万花筒 Kaleidoscope 2007-06-30&07-01, 让人沉迷的虚拟世界

It all started out as a simple, you know, Nintendo NES system. Derek Chambers¹. Super Nintendo 64, Nintendo, 20 years old, Playstation, PS2, and a self-confessed addict².

It started out for that half hour and then it got worse and worse to the point where it became my new life, I had another life. And…

How many hours a day were you doing it?

Eight to plus, that 8, anyway, from 8 to 14 hours a day.

All those hours spent in the virtual world of a game called "World of Warcraft", a game of intrigue³, guile⁴ and frequent violence linked via the internet to millions of other players across the globe. Many of them just casual players, but at a clinic in Amsterdam that normally deals with drug addicts⁵ and alcoholics⁷, they have been seeing more and more people who become addicted⁸ to gaming.

Well, concerning that they have almost every system.

Derek has been here for 6 weeks and still has a way to go.

I can't ever play.

You are telling you must now… what we think we wanna hear.

Keith Bakker is a transplant to the American and former addict who runs the clinic. I'm sure of a simple guy and I mean if it looks like a dog, if it barks like a dog, and it wags tail like a dog, it's probably a dog, and gaming addiction⁹ shows all of the same symptoms, all of the same progression. And I think even worse, the consequence is even worse from gaming addiction.

The addicted show some of the same changes in brain chemistry that a drag addict shows. Their family or work or school lives can fall apart. They turn inward. Their life becomes all about getting their next gaming fix. A special committee of the American Medical Association has now recognized gaming addiction and recommends it be treated like any other type.

I just could not stop. And I mean I wasn't even taking care of my own health, I, just a Snickers bar for, for lunch, or dinner or breakfast.

At some point getting into these games moves from diversion to obsession¹⁰ to addiction. This is the world of World of Warcraft, and to the truly hooked, this becomes their real world, these become their real friends. They don't just play here, they live here.

So we, you know, identify with you.

The therapy being pioneered here involves "going cold turkey" and dealing¹¹ with the life problems that produce the game problems. But there's another difficulty. The drug dependant¹² can learn to stay away from drugs and the alcoholic⁶ can stay out of bars. But sooner or later, every body is going to have to use a computer.

Somebody used to hook on computer, or to hook on gaming, as you see that there is nothing wrong with the computer. But we have to help them get to the point where they don't find it necessary to, to, to go over to their dealer¹³. And that's as quick as they, they, you know, just one-hand movement, and they are, and they are in the crack house.

The manufacturer denies its game is deliberately¹⁴ addictive¹⁵. But to some, that is exactly what it's become.

How scary is it to give up a game for you?

It's pretty scary.

You're terrified?

Yeah.

Mark Phillips, CBS news Amsterdam
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Nintendo: 任天堂（日本游戏机公司）

NES: Nintendo Entertainment System

fix: A dose of a narcotic¹⁶ drug to which one is addicted ((吸毒者的)自我所需毒品注射量，此指gaming addiction.)

cold turkey: Immediate¹⁷, complete withdrawal¹⁸ from something on which one has become dependent, such as an addictive drug and here refers to addictive gaming.

1 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

2 addict   

v.使沉溺；使上瘾；n.沉溺于不良嗜好的人

参考例句：

• He became gambling addict,and lost all his possessions.他习染上了赌博，最终输掉了全部家产。
• He assisted a drug addict to escape from drug but failed firstly.一开始他帮助一个吸毒者戒毒但失败了。

3 intrigue   

vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋

参考例句：

• Court officials will intrigue against the royal family.法院官员将密谋反对皇室。
• The royal palace was filled with intrigue.皇宫中充满了勾心斗角。

4 guile   

n.诈术

参考例句：

• He is full of guile.他非常狡诈。
• A swindler uses guile;a robber uses force.骗子用诈术；强盗用武力。

5 addicts   

有…瘾的人( addict的名词复数 )； 入迷的人

参考例句：

• a unit for rehabilitating drug addicts 帮助吸毒者恢复正常生活的机构
• There is counseling to help Internet addicts?even online. 有咨询机构帮助网络沉迷者。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

6 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

7 Alcoholics   

n.嗜酒者，酒鬼( alcoholic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many alcoholics go on drinking sprees that continue for days at a time. 许多酒鬼一次要狂饮好几天。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Do you have a copy of the Alcoholics Anonymous book? 你手上有戒酒匿名会的书吗？ 来自互联网

8 addicted   

adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的

参考例句：

• He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
• She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。

9 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

10 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

11 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

12 dependant   

n.依靠的，依赖的，依赖他人生活者

参考例句：

• The dependent dependant cannot live independently.依靠别人的被赡养者不能独立生活。
• The fact that the woman is still regarded as the man's dependant.再加上女人仍被看作是男人的附属品这一事实。

13 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

14 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

15 addictive   

adj.(吸毒等)使成瘾的，成为习惯的

参考例句：

• The problem with video game is that they're addictive.电子游戏机的问题在于它们会使人上瘾。
• Cigarettes are highly addictive.香烟很容易使人上瘾。

16 narcotic   

n.麻醉药，镇静剂；adj.麻醉的，催眠的

参考例句：

• Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。
• No medical worker is allowed to prescribe any narcotic drug for herself.医务人员不得为自己开处方使用麻醉药品。

17 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

18 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。