Fair City News.

Harris believes Fair City News may create an avenue for people to become more informed about local news topics by making it more appealing.

“If readers are interested in reading ‘funny’ articles,” Harris said, “they are more likely to read about the real issues and be more informed about the world around them.

Fair City News produces a print version once a month which is available on campus. Its blog can be found online at faircitynews.com. Fair City News is seeking student contributors.

RecycleMania is running wild on the Missouri State campus.

Students better say their prayers, take their vitamins, and separate their glass from plastics if Missouri State is to have any chance of taking home the coveted RecycleMania trophy, along with a year’s worth of bragging rights.

The contest, which ends Mar. 27, pits the recycling efforts of Missouri State against hundreds of other schools across the country. The event will measure both the trash output and recycling efforts of the universities. The “greenest” school wins.

This marks the sixth year Missouri State has participated in RecycleMania. Unlike year’s past, though, where only recycling efforts in the residence halls were counted, this time the entire campus is participating.

The event is intended to add the drive and commitment of competition to the sensibility and necessity of recycling.

Jennifer Cox, the Assistant Director of Residence Life and Services at MSU as well as the coordinator of RecycleMania, is very excited about the competition being taken all over the Missouri State campus this year.

Although the trophy and bragging rights it entails would be nice, this is not the most important focus of the competition in the long run, she said.

“This is not about bringing a large bag of recyclable material to school and depositing them in one of the bins,” Cox said. “It’s about changing smaller decisions that all of us make on a daily basis, such as recycling papers and aluminum cans instead of throwing them in the trash.”

All that is required to make a positive impact on sustainability and spur Missouri State along to victory in RecycleMania is placing certain items like soda cans, plastic cups and food containers and glass tea bottles in those familiar bins labeled “RECYCLE,” which are located in Meyer Library, the Plaster Student Union, and many other spots around the campus.

Cox hopes to show students both the ease of recycling and the impact it can make.

“Hopefully, habits of recycling will become a greater part of the students’ lives in the end,” she said.

What’cha gonna do when RecycleMania runs wild on you?

Rebels kidnapped the group of children who were innocently playing soccer, blindfolded them, and cut a deep gash in their wrists, rubbing a mixture of gunpowder and cocaine into the wound to induce hysteria.

Then, rebel soldiers handed the still-blindfolded five-year-old Michel Chikwanine an AK-47 assault rifle and ordered him to fire. Chikwanine obeyed and killed his best friend in the process. Sadly, the nightmare was just beginning.

Students and faculty members packed into Carrington Auditorium on Jan. 21 to hear the heartbreaking story of Chikwanine, a former child soldier from the Democratic Republic of Congo who now acts as a motivational speaker and advocate for oppressed children around the world.

After the being abducted and being forced to kill his best friend, Chikwanine spent the next two weeks of his life participating in village raids and violent acts of all sorts along with the rebel soldiers.

War again threatened Chikwanine and his family when he was 10 years old. First, rebel soldiers captured his father. Then several months later, rebel soldiers forcibly entered the family’s home, where Chikwanine was forced at gunpoint to witness his mother and two sisters being raped.

A child carries shell casings in a rebel camp in the Central African Republic. Photo courtesy Pierre Holtz/UNICEF CAR

Rather than succumbing to the violence and animosity he suffered, Chikwanine, now 22, became inspired to positively affect communities all over the world through education and public awareness. He works closely with two organizations: Me To We, a group dedicated to influencing world change by encouraging others to make ethical and socially conscious decisions, and Free The Children, which engages in building schools, developing water and sanitation projects, and other tasks in impoverished communities.

Chikwanine believes greed is the greatest thing that divides communities and keeps people from living and working peacefully together.

“I think the world today is full of (greed), but (in North America) it is a part of the culture we are born into,” Chikwanine said. “In school we are told to become doctors, professors- things that will serve you instead of the world.”

Chikwanine noted how greed had played a major part in the violence he experienced, citing that in the Congo, certain corporations had paid rebel soldiers to commit violent acts in the interest of securing precious minerals.

Chiwanine believes the antidote to greed is compassion and education.

“We can move away from this (greed) by learning about other people’s cultures and world issues,” he said. “If you love your computer, why not blog about issues that you care about? If you like to read, then read about other cultures. We must appreciate the world for what it is.”

Education is key to learning this compassion and appreciation for others.

