合成大西瓜
最近，一款叫“合成大西瓜”的令人上头的小游戏突然火了，你合成大西瓜了吗！
借（cèng）此（gè）机（rè）会（diǎn），我们来看看《今日心理学》（Psychology Today）的文章，游戏为什么会让人上瘾？
无注释原文：
There's No Such Thing as Video Game Addiction… Right?
Psychology Today
If you play video games, you’ve likely had the experience of staying up far past your bedtime, repeatedly re-spawning or clicking "New Game." Maybe these sessions have even lasted until dawn. Maybe you’ve skipped a meal or failed to take a shower because you were so involved in a game. If you have, you may have wondered if this behavior—this apparent loss of control over your priorities—qualified as video game addiction. But are the games you’ve been “addicted to” really functioning like cigarettes or alcohol inside your brain? One way of describing addiction is compulsively engaging with a behavior despite its aversive outcome. If your game-playing has resulted in negative real-world consequences, like being late to your job, or arguing with your spouse or partner, yet you still find it difficult or impossible to stop gaming, perhaps addiction really is the right word.
Last year, the World Health Organization classified Gaming Disorder as a medical illness in the ICD-11 (the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision). To qualify for the disorder, an individual needs to show significant impairment in at least one major area of functioning (like employment or relationships), and the disruption must be present for at least 12 months. A controversy quickly followed the WHO’s decision. Some mental health professionals criticized it: as reported by the MIT Technology Review, more than two dozen researchers and scientists sent an open letter to the WHO stating their opinion that “gaming disorder” was not premised upon good science. Studies exist, they contended—such as this one, from the University of Cardiff—indicating that an apparent addiction may actually reflect the other underlying psychological conditions that problem gamers are likely to have, which in turn suggests that gaming disorder is not a discrete condition. The gaming industry itself was not impressed with the WHO’s choice, and some claimed that the fear of addiction to video games was just another expression of technophobia, which has been around for centuries. And gamers themselves revolted, too, worrying that the WHO was pathologizing normal behavior. After all, according to Vox, the number of gamers around the world has, by now, likely topped two and a half billion (after hitting 2.3 billion in 2018).
Whether or not the ICD-11’s “gaming disorder” classification is meaningful, it’s more than just colloquially possible to see video gaming as an addiction. For instance, the New York Times reported on research indicating that, like addictive drugs, video games can trigger the brain’s reward circuits. This recalls the famous Olds and Milner study of rats that could press a metal bar to receive direct stimulation to the pleasure centers of their brains, and would do anything for a bar press, including depriving themselves of food and water. Furthermore, several studies, as the Times indicated, indicate potential differences related to dopamine and other aspects of functioning in the brains of compulsive gamers. Perhaps some people become addicted to gaming in part because their dopamine systems don’t function like those of most people.
However, just as the critics of the WHO’s decision claimed, the evidence for a dopamine-related hypothesis is not very clear-cut. The Journal of Neuroscience reports that dopamine has multiple functions in the brain, in addition to reward and pleasure, and a study in Nature points out that two of the most addictive drugs—nicotine and alcohol—only inconsistently produce bursts of dopamine.
Perhaps some other theory might also contribute to our understanding of compulsive video game behavior, then—such as the notion that the games themselves are encouraging addiction by including in-game mechanisms that resemble those of gambling, and are thus triggering our reward-seeking activity on a behavioral level. For instance, according to the MIT Technology Review, the “loot boxes” one finds in many of today’s smartphone games—consisting of tiny, unpredictable rewards containing power-ups or in-game currency—seem to hold an unusual appeal for people with gambling problems in their histories.
