Troubled Teens Talk Video Game Addiction

Teens, adults, and a psychotherapist talk about addiction to video games in this program from the six-part Troubled Teens guidance series. While video game addiction is real and can indeed affect school, work, and social relations, this title is likely to have little effect on the intended audience. First, the audio quality varies, so the accents in this British production can sometimes be hard to understand. Second, the visuals are terribly dated, presenting repeated clips from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, a 2002 game that was a big hit on the PlayStation 2 (which was literally two gaming systems ago), as well as scenes of teens playing on an ancient original Xbox. The “expert” commentary here comes from psychotherapist Chris Carter, who makes general, vague, and occasionally somewhat ludicrous remarks. To wit: Carter says that teens playing more than four hours a day are probably addicted. But this is actually less time than the average American spends watching TV daily. So, if time is the big deciding factor, then aren't we all potential TV addicts or music addicts or book addicts? Interestingly, mobile games are let off the hook here since they are played in shorter bursts (it apparently makes no difference that most of these games have no narrative or character development or ethical decision-making). The filmmakers also briefly address the possible connection between video game playing and real-life violence, ominously citing one case of a teen killing another with a clawhammer and a knife (no details are given, but this refers to a decade-old murder in England that was reportedly inspired by the game Manhunt, a killing that sparked sensationalized and sometimes inaccurate coverage in the contemporary media). Offering a muddled overview with dated visuals, this is not recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (R. Pitman)