Tivo Alert: Hal Halpin on CNBC Tonight

Tivo Alert: Hal Halpin on CNBC Tonight

June 22, 2007
ECA president Hal Halpin dropped a line to let GamePolitics readers know he will be on CNBC this evening at about 7:30 Eastern.

Hal will be involved in a point-counterpoint interview on video game addiction. The topic is getting a lot of media attention just now due to the American Medical Association's bid to have it declared an official diagnostic disorder.
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yo does anyone know where i can get this and/or the della rocca video? the cnbc link doesn't play the video anymore, at least is my experience, i'll try to play it on a different computer and see if that doesn't work
God hates me and I hate him back. I respect freedom of religion and go ahead, believe whatever you want. Just don't push the heavily flawed and self-proclaimed "best-seller" The Bible onto my face, it won't help anything but blow my top and beat you up.
A disorder now??!?! Does that mean I can go on disability and get paid to stay home?!???!?!?!?!
At least it seems that they are actually background checking the people they let on the air now. :x
That would be during the second half of "On the Money" if neither my cable guide nor the website are lying to me. Thanks for the head's up. This will go well with my Tetris documentary.
meh gambling is a ""addiction",well technically anything can be, humans are silly like that.
Gaming addiction doesn't exist.
Compulsive and obsessive behavior, does exist.


Don't believe the hype!
I hope all goes well. I look forward to watching this.
uh-huh.
well, i guess anything done compulsively to the point that it interferes with your life can be considered a disorder and/or addiction.
this sounds like a fluff piece, although anything of substance on network tv would be note worthy.

you think next time mr. Halpin drops you a line you could ask him what the ECA is doing about informing nintendo and sony that adults also own their systems, and restricting developers to making teenager only games is ass backwards? (ie. games are not just for kids)

or are these console makers to big for the ECA? has the ECA even contacted them about this issue?

i understand the organization is still fairly new, and talking to large corporations is somewhat different than whining about misinformed politicians and lawyers...

but fucking grow a pair and do what it is the ECA was founded to do, i don't think being bitch whipped by nintendo was one of the goals.

There is a finished game, ready to play (manhunt 2), but we can't play it due to politics.

its almost like, there should be some sort of organization formed to protect the consumers of entertainment, it would be really cool you know, to have a voice to speak for gamers as a group...

if the ECA is going to roll over every time nintendo says 'we have a policy', maybe we should all get together and form an advocacy group that will actually speak up.
So do they need to make a specific disorder for everything someone could be psychologically addicted to? Are they getting paid by the page or something? If they keep going this route, the DSM-V will be very thick.
ARRRRRRRRRRRG!

When will people stop WHINING about Manhunt 2. Can't release AO on consoles, never could, never will. GET OVER IT.
"you think next time mr. Halpin drops you a line you could ask him what the ECA is doing about informing nintendo and sony that adults also own their systems, and restricting developers to making teenager only games is ass backwards? (ie. games are not just for kids)"

YES!!! What is the ECA doing about the gamer outrage over the Manhunt 2 banning? They haven't even issued a damn statement! Are they going to take people's money and do nothing?? I emailed them, but I haven't even been replied to. What's the deal? Where's the action?

If the ECA doesn't do anything they will have lost all credibility and I will make it my mission to expose them for taking money and not doing anything for gamers!
"ARRRRRRRRRRRG!

When will people stop WHINING about Manhunt 2. Can’t release AO on consoles, never could, never will. GET OVER IT. "

Jack Thompson, is that you?
@ tempo --- Nice. But I doubt the ECA will do anything about the issue.
@ Silver_Derstin --- Thank you for your intelligent, well-informed contribution.
@tempo

I'd bet my shirt that Manhunt 2 will find its way in the discussion somewhere.

Even if it doesn't, I'm sure Hal wouldn't ignore the issue entirely. He's probably just trying to think of the right thing to say. I can understand if he's taking his time on that, considering how controvesial the issue has become even within the gamer community itself.
Silver_Derstin
I would not not say that MK and Eternal champions where Adult class games (of their time) It would be interesting if MS decides to fully support AO games on the 360(lets face it DOA X is gettign damn close),I'd buy 2 if they did just because they would half way support AO titles.

GamerDad
ah Compulsive and obsessive behavior=addiction thus to some it is a disorder ,altho like anythign else in PC life to much of "anything" is a "disorder" and we need to be "protected" from it 0-o
So does that mean ANOTHER frickin disorder to add to my list?

Maybe this time I can squeeze some perks out of it. Like not having to attend class because of a diagnosable mental illness or something...

Least I can tell my folks something and maybe they wont yell at me as much. I want to stop playing, but its the disorder.
@Terminator44

a cool head on you, good thing.
i hope you are right, and Hal and his group are planning as we speak. i have been thinking of joining the organization.. but i'll wait to see what happens with this i guess.. also, i've been finding myself not really 'needing' to work much lately... and was thinking of getting a sister thing going in berlin.

as the readers of this site are most likely aware, censorship is alive and thriving here in germany, particularly in gaming.
it is disturbing.
i don't buy games in the country i live in (ok some wii party games and a couple driving titles) because they are censored.

Silver_Derstin, trust me, playing GTA with green blood, actually does change the experience. it is a very different feeling, and is not the same game the talented designers had envisioned.

imagine the first ten minutes of 'saving private ryan' (or w/e) with green blood. it is a different movie.


this sets a horrible precedent. the ESRB does what they intended; they inform the public about the content of games. good.

they assign MH2 an Ao rating. they are probably correct, its a slasher flick, not a kids game.

nintendo and sony announce, 'we have a policy, our console are for teenagers, not adults'.