No matter what is causing the phenomenon, it’s clear that some people are more vulnerable to gaming disorder, or video game addiction, than others. According to the DSM, male adolescents seem most likely to develop a gaming disorder. Loneliness might create a fertile ground for video game addiction. A study in the journal Youth and Society found evidence to support the view that “social estrangement” among alcoholics predisposed them toward relapse on alcohol. Video gaming could serve the same role as alcohol, in these circumstances: something to turn to, to temporarily alleviate isolation. And if these potentially lonely young males are also having trouble building their self-esteem in the face of unemployment, or a perceived lack of purpose, it may be especially tempting to substitute the easy, structured, rewarding experience of video gaming for the challenges of striving for success in real life.
Because the COVID-19 pandemic has made it more difficult to connect with other people over the past few months, the risk of feeling lonely, and possibly of developing a problem with gaming, may be higher than ever. Frequent video game play is not inherently problematic behavior—but when play becomes compulsive, takes over other activities, or results in significant harm to major areas of functioning, you may owe it to yourself to make the distinction.
- ◆ -
注：中文文本为机器翻译仅供参考，并非一一对应
含注释全文：
There's No Such Thing as Video Game Addiction… Right?
Psychology Today
If you play video games, you've likely had the experience of staying up far past your bedtime, repeatedly re-spawning or clicking "New Game." Maybe these sessions have even lasted until dawn. Maybe you've skipped a meal or failed to take a shower because you were so involved in a game. If you have, you may have wondered if this behavior—this apparent loss of control over your priorities—qualified as video game addiction. But are the games you've been “addicted to” really functioning like cigarettes or alcohol inside your brain?
如果你玩电子游戏，你很可能有这样的经历：熬过了睡觉时间，反复重生或点击“新游戏”。这种情景甚至可能一直持续到天亮。也许你因为太过沉迷于游戏而跳过了一顿饭或者没能洗个澡。如果你有，你可能会想知道这种行为--这种明显失去对你优先权的控制--是否符合电子游戏成瘾的条件。但是，你“上瘾”的游戏真的像香烟或酒精一样在你的大脑里发挥作用吗？
spawning
1）spawn作动词，表示“使大量出现，使大量产生；酿成”，英文解释为“to make a series of things happen or start to exist”，举个🌰：
New technology has spawned new business opportunities.
新技术创造了大量新的商机。
2）表示“(鱼或蛙)大量产卵”，英文解释为“if a fish or frog spawns, it produces eggs in large quantities at the same time”；
3）此处spawning在游戏领域有特定含义，指的是游戏角色、道具、怪物或者NPC之类的第一次出现在游戏中（出生），re-spawning就可以理解为重生，再生。
In video games, spawning is the live creation of a character, item or NPC. Respawning is the recreation of an entity after its death or destruction, perhaps after losing one of its lives. Despawning is the deletion of an entity from the game world.
One way of describing addiction is compulsively engaging with a behavior despite its aversive outcome. If your game-playing has resulted in negative real-world consequences, like being late to your job, or arguing with your spouse or partner, yet you still find it difficult or impossible to stop gaming, perhaps addiction really is the right word.
描述“上瘾”的一种方式是难以控制地参与一种行为，尽管它的结果是有害的。如果你的游戏导致了现实世界的负面后果，比如上班迟到，或者与配偶或伴侣争吵，但你仍然发现很难或不可能停止游戏，也许真的是“上瘾”了。
compulsive
compulsive/compulsively本文的高频词，表示“难以抑制的；强烈冲动引起的；强迫性的；强制性的”，英文解释为“doing something a lot and unable to stop doing it”如：a compulsive liar/thief/eater 撒谎成性的人/惯偷/饮食无节制的人。
另一个含义是形容电影、戏、体育项目、书等“引人入胜的，欲罢不能的”（If a film, play, sports event, book, etc. is compulsive, it is so interesting or exciting that you do not want to stop watching or reading it.）举个🌰：
Her latest book is compulsive reading/a compulsive read.
她的新书让人难以释卷。
aversive
表示“厌恶的，反感的 ”，英文解释为“making someone feel a strong dislike for something, or making them not want to do it ”如：emotionally aversive images 令人心生厌恶的图像。
Last year, the World Health Organization classified Gaming Disorder as a medical illness in the ICD-11 (the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision). To qualify for the disorder, an individual needs to show significant impairment in at least one major area of functioning (like employment or relationships), and the disruption must be present for at least 12 months. A controversy quickly followed the WHO's decision.