“By educating children, you give them the opportunity to broaden their horizons and extend their own lives as well,” Chikwanine said. “Most of the wars start because people are not educated enough. Education allows you to choose the way you think.”

Hundreds of students lingered after the presentation in order to learn more about what they could do to help or participate in one of the organizations Chikwanine mentioned.

Michel Chikwanine

Chikwanine finds it crucial for privileged nations to hear of other countries that are not quite so fortunate. Just as is the philosophy of Me To We, Chikwanine is helping to change the way people think about global crises, and how the smallest of decisions can help bring about justice and revolutionary changes in the Congo and elsewhere.

The event was sponsored by Student Activities Council. More information about Me to We can be found at www.metowe.com. More information about Free the Children can be found at www.freethechildren.com.

Smokers endanger not only themselves, but the health of all those around them.

SMASH – Students of Missouri State Against Smoking Hazards – hopes to minimize those risks through anti-smoking advocacy.

“Everyone knows there are hazards of smoking, but some don’t understand that there are just as many with second-hand smoke,” said Sarah Durnbaugh, graduate student in public health and advisor for SMASH.

According to a 2006 Surgeon General’s report, secondhand smoke contains hundreds of toxic chemicals and even short term exposure can cause adverse affects, while long term exposure can prompt heart disease or lung cancer.

“We would like to see Missouri State have a stronger tobacco policy that is just simple and fair so that we can create a healthier campus and environment for everybody,” Durnbaugh said, adding that smoking can trigger allergic reactions in some students causing a disruption in learning.

She believes the main flaw in the current tobacco policy is a lack of enforcement to contain smoking to designated areas. She would also be in support of recent talks of a campus smoking ban.

“Whatever provides a healthier campus is ideal,” she said.

SMASH was founded in 2007 and is funded by a grant. It is a division of the Ozark Public Health Institute. SMASH not only distributes information about the dangers of secondhand smoke, but also provides assistance for students looking to quit smoking.

“The goal of SMASH is really not to hinder the rights of people, but to be respectful of other people on campus,” Durnbaugh said.

To get more information on SMASH, go to www.facebook.com/smash.msu.

Missouri State University graduate and filmmaker Jonathan Stratman released the DVD of his film Roberto and the Robot for sale this week at the Moxie theater in Springfield and online.  The film was one of two major collaborative senior projects produced by MSU’s Electronic Arts program last spring.

Stratman said the most rewarding part of his experience making Roberto and the Robot was his collaboration with many talented people, both inside and outside the Electronic Arts program.  “The [Electronic Arts] program is great because they highlight your interest, but also focus on collaboration, which is a key part of all electronic arts generally and films specifically,” he said.

“Springfield has a great film community,” Stratman said, “You mention that you’re shooting a movie, and the word gets out, and people start calling you to be part of it.”

Stratman also praised the faculty and facilities at MSU in helping to create the film. “In fact,” he said, “a couple of teachers came up to me on the first day of shooting, wished me luck, and gave me $50 a piece.  That bought food on the first day of shooting.”

According to Stratman, the entire production cost around $3,000. Most of this money came from donations.  The rest, Stratman said, is on credit cards he’s still repaying.

The DVD has a very low price tag, which Stratman said is set just to cover the cost of making the DVD. Stratman described the DVD sales as “non-profit.”

The Roberto and the Robot DVD includes a commentary track recorded by Stratman, a behind the scenes featurette, and three other shorts produced at MSU: Roommate Wanted, American Psalm, and Circumvolve.

The soundtrack will also be available at the Moxie and online, featuring eight original rock tunes written and mixed by MSU student Isaac Crawford, who is also the sound designer for Roberto and the Robot.  Crawford cites early Rolling Stones and Velvet Underground as inspiration for the songs he wrote for the movie. “As the film progresses,” Crawford said, “the music also changes, adding the synthesizer sounds of the robot.”

Stratman expressed concern MSU’s Electronic Arts program might be seen by some as too difficult to join.  It should require a commitment, he said, but should also encourage a wide variety of students to join to enrich the collaborative process.

Stratman’s advice for students interested in the program is to start early. “Don’t wait to take a class you want to take, don’t wait to jump in and help with other people’s projects,” he said, “and don’t let people scare you off from trying to apply for the program.”

You can find out more about the movie at robertoandtherobot.com. DVDs are available at kunaki.com.

