Before I start, we at CGB extend our hearts to the family of Brandon Crisp, and Brandon Crisp as well. Brandon was an avid Xbox360 gamer, who spent most of his game time playing Call of Duty 4 online. When he was grounded from his video game, he ran away. And when Brandon didn’t return soon afterwards, his parents worried, and a search was put out for him. Unfortunately, Brandon’s body was found last week, on the 5th, and it appears that he died from chest wounds from a fall, which they suspect was from a tree in which he was trying to get situated in. From the instant the media got wind of the situation, they immediately called his hobby an addiction. And though I don’t know the full story, the more and more I look at it, it doesn’t appear to go as far as an addiction. But regardless of Brandon’s situation, I feel that when someone really enjoys spending their free time playing video games, its called an addiction. Especially when it comes to the youth of America.

So what is addiction? Again, I am no professional, but I believe an addiction is when you feel you cannot live without something. And this things causes major problems in your life, and may actually inhibit it. When this need isn’t filled, the addicted person become irritable and possibly even depressed. I am not saying that it doesn’t exist, but we should be careful to not quickly call anything an addiction.

When it comes to video games, its still a relatively new industry. Its easy for anyone to call anything an addiction when they don’t understand it. However, even the people that I would say are a little too into their video games, I would hardly call addicted. They live their lives just fine. They function in society. So, when exactly should someone become concerned for a loved one who may be addicted to video games? I don’t know, but I think there needs to be more focus on when that line is being crossed, and awareness needs to be brought to attention. At cbsnews.com, there is a great article that covers this topic. If there is a concern for anyone, I suggest reading this article.

Brandon Crisp’s father actually helped him pack his bag to leave, thinking that he would return later that day “with his tail between his legs”. Some might see this as horrible, and irresponsible. But in fact, it was probably the best way to deal with Brandon’s frustration. When I was in therapy, as part of the troubled youth of America, a concern of mine was that my parents were to over bearing. When I was upset I didn’t want to be around them, they were scared that I was going to do something rash when I left. My therapists suggested that I would be able to leave for a walk during any time to clear my head, as long as I returned shortly after. I believe that this is what Brandon’s father was hoping for. A walk to clear his mind, and then he would come back and everything would be fine. And it probably would’ve happened, had Brandon not made a miscalculation that ultimately led him to his death. Though video games were the catalyst of this incident, it was a simple accident in the end. An accident that unfortunately cost Brandon his life. Again, our heart goes out to his family. Rest in Peace, Brandon.

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