去年，世界卫生组织（World Health Organization）在ICD-11（国际疾病分类，第11次修订版）中将游戏障碍（Gaming Disorder）列为一种医学疾病。要符合该病的条件，一个人需要在至少一个主要功能领域（如就业或人际关系）表现出明显的障碍，而且这种障碍必须存在至少12个月。世卫组织的决定出台后，很快就引起了争议。
impairment
表示“（身体机能的）损伤”，英文解释为“If someone has an impairment, they have a condition that prevents their eyes, ears, limbs or brain from working properly.”举个🌰：
He has a visual impairment in the right eye.
他的右眼有视力损伤。
参考阅读：从「游戏成瘾」说起
Some mental health professionals criticized it: as reported by the MIT Technology Review, more than two dozen researchers and scientists sent an open letter to the WHO stating their opinion that “gaming disorder” was not premised upon good science. Studies exist, they contended—such as this one, from the University of Cardiff—indicating that an apparent addiction may actually reflect the other underlying psychological conditions that problem gamers are likely to have, which in turn suggests that gaming disorder is not a discrete condition.
一些心理健康专业人士对此提出了批评：据《麻省理工科技评论》（MIT Technology Review）报道，二十多位研究人员和科学家给世卫组织发了一封公开信，表示他们认为“游戏障碍”并不是以良好的科学为前提的。他们争辩说，存在一些研究--比如这个来自卡迪夫大学（ University of Cardiff）的研究--表明表面上的成瘾实际上可能反映了问题玩家可能存在的其他潜在心理疾病，这反过来又表明游戏障碍不是一种独立的疾病。
premise
可以作动词也可以作名词，1）作动词，表示“假定…为先决条件，作为…的前提”，英文解释为“to base a theory, argument, etc. on an idea, thought, or belief”举个🌰：
He premised his argument on several incorrect assumptions.
他把自己的论证建立在了几个错误的假设之上。
2）作名词，表示“前提；假定”，英文解释为“a statement or an idea that forms the basis for a reasonable line of argument”，如：the basic premise of her argument 她的论证的基本前提，a false premise 错误的前提。
contend
注意不是content；contend表示“声称；断言；主张”，英文解释为“to say that something is true or is a fact”举个🌰：
The lawyer contended (that) her client had never been near the scene of the crime.
该律师声称她的委托人从未走近过犯罪现场。
condition
熟词僻义，除了表示“情况，状况”，condition本身可以表示“疾病”，英文解释为“any of different types of diseases”如：to suffer from a heart/skin condition 患有心脏/皮肤病。
📍out of condition 可以表示“身体状况不佳，不在状态”（not healthy enough for hard physical exercise, as a result of not taking part in sport or other physical activities）。
discrete
表示“独立的，各自的，单独的”，英文解释为“clearly separate or different in shape or form”举个🌰：
These small companies now have their own discrete identity.
这些小公司现在都各有各的特点。
The gaming industry itself was not impressed with the WHO's choice, and some claimed that the fear of addiction to video games was just another expression of technophobia, which has been around for centuries. And gamers themselves revolted, too, worrying that the WHO was pathologizing normal behavior. After all, according to Vox, the number of gamers around the world has, by now, likely topped two and a half billion (after hitting 2.3 billion in 2018).