The author of this article participated in the production of Roberto and the Robot.

Finding a tutor on campus has never been easier.

Thanks to the new Bear Claw (Center for Learning and Writing), students needing assistance in writing, math, or any subject taught on campus can find tutors quickly, easily, and all under one roof.

Located conveniently on the first floor of Meyer Library, the Bear Claw is designed to be “a comfortable place for students to come together and work,” according to Mike Frizell, Director of the Bear Claw.

With a staff of highly trained student tutors, Missouri State students are free to drop by to get some extra help with their assignments, free of charge, in the 10,000 square foot space.

The center is in the process of hiring subject-area tutors for any classes that students request, such as Chemistry 160 or Psychology 121.

“These are difficult, high demand classes where we never really had organized tutoring for them,” Frizell said.

The center already employs student tutors in writing and math.

Photo by Zach Becker. At right, Bear Claw Writing Center tutor Sarah Viehmann, graduate student in English Composition and Rhetoric, gives writing tips for a class paper to senior Allison Bates, an English Education major.

Bear Claw tutor Kelly Bextermueller, a senior majoring in speech and language pathology, has enjoyed helping students improve their writing by working hand-in-hand with them.

“The one-on-one basis is more of a laid back environment,” Bextermueller said. “You see people improve over the course of time. It’s really rewarding.”

“In the classroom environment it’s really hard to get to know your students,” said Bear Claw tutor Sarah Viehmann, a graduate student in English composition and rhetoric. “(As a tutor), you get to form a relationship in order to help them with something as intimate as writing.”

While Missouri State did offer tutoring prior to the creation of the Bear Claw, students had to go to many different places to get it.

“We had a lot of splintering of services,” Frizell said. “Tutoring was handled by individual departments. Tutors had no formal training, other than being good at the subject.”

Frizell took over the Writing Center, which is now a separate entity within the Bear Claw, in 2005 and has worked to expand the service.

“(The Writing Center) had laid fallow for about a year and people weren’t really advertising it,” Frizell said. “There had been no new pedagogy (teaching methods) being introduced.”

Since Frizell took over, the Writing Center has grown from employing 10 writing tutors to 32. Student use of the Writing Center increased from 350 students in 2005 to 3,800 students last year.

Previously located in Pummill Hall and most recently Siceluff Hall, Frizell believes the new location for the Writing Center in Meyer Library will make it possible for even more students to utilize its services.

Writing Center tutors can assist students of any writing level, from undergraduate to doctoral. In fact, about 80 faculty members sent research papers through the Writing Center for suggestions last year.

The effort to incorporate these tutoring services under one roof through the Bear Claw was spearheaded by Frizell, as well as Diana Garland, Director of the Learning Commons, and Rachelle Darabi, Associate Provost of Student Development and Public Affairs.

About nine months were spent designing the space, accounting for “everything from colors to table top shape all the way to what would work best for student learning,” Frizell said. “We’ve got to make it convenient for students. Otherwise, they won’t use it.”

Frizell believes the central location in the library will increase student traffic for all tutoring services. He has also been working diligently to spread the word about the Bear Claw, promoting it to freshmen students during orientation and pitching the service to faculty to suggest to their students.

Students who try the service usually return.

“Most students who try it will come back more than once,” Frizell said. “Ninety-two percent of our clients (at the Writing Center) last year were repeat customers.”

“We try to get people excited about writing,” said Bear Claw tutor Rebecca James, a junior majoring in literature and gender studies. “I think it’s the hardest part but the best part.”

The Bear Claw Center for Learning and Writing can be found online at bearclaw.missouristate.edu.

Photo by Zach Becker. A chipmunk hides in the brush along the trail at the Springfield Nature Center.

For hikers and lovers of the outdoors, the Springfield Conservation and Nature Center can provide a welcome respite from the busy collegiate lifestyle.

With a main central building featuring ever-changing exhibits on wildlife, as well as three miles worth of outdoor wooded hiking trails, volunteers at this free-of-charge Springfield attraction hope to expose people of all ages to the beauty of the Ozarks.

“It’s a really great place to hike,” said Kim Banner, who works as a Naturalist at the Nature Center providing education programs. “Some of (the trails) are a little bit more challenging, a little bit hilly. You see a lot of nature first hand: lots of deer, lots of turkey, reptiles, lizards, turtles, snakes; all kinds of different things.”

