A CBS News report on the incident in which Baldwin found himself kicked off a flight with American Airlines after he refused flight attendants’ requests to turn off his mobile phone. The incident occurred on a plane waiting to leave the Los Angeles International Airport.

According to reports, the actor was heavily into playing the popular Scrabble-like app, "Words with Friends," while he was waiting for the plane to take off. Powering off all electronic devices is a standard request on any airplane while the aircraft is taking off. Baldwin’s refusal to comply could indicate an addiction to the game, or simply an arrogance that safety rules do not apply to him.

A spokesman for the actor, Matthew Hiltzik, suggested the former is more likely the culprit in this case. He claims Baldwin loves the game so much, he was willing to leave the plane rather than comply with requests that he turn it off for the flight.

Crew members reported that Baldwin was removed from the plane due to his violent and aggressive behavior toward airline staff. This outward reaction could have been the effects of his addiction shinning through.

The actor used the incident to then taunt American Airlines for their poor service and threatened to use another airline. His threats appeared somewhat hollow when he boarded another AA flight later the same day to get to New York.

Recently the "Sims" virtual game has created a new Facebook game called "The Sims Social." Like the other types of Sims games, users develop a virtual "identity" online and even buy a residence, accessories and more to make the character more realistic. Now the character can also engage in social relationships using more advanced features in the virtual gaming program, including sexual relationships, according to a recent article on Net Mums.

It’s this element of the game that has experts and safety consultants like Charles Conway alarmed because users develop and follow virtual relationships through their Sims characters. Some of these relationships may turn sexual, including choices of where the players will engage in intercourse, such as different locations around the house.

Even more alarming is the way the game gives users rewards in the form of points for these relationships and encounters, which help the user move forward to new levels of the game. Though the game is played on Facebook, which is set up to ask for age verification, the verification may not be fully authentic when it comes from kids or minors.

Others have entered debates about whether or not the Sims Social game encourages other types of cybersex beyond game settings, such as through online chat rooms. In some cases, sexual predators can establish a "friendly" relationship with underage gamers online and then try to escalate the relationship to sexual encounters. It is believed that as many as 40 percent of teens have "friends" through Facebook that they’ve never actual met and don’t know.

Parents are encouraged to set firm Facebook boundaries and to be aware of sexual elements that may not at first be obvious in some Internet-based games.

This team also argues that greater amounts of gaming, lower social competence and greater impulsivity are risk factors for becoming pathological gamers. These findings were from a two-year longitudinal study of 3,034 students in third through the eighth grades in Singapore.

Among the students studied, the research team identified 9 percent of those gamers to be pathological players. This assessment was completed using standards similar to those established by the American Psychiatric Association for diagnosing gambling addictions. The students’ pathological play also appears to be creating some serious problems, including anxiety, depression, social phobias and lower school performance.

Researchers involved with this study report that the percentage of pathological youth gamers in Singapore very closely matches that in other countries, according to multiple studies. For instance, research in the U.S. identified 8.5 percent pathological gamers; China found 10.3 percent; Australia found 8.0 percent; Germany found 11.9 percent; and Taiwan found 7.5 percent.

This research helped to identify whether some types of children are at greater risk, the length of time that the problem will last and whether pathological gaming is a separate problem or a symptom of another problem, such as depression.

Based on thorough analysis, the research team involved in this study suggests that video game addiction is in fact a serious behavioral problem and one that is separate from other afflictions and therefore should be addressed as such.
 

A recent study has found that the personality traits that contribute to a video game addiction may have similarities to the traits found in someone with Asperger’s Syndrome. The study, published by the British Psychological Society indicates that those addicted to video games display similar personality traits to those found among persons diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome.

The study was conducted by Dr. John Charlton of the University of Bolton an Ian Danforth of Whitman College. The researchers recruited 391 gamers and upon investigation discovered that the more severe an addiction to video games that existed, the more likely the individual was to exhibit “negative personality traits.”

In addition, indicators for addiction were also found to exist alongside personality traits like neuroticism, introversion and an agreeable nature. These are traits that are common identified as criteria for Asperger’s Syndrome, which is a type of high functioning autism.

Asperger’s Syndrome is a neurobiological syndrome that involves the areas of the brain that affect social and communication skills. It can be extremely challenging for those with Asperger’s Syndrome to relate to others.

The researchers explain that the findings support the theory that individuals addicted to video gaming may be nearer to autistic spectrum disorders than people who have no interest in gaming. The researchers believe that everyone may be somewhere on a scale relative to the autistic spectrum.

The study’s findings also note that though the gaming addicts are not classifiable as having Asperger’s Syndrome, they may find it easier to empathize and relate to computers than they do other people.

Charlton explains that there is a scale that every person falls on somewhere, even “normal” people. Those in fields such as engineering, mathematics and computer science are likely to be closer on the scale to non-empathizing, systematic types of people, with Asperger’s Syndrome at the extreme end of the scale.

The findings of the study suggest that all people are on a relative scale in how they relate to other people and empathize with people versus relating and empathizing with more static, stationary items such as numbers.
 

A new study says there is a reason why women “just don’t get it.” While the above scenario is common, some men repeat an evening like this until they begin to experience a breakdown in other areas of life. Pathological video gaming can cause ruptures in social and family life and affect academic and professional performance.