'oh shit' say the ECA and gamers, 'we didn't know there was a policy, sorry, we'll just roll over'

the problem here, and the precedent here is:
it has now been established that anything the ESRB deems to be a gaming experience for adults, will not be produced. the console makers only allow games for teenagers. 'games are for kids' is what they are telling us.

and this Silver_Derstin is going to make developers (distributors) nervous, this is going to change the way games are developed.

what do you want to play next? 'God of War 3' or 'God of War 3: hugs and puppies'

i think this is important.
i think this is what.. i thought the ECA was about..

@GP
sorry for being of topic, (ranting) i feel strongly about this, and didn't know where else to put it.. also the poll on the right, to me, reads like ' how should we just give up, because 'they' have a policy' . . .
also from the ECA...
tempo
I am comparing the ratings systems in the link in my name its in the forms,please comment on it,,I have researched the USK some
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unterhaltungssoftware_Selbstkontrolle

from my understanding games are not all out baned but made to where sales are hidden from minors and such,meaning adults can get the game this is also true of 18(ao class) games.

As for localizing in order to fit in with the area or be edited to fit into the rating boards it jsut sucks to have stupid people localize games, needless edits and no Jp voice tracks are my bigest gripe and I am in the US you guys in Europe get no end of grief from the taxs the mark ups and ontop of it odd localizing...
This sucks.. i was kinda hoping i could play the game, as much suck as it probally was going to be.

But this is the hitch... at least with ps3. If i remember correctly, the ps3 is region free. Thus R* releases it for other places, if of course they are allowed to. (japan?) Then US & UK gamers Import from japan.

If not, soon there will be a 'leak'...
I'd go for that, a Japanese imported release. A lot of good Japanese games would be too controversial to ever sell here, so it'd just be one more to add to the list I guess.
Damn! I missed it. I hate my job more every day.
I saw it, it barely lasted 5 minutes.
@Sean:

Anything noteworthy? I missed it, too.
Oh.
thegrey:

Didn't seem too bad. Both got to speak, and the anchor and doctor acknowledged that you can become addicted to pretty much anything. I'm surprised Manhunt didn't find it's way in there, though.

But CNBC sucks because I had to use Internet Explorer for that video. Blarg.
To GamerDad.

"Gaming addiction doesn’t exist.
Compulsive and obsessive behavior, does exist.

Don’t believe the hype!"

Haha, I agree with you on this one! Sorry anti-game cronies, this world is not just only about working and kissing people's asses all the time, there are also times when we can enjoy ourselves by entertainment so if you don't like it, come and find us, just hope that you boys are ready to fight.
The doctor compared "video game addiction" to the chemical addictions (as many always do). The announcer refers to addiction to TV... then sputters because she can't think of anything else.

Why not gambling?

When it comes to chemicals (alcohol, tobacco, recreational drugs), one might argue that the end result of said addiction is the preceived physical satisfaction.

But when it comes to things that offer a "gain" (financial or competitive challenges), the preception is a mental satisfaction at the least.

Indeed, the challenge factors to addictions such as gambling, sports, or even video game addictions are different from TV, movie, book "addictions".

I agree with GamerDad that video games would more likely be a compulsion because the goals are different than gambling addictions. Usually, the compulsion is directed at one specifc video game. Even if the game itself doesn't keep tally on certain acts, the player does tend to do so. I wonder if they'll examine the difference between a never ending free play mode, versus a game with an end but not a conclusion (some multiplayer FPS games for example where the battle can end but the war never does) versus games that reach conclusions to their stories and that's the end of the game. Ya know, come to think of it, that would be good research for the ECA to do. Not even under the heading of addiction or compulsive but under the heading of how players react to those different types of games and just how much satisfaction they get from them.

nightwng2000
NW2K Software
@JQuilty

How did you get to watch it? I have IE6, and the video wouldn't start.
@Terminator44
Get Firefox.
__________________
I was addicted to TV once for a few years. Then I just got sick of it and discovered the Internet.
Terminator: I used IE7. Which is why CNBC is now evil. They made me use it.
The woman there pretty gave away what this is all about and like what I said earlier.... A word that consist of five letters, M-O-N-E-Y.


Anything can be addicting, all it has to do is provide the right kind of stimulation for your brain to release a chemical is going "YAY! I MUST DO THIS MORE!" If they AMA and "addiction centers" could, they'd have us all enrolled in their programs because we all could fall into an addiction of some sort. Because everyone has OCD at some level, just some worse (and a lot worse) than others.
haha...

Dr Alexander Thomas, go somewhere based on religion, they will probably give you the reaction you desire. You won't get it here.
[...] I was also called by CNBC for another interview/debate later that evening. Unfortunately, I had a schedule conflict and wasn’t able to do it. Instead, I referred them to Hal Halpin of the Entertainment Consumers Association, who did a fine job considering he stepped in at the last moment… [...]
To Dr Alexander Thomas,

I'm with Tom too. Go take your statue of your precious holy God and get out of here and don't expect me to believe in your God because he hates me and so do I.
The Thomas guy reminds me of a poster who was banned during the LJ days....

At any rate, Video Game addiction is silly beyond all reason, these guys just want to help the pharm companies sell more drugs to irresponsible people and want a society where people have less and less personal responsibility since people without responsibility are also not deserving of freedoms.
Dr Alexander Thomas
what lil world do you live in to deem fiction bad no matter what that fiction is, good god you ever read the bible?

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