There's a hidden epidemic out there, and it's ruining lives:online gaming addiction. Many extremely addictive computer games, such as "World of Warcraft" and "Everquest," feature fantasy worlds where a subculture of gamers spend untold hours online — chatting with people they've never met and killing monsters that don't exist. Gamers can be anyone they want to be and do anything they want to do for as long as they want, without the chance of anyone in their lives finding out. This passion for the imaginary is under control for most gamers, but out-of-control and potentially deadly for others. Last weekend, a Chinese man died in an Internet café after spending three whole days playing Internet games nonstop. While most of us would never take Internet gaming to such an extreme, this tragic event certainly begs the question of whether seemingly harmless diversions may not actually be so harmless. Gamers' virtual isolation has profoundly negative effects on them and carries tremendous implications for society. To many University of Wisconsin students, online gaming may just be something you do to procrastinate finishing a paper at 2 a.m. in Helen C. White, which is why I'm always shocked to hear how much time some of my friends spend on online gaming. It just seems so unproductive; how many employers are going to be impressed when you put "six hours of daily ogre slaying" on your résumé? Nevertheless, online gaming is a huge global phenomenon. More than 217 million people worldwide regularly play online games according to comScore, an online database firm. Also, more Americans play online games per week than watch online video clips or visit social networking sites. Online gaming also has a huge economic impact. Many gamers are actually willing to buy and sell advanced characters for these virtual worlds so they don't have to do the grunt work of building up one's own virtual character. This creates the potential for a creation of wealth and employment through these virtual worlds. The New York Times Magazine reported in June that there are thousands of businesses around China that collectively employ around 100,000 workers whose sole jobs are to play "World of Warcraft" and build up their characters' skills for mere pennies per hour. While spending a lot of time playing Internet games in itself isn't such a bad thing, the potential for negative consequences is extreme and dangerous. Some psychiatrists believe gaming addiction may be evidence of more harmful underlying conditions, such as social anxiety and depression. Addicts may be using online games as an escape from worldly problems, similar to an addict using alcohol or sleeping pills. In the process, compulsive gamers miss out on time for studying, forming meaningful relationships and getting involved in extracurricular activities. This can in turn exacerbate their isolation. Social isolation, as our society has unfortunately come to realize, has played a very significant role in high-profile shootings such as the Columbine and Virginia Tech massacres. The shooter at Virginia Tech, Seung-Hui Cho, was said to be an avid player of online games. This is not to blame the tragedy on video games, but merely to highlight how gaming addiction may be associated with other, potentially devastating problems. Gaming addiction isn't an insignificant problem. A Harris Interactive poll from April of found that 8.5 percent of young American gamers can be classified as "clinically addicted" to video games. This is a very significant percentage when you consider that 81 percent of American youth play video games at least once a month, including 94 percent of males. Males are also found to be much more likely to consider themselves addicted, do poorly in school and get into fights as a result of their gaming habits. Therefore, what should be done to include people who become isolated on college campuses through online gaming? The increasing reliance on the Internet creates ever more excuses not to interact with others, but it's important for friends to spot the warning signs of gaming addiction, as with any addiction, as early as possible. They should be consistently reminded of the virtues of the nonvirtual world and of how much they are missing out on while in their pajamas, eating Oreos and playing "Everquest." Prompt and appropriate psychological counseling should also play a role in some cases. The world for today's college students is stressful and complicated, and the need for escape is understandable. But gaming is not consequence-free, and every hour an individual spends playing online games is an hour not spent enjoying the real world. As Socrates said, "Everything in moderation." This is pretty good advice for keeping lives in balance and avoiding addictions altogether. Ryan Greenfield ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in political science and economics.