Addicted to the joystick

Nestled into the end of a hallway in Fargo, a quiet dorm room provides a gamer sanctuary for Rocco Bacelli and his two roommates. With a photo of Rocky Balboa watching over him, Bacelli rests in his executive leather computer chair in front of his game station. He's gaming, and there isn't much that could pull him away from it.

Videogame addiction is a problem that can be distracting for many students. It can disrupt relationships, schoolwork, and even affect skin complexion.

Bacelli is a gamer, a videogame aficionado, maybe going so far as to be an addict.

"I'll challenge anyone on this campus to 'Madden,' " Bacelli said emphatically.

Bacelli, 21, is a senior from Salamanca, N.Y., majoring in health and human services with a concentration on early childhood. With fellow gamer roommates Lenny Hayes and Nick Fuller, he keeps a clean room that is more sports-orientated than anything else. Yet, his insatiable thirst for gaming has made him good, and he knows it.

"I was challenged to 'Madden' by a freshman honors program student from Governors," he said. "He came over at 10:30 a.m. and I beat him 62 to zero."

He was even ranked 16th among "Madden" gamers two years ago and aspires to compete for the national prize of $100,000.

When a hobby becomes an addiction

When asked if Bacelli thinks he is addicted to videogames, he quickly refutes the notion.

"I'm not one of those guys. I'm definitely a casual player. But if you don't put the time in, you're not going to be good," he said.

Dr. Jamie M. Ostrov, Social Development Laboratory director from the psychology department, sheds some light on videogame addiction.

"The amount of time spent can be a risk factor," Ostrov said. "If it interferes with daily tasks, it is a problem. Every minute playing is a tradeoff for something else. We don't have enough research on videogame addiction and simply don't know how much is too much."

Many gamers do admit to needing an hourly fix of the online role-playing game "World of Warcraft."

"The first time that I bought 'World of Warcraft' I played for 24 hours straight," said Albert Co, a junior engineering major. "I played so much 'W.O.W.' that I started to refer to real-life objects as their in-game counterparts. I would call shirts 'chest pieces.' I could play a solid 20 hours without drinking or eating. (The game) was like my nutrition."

The massive online social network and imaginative worlds that "W.O.W." provides have been infamous for sucking gamers into a sort of alternate reality.

"I've missed a few morning classes for 'World of Warcraft,' also called 'World of Warcrack,' " said Marco DeSanctis, a senior business major. "In order to show signs of advancements you have to put hours and hours in. I would say weekly, I put in about 35-40 hours. Gaming is my other full-time job. If I got paid to play games for a living, I'd be working a lot of overtime."

Being a gamer does incur long hours and demands dedication. When Bacelli starts a new game, he perfects his skills like any competitor - with time and effort.

"I'm just getting into 'World of Warcraft.' I want to play a lot, so I put in five

hours a day. When 'Madden' comes out I try to put in about eight to 10 hours."

Still, Bacelli claims he has no addiction to videogames.

"I don't think that I've ever been to the point where I felt I had to cut back," he said. "I got fired from a job for being in college though, so I had a few more months to play."

Another gamer, David DelSignore, said that gaming in moderation is a great way to unwind from the day.

"Videogames have been a stress relief," said the senior media studies major. "I'll just kick back and play some 'Halo.' It's just a stress relief. I have judgment when to stop. But there are horror stories about people failing classes from playing games like 'World of Warcraft.' "

Senior business major Michael Liu said that like anything else, it takes self-control to keep the importance of gaming in perspective.

"There are people who are hooked on 'Everquest' - they call it 'Evercrack,' " he said. "I do get a little bit obsessed with it, but not too bad. You need a lot of willpower to start studying when this temptation is right in front of you."

Gaming and social life

While balancing your life between raising your character's level on "Everquest" and maintaining a girlfriend may be a difficult task, Bacelli finds a way to live in the real and virtual worlds.

"When I started dating Jacky Marcellin, my friend Ryan warned her that when 'Madden' comes out in August I won't put in as much time with her and I'll play videogames. It happened just like that."

Dr. Ostrov says that symptoms of videogame addiction may be "obsessing and preoccupying, lying to other people about playing, agitation, large amounts of debt incurred, or depression and anxiety when not playing."

Between the gaming and a social life, Bacelli does make efforts to keep a balance, as he is aware that if gaming overwhelms him it could lead to serious problems.

"I spent time with my girlfriend last night, so now I have the whole weekend for gaming," he said. "And with school, it's an even balance too. But after this interview, I am going to try and play for about 12 hours."

Despite keeping a happy medium, Bacelli also makes sure to stay true to himself.

"Here's the way I put it: 'Madden' was here before my girlfriend. It will always be there before and after anything. I won't change who I am for anyone," he said.

Bacelli, along with roommates Hayes and Fuller do spend a great deal of time in front of their game stations, but they still play the intramural sports they always had before, as well as making time to go out and be social.

"People stereotype gamers as the typical nerd. We keep the room clean and go out, stay social," he said. "I still play all the sports I've ever played."

Alongside that, living in the dorms sometimes makes students feel immobile and static.

"We have no car and nothing to do anyway," he said. "You would spend $15 at the movies in one night, while 'World of Warcraft' costs us $16 a month."

Before Bacelli started at UB, he had never been into games much. He and his roommates credit their interest in games to their late friend Kyle Scott, who died in a car accident three years ago.

"My freshman year I met Kyle here and he gamed and got us into it all," he said. "We hung out in the summer every single day. It's kind of weird to think what I would be doing if I never met Kyle Scott. I'd probably just surf the Internet."

Rocco Bacelli and his roommates welcome a friendly challenge to "Madden" and can be found at Fargo 312. For fellow gamers, they can also be located on the "World of Warcraft" server "anetheron," and their guild is "Fallen Legion."