游戏行业本身对世卫组织的选择不以为然，一些人声称，对电子游戏成瘾的恐惧只是技术恐惧症的另一种表现形式，而这种恐惧症已经存在了几个世纪。而游戏玩家自己也反感，担心世卫组织将正常行为病态化。毕竟，根据Vox的数据，到目前为止，全世界的游戏玩家数量，很可能已经超过了25亿（2018年达到23亿）。
technophobia
technophobia /ˌtɛknəʊˈfəʊbɪə/ 表示“技术恐惧”，指对技术对社会及环境造成不良影响的恐惧，英文解释为“fear of the effects of technological developments on society or the environment”。
📍phobia本身表示“恐惧（症）”，英文解释为：a strong unreasonable fear of something，如：Some children suffer from school phobia . 有些儿童对上学有恐惧症。
还有2018年在经济学人文章中我们学到的一个词：Xenophobia，表示“对外国人（或外国习俗、宗教等）的憎恶（或恐惧）”（extreme dislike or fear of foreigners, their customs, their religions, etc.）
revolt
1）表示“反抗；造反；反叛”，英文解释为“If a large number of people revolt, they refuse to be controlled or ruled, and take action against authority, often violent action.”
2）表示“使厌恶；使惊骇；使反感”，英文解释为“to make someone feel unpleasantly shocked or disgusted”举个🌰：
We were revolted by the dirt and mess in her house.
她家里又脏又乱，我们看着心里生厌。
3）表示“叛逆；违抗”，英文解释为“to behave in a way that is the opposite of what sb expects of you, especially in protest”举个🌰：
Teenagers often revolt against parental discipline.
青少年常常不遵从父母的条条框框。
pathologize
表示“归于（某事为）病态”，英文解释为“to view or characterize as medically or psychologically abnormal”。
Whether or not the ICD-11's “gaming disorder” classification is meaningful, it's more than just colloquially possible to see video gaming as an addiction. For instance, the New York Times reported on research indicating that, like addictive drugs, video games can trigger the brain's reward circuits. This recalls the famous Olds and Milner study of rats that could press a metal bar to receive direct stimulation to the pleasure centers of their brains, and would do anything for a bar press, including depriving themselves of food and water. Furthermore, several studies, as the Times indicated, indicate potential differences related to dopamine and other aspects of functioning in the brains of compulsive gamers. Perhaps some people become addicted to gaming in part because their dopamine systems don't function like those of most people.
不管ICD-11的“游戏障碍”分类是否有意义，但把电子游戏看作是一种成瘾，这不仅仅是口头上的说法。例如，《纽约时报》（The New York Times）报道的研究表明，像成瘾药物一样，电子游戏可以触发大脑的奖赏回路（reward circuits）。这让人想起了著名的奥尔兹（Olds）和米尔纳（Milner）研究，老鼠可以按压金属棒来接受对大脑快乐中枢的直接刺激，为了按压金属棒，老鼠会不惜一切代价，包括不能享有食物和水。此外，正如《泰晤士报》（Times）所指出的那样，一些研究表明，难以自制的游戏者大脑中存在着与多巴胺（dopamine）和其他方面功能有关的潜在差异。也许有些人之所以会对游戏上瘾，部分原因是他们的多巴胺系统与大多数人的系统功能不同。
colloquially
colloquially /kə'lokwɪəli/ 表示“（词语或表达法）口语地，通俗语地，非正式地”，英文解释为“(of words and expressions) informal and more suitable for use in speech than in writing”。
trigger
这一系列的词隔几天就会出现一次，trigger表示“发动；引起；触发”，英文解释为“to make sth happen suddenly”举个🌰：
Nuts can trigger off a violent allergic reaction.
坚果可以引起严重的过敏反应。
类似的还有：
📍stir表示“激发，激起（强烈的感情）；引起（强烈的反应）”，英文解释为“to make someone have a strong feeling or reaction”，举个🌰：
The poem succeeds in stirring the imagination.
这首诗能够激发起想象力。
📍provoke也表示“激起，引起”，英文解释为“to cause a reaction or feeling, especially a sudden one”，如：provoke debate/discussion 激起辩论/讨论。
📍spur 鼓动；激励；鞭策；刺激；鼓舞”，英文解释为“If one thing spurs you to do another, it encourages you to do it.”举个🌰：
It's the money that spurs these fishermen to risk a long ocean journey in their flimsy boats.
