There is a serious worldwide problem that is taking control of children, teens and even adults around the world. This problem has taken lives, ruined relationships and is continuing to poison the minds of today's youth. Surprisingly, this problem is simply only a video game addiction, or is it really that simple? Some parents and others don't realise the dangerous problem with children and teens spending multiple hours a day playing video games. There has already been a battle which has gone on for a number of years, where people have tried put an end to this problem. In 1978, the popular arcade game Space Invaders was released. Proving very popular among children and teenagers, Space Invaders was a hit. However once you ran out of lives, you had to insert more money to continue playing. Surprisingly some children and teens begged from other people passing by for more money to continue playing! Other even stole money just to play. Video games have changed a lot since Space Invaders. Now gamers aren't restricted by time limits or lives anymore, and can play as long as they desire. Without set limits this becomes the danger of addiction, where players can play on and on without stopping for any amount of time. Today's games can be very dangerous, where games such as World of Warcraft and EverQuest are very 'social' games. You have to be online and play a lot if you want to get noticed. Sadly there are two dedicated Yahoo! groups, EverQuest Widows, and Spouses Against EverQuest. These are support communities that help spouses and parents who have a loved one playing excessive amounts of time playing EverQuest. Tragically due to two deaths and twenty suicides, the publicity has been too much for them. Spouses Against EverQuest has been respectfully deactivated. Statistics show that some gamers play these games up to 15 hours a day, some 80 hours a week, which is extremely excessive gaming.

While some games can take over your life, other games have a bad influence on you. It can have very serious consequences by changing your personality. Some of these games contain an overdose of extreme violence, blood, guns, criminal activities, violent sexual themes, racism, drug use, alcohol consumption, and a total rejection of authority. One of the most frequently criticized video games is Grand Theft Auto, which contains all the above examples. This game series is developed by Rockstar North. First appearing in 1998, the latest version Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was released on the Playstation 2 and Xbox in 2004. On release, San Andreas was originally rated 'M' for mature, but in July 2005 the game was suspended from production and the game received a new rating of Adults only 'AO'. Due to the release a modification which allowed players to unlock a hidden sex scene from the game, named 'Hot Coffee'. A number of retailers immediately pulled the game from the selves as many of them refused to sell Adult games. Eventually the game was re-released on PC without the 'hot-coffee' content and receiving the 'M' rating once again. Why on earth would Rockstar North include such a scene? It just proves how low the video games industry is heading.

An example of this bad influence was displayed in August 2005. An 18 year old, Devin Moore was found asleep in a car he had stolen. After getting taken back to the Police Station, he got told that he was going to serve time. He decided he wasn't going to jail. Making a move on the officer's pistol, planning that he would just cuff the officer and make a run for it. Sadly the officer screamed for help, and Moore 'freaked out', he says: "I don't know how many times I shot him, but I shot until he fell to the floor". After leaving the room, he sadly gunned down another officer that was in the hallway. Desperately trying to get out of the building, he came across the last officer in the building that night; shockingly he raised the pistol again. After just one minute he had killed three police officers. What led him to steal a car, and kill three officers? Months earlier, it was said he played Grand Theft Auto for hours on end; breaking the law by stealing cars, and murdering police officers. After the shootings Moore jumped into one of the officers patrol cars and raced down the highway. Shortly after, he was found by two Alabama officers. Ordering Moore to get out of the car, Moore begged "Please shoot me, please shoot me." Later at the jailhouse, he spat the words, "Life is like a video game, you have to die sometime."

Bangkok, Thailand, is trying to crack down on these excessive gamers. Doing so, by banning under-18s from Internet Cafes after 10pm and before 2pm from Monday to Friday. "We have laid down the order in response to widespread game addiction that has caused family and social strife," Lt-General Achirawit Suphanphesat Police spokesman said. A Dutch clinic has also started the first treatment for video game addiction. The Clinic has been overwhelmed with requests for help from parents and children alike from all around the world. "It's amazing, I've never seen anything like it," said Keith Bakker, the American director of the clinic in Amsterdam. "The phone has been ringing constantly. Computer game addiction is obviously an even greater problem than we imagined."