Hiking is open to the public year round. However, newcomers to the area may wish to join the Nature Center’s hiking club.

A volunteer naturalist leads this club on hikes through different conservation areas in Missouri’s southwest region.

“If they like hiking and they don’t know where to go and they don’t have a person to hike with, that’s really a good thing for them to do,” Banner said.

The Nature Center hosts a multitude of exhibits and special events each month, exploring everything from insects and venomous snakes to hunter safety and snorkeling.

Located in southeast Springfield, the Springfield Conservation Nature Center is located just west of US-65 off the James River Freeway (US-60). The area is open daily 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The main building is open every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information or to sign up for its programs, contact the Nature Center at (417) 888-4237 or go to www.mdc.mo.gov/2360.

Harmless relaxation? Or addiction?

While classifying video games as an addiction might have seemed unimaginable twenty years ago, what started out as harmless fun may be interfering with the daily lives of people across the country.

Brothers Mike and Steve can attest to the addictive power of gaming.

“A year of my life is gone,” Mike said, describing how he has trouble remembering what happened outside the game world during 2007, when he played 25 to 30 hours just on weekends. “I know how, but I don’t really remember why I did those things. That’s what’s scary.

“It’s weird, it’s like everything I value, my family and friends, just disappeared.”

The brothers spoke on condition of anonymity (the names Mike and Steve are pseudonyms) because of the embarrassing nature of their problem. Mike attends Missouri State, while Steve just started at Ozarks Technical Community College.

Both men said they play more video games than they should. Steve play games nine hours on his days off from work and a couple of hours on work days as well. Mike said he has cut down slightly from his gaming peak and now spends closer to 20 hours a week playing.

Both spoke of the sense of achievement they felt from playing video games, even while acknowledging it was all virtual. “I love the teamwork aspect,” Mike said, “how everyone has a job to do and we all rely on each other to get things done.”

Steve likes how games are always available. “Doesn’t matter what time it is, you can always play,” he said. “It’s easy; it’s a good way to fill time.”

Behaviors like these impact college students all over the country. According to the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment, 10.8 percent of students reported internet use or computer games had a negative impact on their academic performance, compared to 11.2 percent for depression and 4 percent for alcohol use. One-fifth of students reported sleep difficulties, some of which could be caused by late nights of gaming or internet use.

“I’ll get home from work at eleven,” Steve said, “and I’ll be like, ‘I’m only going to play for an hour,’ and suddenly it’s three in the morning.”

“It’s not that I put off this or that specific thing to play,” Mike said, “but I’ll be so tired the next day that I won’t do as much as I want to or need to.”

Dorothy Warner, in Current Psychiatry, wrote video games facilitate, “the experience of ‘flow’ — a mental state of positive energy and effortless focus.” She compares it to the sensation reported by athletes and artists, including how time seems to become distorted.

Liz Woolley is the founder of On-Line Gamers Anonymous, whose website, www.olganon.org, supports an online community helping people recover from the problems caused by excessive game playing. She believes warnings about excessive gaming should get equal time in university programs with warnings to students about drug and alcohol abuse.

“The gaming companies spend millions of dollars a year on ‘research’ to try to figure out how to keep the gamer,” Woolley said. “Supposedly, (video games) are better than drugs or alcohol (for students), but I don’t think so.”

The OLGA website offers a list of over 40 questions people can use to assess their relationship with gaming. Some of the questions in this self assessment describe symptoms commonly associated with alcoholism, such as, “Do you try to hide how long you’ve been gaming?” and “Have you missed work/school because of your game playing?” It’s offered as a guide, not a diagnostic tool, with the website telling visitors, “You must determine if you think excessive gaming is a problem.”

Whether excessive gaming amounts to addiction is still an open question. As reported in Current Psychiatry, the American Medical Association determined last June that insufficient evidence existed to declare gaming as an addiction. The report said the American Psychological Association may consider adding gaming or internet addiction to its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-V, due to be published in 2012.

Woolley supports the addition of a gaming diagnosis to call more attention to the problem, but she doesn’t like the word “addiction.”

“Some people call it excessive gaming, others say obsessive, others say compulsive, others use gaming addiction,” Woolley said. “We tell a person if they think they have a problem with excessive gaming, they probably do.”

