WoW, to many this word is simply a way to express shock or amazement. To gamers, however, it speaks of a different world — the World of Warcraft, that is.

WoW is one of the most popular and successful games in the video game industry.

Although video games appear to be an innocent source of entertainment, many speculate that they are addictive and may become a problem comparable to gambling.

“It is a huge domestic problem,” said Hilarie Cash, a counselor psychotherapist and co-founder of Internet/Computer Addiction Services. “A lot of gamers sublimate their desire for romantic and sexual relationships into the game because they’re not dating and engaging. It makes it much harder for them to date, because they missed out on a whole developmental phase.”

Although it may seem like an unrealistic and almost laughable matter that people are addicted to video games, the issue has hit hard as the number of gamers increases.

A poll conducted by The Associated Press and AOL Games on May 7, 2006 showed that four in 10 Americans play electronic games, with 10 percent of that number playing more than 10 hours weekly.

But it’s not just casual gaming that leads to an addiction — to some it is much like drugs in that it provides escape from societal problems.

“Many kids we work with have come out of really painful family situations and have turned to gaming as an escape to that. They are wanting to escape the psychological pain,” Cash said.

This desire to escape is not unique to children; even adults use video games as an escape from problems and anxieties.

“I had a guy who flunked out of one of the Ivy League colleges. He was a healthy well-rounded individual before he started college, but he was so insecure about making it academically he ran away from the pain of that anxiety by gaming,” Cash said. “He was deeply addicted.”

Although some may claim that drug addictions are different, Cash explained that the two have more in common than one might think.

“What research is beginning to show us is that we can elevate the level of dopamine and activate the pleasure pathways in the brain,” Cash said. “Whether that happens through the ingestion of certain drugs or through behaviors, it’s all the same. In terms of neurochemistry it really boils down to the same thing.”

Behaviors including gambling, sex and video games can all cause an increase in the level of dopamine, Cash said.

“People can become addicted to these things just as they can become addicted to cocaine, pot or alcohol,” Cash said.

Many people might conjure up a stereotypical image of “gamer” in their minds when reading or hearing about video game addictions, but Cash said it’s not just young sci-fi-loving males who are addicted to video games.

“The statistics show that there are a lot of female addicts who like to play the Sims, Tetris and a lot of other single player games,” Cash said. “Women also tend to get pretty addicted to chat, instant messaging, checking out MySpace and other social things.”

Yes, MySpace can be an addiction.

“Guys play those games as well, but a lot of guys are drawn to games involving fighting and battles,” Cash said.

Cash said the majority of video game players range from ages 13 to 30.

“When we are working with a kid who is really still a young teenager, we are working with the family, and it’s a family problem. We teach the parents how to set limits,” he said.

Although families of older addicts are less involved, it’s usually family members who bring addicts in for therapy. Surprisingly, however, older addicts are more motivated than their younger counterparts.

“Once they start having chronic experiences of college failure — usually clients who are 19 or older — those are the young people who come in motivated because they are sick of the pattern of their lives,” Cash said.

There are, however, those who feel there is not yet enough research to label video gaming as an addiction.

“There’s no agreement anywhere in the medical field that behaviors that don’t involve an external substance such as doing something on the Internet are an addiction,” said Richard Ries, a professor of psychiatry and head of the department’s division of addictions at the UW, “They’re probably more seen as a compulsion.”

This lack of substantial evidence has skeptics such as Ries questioning whether statements that video gaming is an addiction are medically accurate.

“There’s no research with gaming. If somebody who starts gaming a lot finds themselves addicted, I don’t know if there’s a good way to predict that,” Ries said. “We know some things about alcohol. The corollary would be just like saying binge drinking probably isn’t safe or healthy; binge Internet gaming is probably the same way.”

Medically, there may be no substantial way of claiming that video gaming is an addiction, but Ries has a general belief about bingeing.

“If you bury yourself in bingeing, you should try to pull out of it. Bingeing of anything is probably not healthy,” Ries said.

However, this lack of substantial research may soon be eliminated.

“Ten years ago there was almost nothing on gambling, and now there’s even medication for gambling behaviors,” Ries said. “There gradually is more attention on computer games; you’re starting to see more on the Internet.”

Despite this lack of clarity in whether the addiction is real or not, gaming certainly seems to be ubiquitous at the UW.

Spencer Bray, a senior majoring in philosophy and German, found himself playing more than 30 hours of WoW per week.

Although Bray eventually stopped playing for personal reasons, he understands why the game is so addicting.

“The sort of reward structure is similar to the way addiction works. You are constantly being rewarded by substances,” he said. “You can keep dying, so there’s no way to win or lose; that’s why it is so addicting.”

Despite playing WoW so much, Bray said he wasn’t a serious gamer.

“If you’re in a serious guild, you raid six days a week,” he said.

A guild is a group of players who coordinate schedules of attack, show up at a pre-arranged time and execute that attack.

“The guys who raid don’t have jobs and just sit around. There are people who go to work and play, with no other social interaction,” he said.

Bray said the process of recruiting members for an elite guild is quite stiff.

“There’s an application process. You see the players online and ask them about applying for a guild, and they tell you their Web site and how to apply,” he said.

Having been a gamer, Bray understands the addictive properties of video games but also feels that it varies by person.

“I don’t think I have an addictive personality, and I never felt like I couldn’t stop. But I really do think it’s (the addiction) is a real thing and has potential to become a bona fide addiction,” he said. “If you can control it, it’s just as much of a legitimate hobby as any other hobby.”

Cash said Bray was probably addicted.

“He might feel like he wasn’t an addict because he’s not doing it now, but 30 to 40 hours a week is a lot,” Cash said. “All addictions are held in place by denial.”

Whatever the case, video gaming has become an integral part of many lives, and controversy is stirring as the gaming community continues to expand.

[Reach reporter AJ Yoon at features@thedaily.washington.edu.]