是金钱驱使这些渔民驾驶单薄的小船冒险出海远航。
🎬电影《龙之心3：巫师的诅咒》（Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse）中的台词提到：To spur the clans to war. 激励部族发起战争。
相关背景
据百度百科，詹姆斯·奥尔兹（James Olds）最为著名的研究乃是他关于大脑“奖励中枢”的发现。
研究人员先教导饥饿的白鼠学会按杠杆获得食物或饮水，然后再将反应转移到按杠杆获得电流。结果发现白鼠对于颅内自我刺激法（ICSS，即植入一根与杠杆相连的细电线至白鼠的大脑内，鼠压一下杠杆即可获得一次电流刺激）乐此不疲。当老鼠学会按压杠杆从而得到电刺激以后，它就不断地去按压杠杆以得到刺激。当电极安在背部下丘脑时，老鼠按压杠杆的频率高达每小时 5000 次，它们可连续按压 15 至 20 小时，直到精疲力尽，进入睡眠为止。
deprive
deprive sb/sth of sth，表示“剥夺；使丧失；使不能享有”，英文解释为“to prevent sb from having or doing sth, especially sth important”举个🌰：
You can't function properly when you're deprived of sleep.
如果被剥夺了睡眠，人体就无法正常工作。
dopamine
dopamine /ˈdəʊpəmiːn/表示“多巴胺（神经细胞产生的一种作用于其他细胞的化学物质）”，英文解释为“a chemical produced by nerve cells which has an effect on other cells”。
However, just as the critics of the WHO's decision claimed, the evidence for a dopamine-related hypothesis is not very clear-cut. The Journal of Neuroscience reports that dopamine has multiple functions in the brain, in addition to reward and pleasure, and a study in Nature points out that two of the most addictive drugs—nicotine and alcohol—only inconsistently produce bursts of dopamine.
然而，正如针对世卫组织这一决定的批评者所声称的那样，与多巴胺相关的假说的证据并不十分明确。《神经科学杂志》（The Journal of Neuroscience）报道说，除了奖赏和快乐之外，多巴胺在大脑中还有多种功能，《自然》（Nature）杂志的一项研究指出，两种最容易上瘾的药物--尼古丁（nicotine）和酒精--不一致地产生多巴胺的爆发。
clear-cut
表示“清楚的；明白无误的；显而易见的”，英文解释为“clear or obvious without needing any proof”举个🌰：
She has clear-cut evidence that the company cheated her.
她有确凿的证据表明公司欺骗了她。
Perhaps some other theory might also contribute to our understanding of compulsive video game behavior, then—such as the notion that the games themselves are encouraging addiction by including in-game mechanisms that resemble those of gambling, and are thus triggering our reward-seeking activity on a behavioral level. For instance, according to the MIT Technology Review, the “loot boxes” one finds in many of today's smartphone games—consisting of tiny, unpredictable rewards containing power-ups or in-game currency—seem to hold an unusual appeal for people with gambling problems in their histories.
那么，或许一些其他的理论也有助于我们理解难以自拔的玩游戏行为--比如说，游戏本身通过包含类似赌博的游戏机制来鼓励成瘾，从而在行为层面上触发我们的奖励寻求活动。例如，根据《麻省理工科技评论》（MIT Technology Review）的报道，人们在当今许多智能手机游戏中发现的“战利品箱”--由微小的、不可预知的奖励组成，其中包含了能量增强剂或游戏中的货币--似乎对历史上有赌博问题的人有着不同寻常的吸引力。
resemble
表示“看起来像；显得像；像”，英文解释为“to look like or be similar to another person or thing”举个🌰：
So many hotels resemble each other.
许多酒店看上去都差不多。
loot box
表示“战利品箱（网络游戏中玩家获取的随机虚拟游戏物品或服务）”，英文解释为“In video games, a loot box (also called a loot/prize crate) is a consumable virtual item which can be redeemed to receive a randomised selection of further virtual items, or loot, ranging from simple customization options for a player's avatar or character, to game-changing equipment such as weapons and armor.”