Woolley also urges more research to be done on the effects of excessive play on the brain. “I have seen day after day the effects excessive gaming can have on a person’s life,” she said. “It is very sad.”

Dr. Doug Greiner, Director of the Counseling and Testing Center at MSU, also shies away from the word “addiction” in connection with gaming. He describes addiction as involving chemical and biological changes in the brain, as well as social and behavioral effects. Dr. Greiner said behaviors like obsessive, uncontrollable thinking about gaming are symptoms he doesn’t see often.

“Usually, behaviors like these are symptomatic of avoiding other activities, like going to class or going out with friends,” he said. In this way, excessive gaming or internet use can mask deeper problems such as social phobias, depression, or other addictions.

Steve acknowledged, since he has moved back from Kansas City, he plays games more and goes out drinking less. “Now that I’m back here,” he said, “I don’t really know anyone anymore and playing video games really fills the time where I used to be partying a lot.”

Steve’s experience of adjusting to a new social setting mirrors that of many college freshmen. Woolley said freshmen are more vulnerable to excessive, habitual playing. “This may be their first time away from home,” she said, “They may feel overwhelmed with life as an adult. They may be failing some classes. An easy escape is gaming.”

Dr. Greiner said that freshmen do typically go through an adjustment period, but they are not any more at risk than other students. “You usually see, as time goes on, freshmen getting more involved with classes and with activities at the dorm and so on,” he said, “and so I would say anyone is at risk.”

“Anybody can get pulled too far into it because it’s not something they ever think they have to be careful about,” said Peter Mastroianni, Health-Education Coordinator of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, to The Chronicle of Higher Education. “They know about the risks of drugs and sex, but who ever thinks they have to approach a computer carefully? Their guards are down.”

Dr. Greiner said this kind of problem develops slowly over time. Students may notice more and more preoccupation with the game or the internet, manifesting in avoiding commitments, cutting class, or missing assignments. He said a particular warning sign would be spending extraordinary amounts of money on your habit and borrowing or even stealing to support it.

Dr. Greiner also suggested using common sense. “We’ve all been there,” Grenier said, “where we look up something on the internet and ten minutes later we look up and say, ‘How did I get to this site?’”

Woolley said to remember to not let any one thing dominate your time. “We promote balance in a person’s life,” she said. “Do all things in moderation.”

The Counseling and Testing Center at MSU has counselors experienced in dealing with gaming and internet compulsion. Students seeking help with these or other issues can visit their offices at Carrington Hall, Room 311, or call them at 836-5116. The Center also encourages students whose friends may be showing signs of trouble to contact them for a consultation about the best way to help.

The OLGA website, www.olganon.org, has many active forums for gamers or friends and family of gamers dealing with the fallout from excessive gaming problems. They also host live weekly chats and can help find face-to-face counselors. These services are free and anonymous.

“When I was at my worst, I was deep in denial about it,” Mike said. “I would keep making plans to cut back and control it, but they never worked.” The futility of these efforts, Mike said, lead him to see the extent of the problem and begin to make real changes.

Mike plans to go “cold turkey” from games this semester, taking it as far as deleting Minesweeper and Solitaire from his computer. Steve said once he gets into school, he’ll be able to put down the games and focus on studies. Neither one ruled out seeing a counselor if gaming continues to be a problem.

Read the complete interview with Liz Woolley.

Online Approach

Jason McGill: Please discuss your experience with doing counseling online. What unexpected challenges have you met and overcome?

Liz Woolley: When we started our organization, this was the only venue that would work, because everyone was so spread out. We had to follow what the gamers were doing and were already comfortable with or they would not seek help. We changed the focus of gaming from excessive gaming, to getting back to your real life, and finding fulfillment there.

As far as challenges, sometimes, when a gamer leaves the game, he/she cannot even have a computer in the house, because it is too tempting to use it to feed their cravings. This means they also cannot get to our website for support.

Also, many of the family members reaching out for support have not used the computer because the gamer is on it all the time. They do not know how to navigate on our website, how to post, how to register, etc.

JM: What would you say to someone that has a gaming problem but is skeptical of the effectiveness of support/counseling online?

LW: I would first suggest they go to our website and look at all of the tools offered. Print out what they can use and work them, off-line – in their real life. That is our main goal. Spend more time in your real life. By looking at your real life, and bringing the principles we offer into it, you will have a much better life. Here is a link to our principles: http://www.olganon.org/?q=12_principles_atheists

I also suggest they get a sponsor, and communicate with them by phone. This will also get them off of the computer.