Researchers have known for a long time that women are generally not affected by video games the same way men are. Women do not tend to organize gaming events for a girls’ night out, nor are they likely to fall asleep on the couch trying to get to the next level of a game.

While it is interesting to think about why women and men respond differently to video games, it is critical to understand why men are more susceptible to video game addictions that can crush them in other areas of life. Pathological video game use looks similar to other types of addictions: when men get addicted to video games, other areas of life suffer.

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine studied the brain imagery of 22 adults. They examined 11 men and 11 women while they were participating in a simple computer game in which gaining territory was the objective.

The study was published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. The results indicated that while both men and women showed activity in the parts of the brain that are associated with addiction and reward, the activity was much more pronounced in men.

In addition, the study’s results showed that as men gained more territory in the game, the activity in the brain increased. The same increase was not shown in females as they gained territory.

The men were also found to be more aggressive while playing the game, and quicker to gain territory. The researchers, led by Dr. Allen Reiss believe that these findings may indicate why men are initially more attracted to video games and are more easily addicted to playing them.

While a woman may still be stunned at the strange person who occupies the body of her husband when he plays video games, this research may help her understand why she’s not jumping in to play alongside him.
 

The issue is drawing more attention, with rising numbers of teens and younger children becoming immersed in the sedentary habit of video gaming. Experts estimate close to 9 percent of youth aged 8 to 18 years are addicted to video games in the U.S. Furthermore, a 2007 poll directed by the Harris research company reports that nearly 25 percent of gamers think they may be addicted.

Psychologists and mental health experts continue to debate whether video gaming is a true addiction like compulsive gambling and other game-based habits. The answer to the addiction question may lie in the nature of gamers’ compulsive playing, strong urges for the games, and experiences of game withdrawal.

The subject of addictive gaming has been the source of reports published both by the American Psychiatric Association and LiveScience. According to the American Psychiatric Association, a 2007 vote did not list video gaming as an officially-diagnosed addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, often referred to as the “bible” of addictions. Video game addiction may be up for consideration, however, in the 2012 edition.

By a less scientific explanation, video game addiction may be real if the addict uses games to a point where their life is disrupted. A gamer may be labeled pathological if games are played at levels reaching 24 hours each week; if the person has trouble concentrating in school; if grades suffer; or if relationships in the real world are damaged.

Perhaps the most addictive style of gaming is Multi-Player Online Role Playing Games, which allow a player to interact with players from across the globe. The games typically use high-end graphics, contributing to their ability to get players “hooked.”

If a gamer becomes too obsessed with the habit, reality can blur and meld into the fantasy world of video games. Strong relational ties can be generated toward players people have never met, and they may neglect work or sell possessions to acquire more games and game time. Some players may lose weight, ignore social relationships, and stay up all night to play. Even more dangerous is the risk that players will associate their game success with their identity and value as a person.

Withdrawal from addictive video gaming can resemble withdrawal from other compulsive behavior disorders. Psychiatrist Dr. Hilarie Cash founded a 45-day program to help game addicts recover. The program, based in Falls City, Washington, is one of the country’s first dedicated to gamers and offers inpatient therapy.

Debate continues as to whether video gaming is a true addiction, but many mental health experts agree people who fall into compulsive video gaming may also be more likely to turn to addictions like alcohol or drugs. For this reason, parents and therapists are urged to take video gaming habits seriously, especially among teens and young people.
 

A recent study by Douglas Gentile with Iowa State University and the National Institute on Media and the Family, (Minneapolis, Minnesota), sought to study the behaviors of children and adolescents regarding video games.

An addiction indicates not that the subject engages in a behavior frequently or even for long periods of time, but that the behavior damages multiple levels of functioning. Some examples would be damage to family, social, school, occupational and psychological functioning.

The study sampled 1,178 U.S. residents aged 8 through 18. The research measured video game use based on 11 criteria based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The criteria were similar to those used to identify pathological gambling. Subjects that exhibited at least half, or 6, of the symptoms were identified as pathological video gamers.

The symptoms used to define pathology included salience (the activity dominates the person’s life), euphoria or relief, (the activity provides a “high”), tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, conflict (the activity leads to conflict with persons close to the participant), and relapse.

In addition to pathological indicators, the study also assessed the participants’ video game habits. They measured weekly amount of video game play, knowledge of game ratings, household rules for game use, school performance, attention difficulties, and other indicators.

In the national sample of 8- to 18-year-olds, 8.5% of participants showed a pathological pattern, indicating a rating of at least 6 out of 11 indicators were exhibited.

Pathological gamers spent twice as much time as non-pathological gamers playing video games, were more likely to have a video game system in their rooms, had lower academic performance, and were more likely to feel that they were addicted to video games.

The results indicate that 88% of American youth between the ages of 8 and 18 at least occasionally play video games. Though video game usage seemed to yield a similar pattern relative to age that television viewing exhibits, with video game frequency playing decreasing in high school, the study found that adolescents play video games with less frequency as they get older, but with longer playing time per session.

Overall, only about half of the participants indicated that their homes had rules about video games, and a large percentage of the youth owned M-rated games.

The core limitation for this study is that it does not provide evidence for the possible causal relationships among the variables studied. For instance, it may be possible that pathological gaming causes low academic performance, or it could be as probable that children that have poor school performance seek out video games as a respite from the demands of academic and social pressures.