📍虚拟抽奖或战利品箱是电子游戏的一种营商手段，属于“微交易/内购/道具收费”的一种形式：玩家在游戏界面内支付现金获取随机的虚拟游戏物品或服务。（维基百科）
No matter what is causing the phenomenon, it's clear that some people are more vulnerable to gaming disorder, or video game addiction, than others. According to the DSM, male adolescents seem most likely to develop a gaming disorder. Loneliness might create a fertile ground for video game addiction. A study in the journal Youth and Society found evidence to support the view that “social estrangement” among alcoholics predisposed them toward relapse on alcohol. Video gaming could serve the same role as alcohol, in these circumstances: something to turn to, to temporarily alleviate isolation. And if these potentially lonely young males are also having trouble building their self-esteem in the face of unemployment, or a perceived lack of purpose, it may be especially tempting to substitute the easy, structured, rewarding experience of video gaming for the challenges of striving for success in real life.
无论造成这种现象的原因是什么，很明显，有些人比其他人更容易受到游戏障碍，或电子游戏成瘾的影响。根据精神疾病诊断与统计手册（Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM），男性青少年似乎最容易患上游戏障碍。孤独感可能为电子游戏成瘾创造了肥沃的土壤。《青年与社会》（Youth and Society）杂志上的一项研究发现有证据支持这样的观点，即酗酒者之间的“社会疏远”容易使他们复发酗酒。在这种情况下，电子游戏可以起到与酒精相同的作用：可以求助于酒精，以暂时缓解孤独感。如果这些潜在的孤独的年轻男性在面对失业时，也难以建立他们的自尊心，或者认为缺乏目标时，那么用电子游戏中简单、有条理、有奖赏的体验来代替在现实生活中争取成功的挑战，可能会特别诱人。
fertile
表示“肥沃的；富饶的”，英文解释为“Fertile land can produce a large number of good quality crops.”
estrangement
表示“分居（期）；疏远，分手（的一段时间）”，英文解释为“a period when you are estranged from someone, or the fact of being estranged”。
predispose
表示“使…很可能患（某疾病）”，英文解释为“If something predisposes you to a disease or illness, it makes it likely that you will suffer from that disease or illness.”举个🌰：
It is a gene that predisposes people to alcoholism
这是易于嗜酒的基因。
relapse
表示“旧病复发”，英文解释为“the fact of becoming ill/sick again after making an improvement”如：to have/suffer a relapse 旧病复发。
📺动画片《马男波杰克》（BoJack Horseman）中的台词提到：Todd, this is no time for a relapse. 陶德 你现在（游戏瘾）可不能复发啊。
tempting
表示“诱人的”，英文解释为“If something is tempting, it makes you want to do it or have it.”举个🌰：
In the end, I turned down her tempting offer of the trip.
最后，我拒绝了她去旅行的诱人提议。
substitute
表示“用…代替，代之以”，英文解释为“to use something or someone instead of another thing or person”举个🌰：
You can substitute oil for butter in this recipe.
这道菜中你可以用食用油代替黄油。
Because the COVID-19 pandemic has made it more difficult to connect with other people over the past few months, the risk of feeling lonely, and possibly of developing a problem with gaming, may be higher than ever. Frequent video game play is not inherently problematic behavior—but when play becomes compulsive, takes over other activities, or results in significant harm to major areas of functioning, you may owe it to yourself to make the distinction.
因为在过去的几个月里，新冠疫情使人们更难与其他人建立联系，因此，感到孤独的风险，以及可能出现游戏问题的风险可能比以往任何时候都要高。频繁地玩电子游戏本身并不是有问题的行为--但当游戏成为难以控制的，占据了其他活动，或导致对主要功能领域的重大伤害时，你可能要对自己做好区分。
谢谢你看到这里呀
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LearnAndRecord
2015年2月8日
2021年1月25日
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