DSV-V in 2012

JM: How do you define clinical game addiction?

LW: We do not use like to use the word addiction. The medical field does not use that term either. We prefer, “problems caused by excessive gaming.” There are huge issues with terms used when it comes to gaming. Some people call it excessive gaming, others say obsessive gaming, others say compulsive gaming, and others use gaming addiction. Do they all mean the same thing?

We tell a person, if they think they have a problem with excessive gaming, they probably do. We also have a screening they can take, to help determine for themselves if they think they have a problem. Here is the link to the screening: http://www.olganon.org/?q=self_tests_on_gaming_addiction

We do not diagnose. This is our mission statement: On-Line Gamers Anonymous is a fellowship of people sharing their experience, strengths and hope to help each other recover and heal from the problems caused by excessive game playing.

JM: Do you support the addition of Internet or Gaming Addiction as a diagnosis in the APA’s DSV-V, slated for release in 2012?

LW: Absolutely. There needs to be more services offered by the professionals to people who are having issues with excessive gaming – be it the gamer or the family member. Also, the professionals all need to get on the same page with this issue, and stop prescribing gaming as a treatment method.

JM: How do you answer those who say formulations of an Internet Addiction diagnosis are too vague or flimsy to be included in the DSV?

LW: There are several issues here. Will the DSV include all uses of the internet of just gaming? Will the “treatment” be different, depending how the patient is abusing their use of the computer?

I prefer to address gaming in particular. Many of the games have been designed to re-wire the brain to get the person addicted to the game so the gaming companies can make more money. The gaming companies spend millions of dollars a year on “research” to try to figure out how to keep the gamer. Are they any better than drug pushers? They have no regard for the well-being of their own customers. They just want to make more money.

I believe more research needs to be done, to show what excessive gaming actually does to a person’s brain. This is your brain on games. They do not make the person better in their real life. I have seen day after day, the affects excessive gaming can have on a person. It is very sad.

Freshmen and Vulnerability

JM: Are new college freshmen more vulnerable to falling into game addiction? Why?

LW: I believe college freshmen are more vulnerable to falling into using games excessively. Gaming is an escape from real life. The first year of college is very trying for the student. This is new to them. This may be their first time away from home. They may not have the discipline to create a schedule and keep it. They may have only played games in their real life up until this time and know how to do little else. They may feel overwhelmed with life as an “adult”. They may be failing some classes. An easy escape is gaming. Supposedly, “it is better than drugs or alcohol”? (I don’t think so…) There is not enough awareness on the college campuses or in the student services to steer students away from gaming.

JM: What are warning signs students and friends should look for?

LW: 1. Unable to predict time spent gaming.

2. Can’t control gaming for an extended period of time.

3. Sense of Euphoria while playing.

4. Craving more game time.

5. Neglecting family and friends.

6. Restless, irritable or discontent when not gaming.

7. Lying about your gaming.

8. Experiencing problems with school or job performance.

9. Feeling guilt, shame, anxiety or depression resulting from gaming.

10. Changing sleep patterns.

11. Health issues: Carpel tunnel, eye strain, weight change, back ache, sore neck, arms

12. Denying, rationalizing and minimizing bad consequences of gaming.

13. Withdrawing from real life hobbies.

14. Eating more and more meals at the computer while gaming.

15. Increased free time surfing game-related websites

16. Constant conversation with uninterested friends/family/partner about the game.

17. Attempts to get friends/family/partner to play

18. Purchasing in-game items for real life money

19. Feeling the need to “stand up for gamers” and proclaim that your life is perfect by listing all of your life’s achievements, and yet you still game for 4-6 hours per day.

JM: What do you recommend colleges do to raise awareness and help their students with game addiction?

LW: I strongly suggest there be a section in the student manual discussing excessive gaming, just as there is about excessive drug and alcohol use. We promote balance in a person’s life. Do ALL things in moderation.

Sending students to our website will help them realize they are not alone. This has happened to THOUSANDS of other people before them. Have a place they can go for help, on the campus, if they have excessive gaming problems.

When other students see someone who is falling into this trap, have a place and procedures for what can be done for that student to help them with their excessive gaming. Excessive gaming can harm your real life.