A Fatigued Response to "Entangling Roots"

Well, it looks like it's that time again, everybody! Yes, time once again to blame video games for all the world's evils. Perhaps I am being more dramatic here than is necessary, but this is by no means the first time I have heard this worn out tale. In this essay, "Entangling Roots", Jeff Lessard takes a firm stance against massively multiplayer online role playing games, claiming that they ruin the lives of many people who play them and that the players can no longer tell the difference between fantasy and reality. I have spent a considerable portion of my life sitting in front of a computer or television screen, engrossed in a video game, be it by myself or playing online with other people, and I can proudly say that no game has ever motivated me to neglect my social or personal responsabilities or to leave the real world behind. As Lessard says, there are millions of people playing World of Warcraft, a number which I believe has recently jumped to 11 or 12 million. Out of all of these people, there are bound to be people who get caught up in the game, just as there are millions of others who play it simply from time to time without getting addicted. Many of the events Lessard describes in his essay about people killing themselves over online interactions are true tragedies, but it is simply wrong to claim that the game was the sole reason for the incident. Consider the example of Shawn Wooley, who commited suicide after having his proposal rejected by another person playing EverQuest. This is a very sad story in itself, but if someone is willing to devote their lives to something as trivial as an online game, couldn't it be possible that the person had something wrong with them before the game came along? Many people out there have addictive personalities, and simply become engrossed in the games they play. With a game like World of Warcraft, there is no real end-point that gives these people a point they need to quit playing. I am not saying here that World of Warcraft cannot hurt one's social life in the real world, Lessard provided plenty of examples of that, but it just seems to me that online games, and video games in general, have become this generation's scapegoat toward most of society's ills. People are blaming too many things on video games today, just as they did with Dungeons and Dragons 15 years ago, and rock and roll before that. Rational people usually have no problems with online games, but even so, if someone close to you is becoming addicted to a game, is it too much to ask that you try to help them kick the addiction before they end up doing something stupid?

-Will Cook

-Edits
I've just realized that I never really answered the question of whether or not I considered this essay to be "good" or whether I liked it, although my answer to the second question should be rather clear. I think that this essay is well written, and that the author cites his sources well, but I can't call it good. The author makes his case against the games, but there is much that he does not mention about the other side of the argument, and he is seemingly reluctant to admit that normal people can play the game and lead normal lives, despite the whole "millions of people play this game and a few individuals have problems" basis of the argument. I feel that if Lessard had entertained the other side of the issue, I would be more willing to consider his points.