Customer Reviews

Unplugged: My Journey into the Dark World of Video Game Addiction

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1 star:		(5)

 

 

The second half of the book deals with Van Cleave's journey out of his addiction from World of Warcraft (WoW) and has some honest self-reflection regarding the fall-out from gaming. The first half of the book (Ch. 2-7) however is not at all what I expected as a journey into the dark world of _video game_ addiction. Rather, it includes some grave tales concerning his childhood, many unfortunate misfortunes & misadventures, and a lot of details of his addictions while in college including with sex & booze with a much lesser emphasis on video gaming and gambling. The lack of details into his video game time-sink does not parallel the alarmingly dark nature of his sexual encounters, sexual abuse, and binge drinking. And the chapter about his time as a teacher at Clemson leaves me thinking he was a caring teacher who connected with & saved depressed students and the reason he lost his job was because he saw "Administrator Sally" cheating with a woman on her husband. He writes, "This was the beginning of the end of my days at Clemson" (p. 126). Perhaps these chapters are the side of Van Cleave that is looking everywhere outside of himself for the reason for his addictions or anything but video gaming as the cause of his problems--and therein lies the rub!

There seems to be a journey into a dark world definitely, but it seems to me to be into the dark world of an addictive person(ality) struggling to come clean and be truthful about anything and everything that matters to him. Perhaps this is more the journey _out of_ the dark world he has found himself caught in. I get from reading this book that he is still battling his addiction to WoW because he both says it and shows it in his writing by not really giving the kind of details he gave about other addictions he seems to have conquered (sex, & booze).

The book may be a very worthwhile for others battling any issue of addiction but I must admit that I would recommend it be taken with a grain of salt... that is some of the stories may or may not be true. Van Cleave himself agrees with his wife that he may be "manipulating his memories" with "what seem to be out and out lies" as a way of protecting himself (p. 192).

I thank Van Cleave for reminding me of Yoda's wisdom--"Do or do not, there is no try". I also think the appendices are a great asset to anyone battling the addiction to video games. Wherever the truth lies, I believe he is a talented individual who deserves the very best in his journey forward and out of the dark world of addictions into his place in the sun!

This book is yet another inappropriately targeted look at addiction, marketed towards fearful parents who worry about their kids because they let video games do more parenting than they do. The book paints a picture of a man with an obviously addictive personality who spent his time in college following other vices like alcohol and sex before moving to a much less harmful one in video games. If he hadn't discovered video games and become addicted to them, chances are this book would be titled "My Journey into the Dark World of Gambling/Alcohol/Drug/Sex Addiction". If there is any valuable information to be taken from this, its that the author's addiction to video games may have saved him from numerous other addictions that would have done a great deal more damage to his life and family.

As such, this book reads a lot more like an ex-addict looking to make excuses about why he acted the way he did, and marketing it to people who don't know enough about video games or addiction to know better. He even says in his own book that the truth of some of his stories may be questionable - which only supports the idea that this book is written from a flawed perspective. Do not be fooled; this is simply another ex-addict's cry for attention and money, and one that supports the misinformed view of video games as a 'dangerous substance'.

This book was a huge disappointment. I bought it to help my son. After reading the first chapter - a very emotional story about an attempted suicide, spurred by computer game addiction, I thought it would be helpful. It wasn't. The next 100 pages were about the author's drunken sexual escaped in college with a few references to playing computer games. I got disgusted with this and leafed through the rest of the book, reading a sentence here and there to see if it there was anything helpful. There wasn't. I threw the book in the trash.

video games are not in anyway inherently addictive. if a video game is "addictive" to you, it is because some type of pre-existing psychological issue, some kind of vice to get away from something, or just poor choices. anything can be addictive, if you have an addictive personality. it is very easy to play any game with moderation.

i played WoW from 2005 up until earlier this year, and usually played maybe 2-5 hours a week. there were periods of time where i played more frequently (like new expansions being released) but only ever played when i had the time. the only reason i quit, is because the game has lost its luster for me, and it is really boring now.

all this book is, is a sob story about a guy who made poor choices, and is not taking responsibility for his own actions.

It seems that the author's true problem is being unable to distinguish between fiction and reality. His "addiction" is fiction, as is most of this book.

I'll admit that I knew the author during a few years covered in the book. I was surprised how clear and vivid his memories were of this time. The details are simply spot on. I found myself remembering many events. I was also surprised to learn a few things about his secret life of video addiction--which in retrospect makes completes sense now. I knew he was a big gamer, with pretty much every platform available and a number of very fast computers, but I never knew how deeply he was drawn to that world. These details perfectly fill in the missing time, missing details in a way that not only makes sense but also makes a great story. Completely enjoyed this book. I'm familiar with substance addiction, but this book opened me up to other types of addiction, the kind that is rooted in experience. Total reading time: two nights!

I started this book and couldn't put it down until my eyelids got to heavy late in the wee hours. I woke up the next morning, ate breakfast and continuing my fascinating journey through this book until I came to the end. Van Cleave shows the most up to date and investigative research I have ever seen. He has definately done all of his homework. His writing is so thoroughly open and honest. He is also so descriptive that at times I felt uncomfortable like I was invading his privacy. His words flowed in a way resulted in my visualization of everything as I read. This is something that only a PHD in Literature with unbelivable writing talent could pull off. I was mesmerized yet educated at the same time. I feel like I really know (and like) this guy now. I feel like I totally understand the exteme draw a video game has on so many. No one is immune.

I do warn about a few graphic discriptions that may make some women feel uncomfortable in the beginning of his book, but I definately do not discourage buying this book in any way. It is well-researched, includes interviews with addicted gamers, game-creators, people that say they balance their gaming with a full life and people that love gamers. There are also several pages at the end of the book with great web-sites that you can't always find by googling on your own.

All of you gamers, psychology majors, doctors, teachers out there that don't believe that video games are addictive, read this book first. Then come to your own conclusion.

I highly recommend this book. It has changed my perspective forever and helped me and those I love in a good way.

If there were ever a time for a book like this, it's now. This book helps to understand how people affected by video game and electronic addiction behave - so that those affected by this can recognize how to help.

Normally, self-help books are a snooze - and really, this is a self-help book. But the fact that it's an expertly written memior keeps it interesting and engaging. I can only imagine the people that this book can help.

It's sad that some will choose to see this addiction as less legitimate because it doesn't introduce chemically addictive drugs into your metabolic system. In fact - I think it's worse. Essentially, your body is hooked on itself.

I know many people who need to read this book.

To be honest, most self-help books can be reduced to a short article--that is, a series bullet-pointed concepts. But the amazing thing about Unplugged is that these concepts are placed into a rich story. You can read the book description for yourself, which pretty much sums of the narrative. But this book is far more than another quickie self-help tome, it is a rich story of a man whose life is out of control. By this, I mean the book not only offers up plenty advice for parents whose kids are hooked on video games and the internet, it also allows readers to understand the mindset of video addiction by deeply exposing the author's inner life. If you're a parent with a kid with a video game problem, this book will not only help you understand the problem, it will help you understand your kid as well, while understanding how to break the hold of video games. It's a compelling read all the way through.

This is an elegantly written book that is not only insightful, it is also compelling to read. Rich with detail and and personal experience, the book depicts a honest account of one person's deep attachment to video games--an attachment that nearly destroys his professional and personal life.