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Season 1, Episode 7

Peter

Age: 20’s
Location: New Jersey
Addicted to: Video Games
What’s memorable: The insane amount of time he spends playing, and his poor little brother that just wants to hang out with him.

Official synopsis: Peter is so addicted to video games that he identifies himself as the characters in the games he plays and refers to other characters as people he hangs out with.
Original Air Date: May 2005

Interventionist: Jeff

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  1. Tess

    Oh no o_o you guys do video games too? I call off work for mine play probably more then him. I will need to say no to any “documentary’s on addictions” I am not a adult I am a lady-child! Hope he got better though. Or at least better at time management 🙂

  2. Marc

    Addiction is a serious thing, video game!!! Unless you neglect your toddler and they nearly die of malnutrition, i don’t count that as a life threatening addiction. I’m wayyyy more addicted to games than this guy and you know what i made my career out of it! Good money too, no prostitution or disgraceful act have to be performed to get there.

    The only good thing is not too many have registered video game addicted to the program.

    1. Barb

      I just watched this episode this guy played Dance Dance Revolution for over 24 hours straight and on a regular day played 6-8 hours or more. No matter how much you try to downplay it that is not normal and it is definitely not healthy. Yes he is not on meth or heroin but if you use that excuse about any bad habit you may have then you’re just justifying your own unhealthy behaviour. Addictions come in a thousand different shapes, sizes, and forms this type of thinking completely ignores the point. It is not about the behaviour exactly it is about how it rules his life completely and ruins personal relationships.

  3. MissLeopard83

    He always creeped me out. There is just something in his eyes and you can see the anger and rage that he tries to hide with his video game addiction. He is severely depressed. I’m not surprised that he has tried to commit suicide since he isolates himself from human interaction.

    1. noelle

      I think that he has asperger’s, most definitely.

      1. Courtney

        I agree with the aspergers comment, I thought so straight away.

  4. tnem

    It seems a lot of people (apparently) on the internet get really defensive about the topic of video games, but it’s clear to anyone who has seen this episode that that guy is totally broken and can’t seem to face his emotional issues. He feels abandoned by his mom, it’s really sad.
    And by the way, modern video games are mostly pretty stupid; the horde of petulant and abusive vigilantes needs to get over itself.
    If it exists in the environment, it can be used maladaptively.

    1. MB

      Off topic, but you have a wonderful vocabulary. 🙂

      1. mariadorval7

        LOL.
        Continuing the digression, no, they are not stupid, you would know if you played Zelda. Anyway, I am an avid gamer, and there is a huge distinction between what I do, and what he does. He not only plays the games, he assumes the identities of the characters. That is not normal behavior.
        he devotes his whole life to gaming sacrificing all of his relationships. This is addiction, pure and simple. People who think video games cannot become an addiction must think the same about gambling, or food.
        Addictive substances ruin lives, it doesn’t have to be physical.

      2. Brooke

        exactly, addiction is defined by the inability to control the impulse to even when there are negative consequences. in peter’s case, there are several negative consequences. he very much wants a relationship with rachael but she won’t date him unless the video games are done and he won’t quit. also sounds like he isn’t working bc of them. it’s also negatively affecting his relationship with his family.

    2. Sue Ellen Hegstrom

      His mother DID, in essence, abandon him. She didn’t want “any distractions” while attending college? Oh please…Life IS distraction, period. I feel the same way about fathers who don’t want “any distractions” while pursuing their schooling or career. Peter was indeed broken, and his eyes reflected it the most.

  5. t.toro

    He’s the kind of dude that would shoot up schools or movie theaters or malls. He has the crazy eyes. Like Charles Manson. I hope he truly got help and never hurt anyone because he was definitely on the verge of either hurting himself or someone else or both.

    1. marcy lily

      He is actually a handsome happy looking guy , a good father and dotes on his wife . I think that episode had its place but the wrong person was in it . Also Rachael manipulated the show and after learning about her stalking and using the show to promote her career I can see why Peter looked so badly . He ended up being the sane one .

      1. radish

        Do you know him?? I’ve had a crush on him for years and wanna see what he’s been up to :+)

  6. t.toro

    Also, what a fake, selfish mother he had. I get why he was the way he was. The mother was useless.

    1. Sue Ellen Hegstrom

      I thought I saw the mother looking at the camera briefly while she was kissing and hugging Peter. Did anyone else see that?

      1. Melissadiana1980

        the crying with her eyes covered seemed fake or exaggerated for the cameras to me

  7. kristy

    I would really like to know what ever came about this guy. I got such a bad vibe from him. Definitely something off about him. Either way I hope he’s doing well.

  8. Nicole

    The thing that stood out most to me was the way he said “Don’t. Do. That.” To his friend/more than friend Rachel. To me it seemed like he would’ve done something reckless if Rachel left him. And the way he yelled while playing that dance video game.

    1. Brooke

      the look on his face after he said yes was seething rage. when his mother was hugging him, especially. yikes!

  9. Ashlyn

    He seemed like such a smart guy, I really want an update on him! I just want to know if him and Rachel got together?

    1. marcy lily

      He is doing well ,looks great and luckily is not with Rachel . Rachel had manipulated the show and has some restraining orders against her for stalking. Peter did have issues but Rachel did too . There were a few things she did on the show that seemed as if it was her acting . There was speculation that she mainly did the show for media exposure to help her modeling career.
      There is a blog called I’m Bringing Blogging Back that found Rachel in many copies of the Harriet Cater catalog and called her Model Failure Girl due to the really bad nature of the photos . He documented her career in a funny way and found she also was on Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia . He was contacted by people that knew Rachel ( it was a boyfriend ) and they guy and his mom had to get restraining orders to get her to leave them alone . When the entire episode was on YouTube Peter responded and said she had issues too and mentioned her stalking .
      He actually looks great and has a good life now .

      1. Nicole

        can you link the youtube video?

      2. marcy lily

        Nicole ,
        The old video to the entire episode was taken down years ago but there are 2 random 1-2 minute segments from his episode . Google Peter video game addiction intervention and they come up .

  10. A.

    What if they both conspired together to get on the show? They both are inspiring actors. Seems like what a 21 year old, bored maniac looking mofo would do. I honestly googled him afterward just to make sure he hadn’t murdered any women!

  11. A.

    Aspiring* not inspiring.

  12. LisaH

    I was able to find Peter’s FB page, through some detective work. He really seems happy, has a gorgeous wife and beautiful children. He really seems to be doing well.

    1. Jake

      Wait can we get a link to that?

    2. Brooke

      i HATE it when ppl say they found the person’s fb page and then don’t post the link. most of these addict’s pages on this site, or at least half, have the addict’s fb link.

  13. Rommie

    I think this episode was a total flop and that’s why they never did another on video game addiction. I’ve played way more than him in the past, more than 24 straight hours without any breaks and there’s no doubt a lot of people have played even more than me. You can go to twitchtv right now and find hundreds of streamers completing 96 hours marathons. Don’t get me wrong I feel for Peter and everyone involved in the drama but I think there was mental issues way below the surface that weren’t addressed for the sake of keeping the topical addiction relevant, and it didn’t convince the viewers.

  14. Sue Ellen Hegstrom

    This episode is on YouTube thanks to Ramoin’s efforts.

  15. Brooke

    i found rachael’s fb, still looking for peter’s. https://www.facebook.com/rachael.mcmullan.71

    1. JOANN KENGYE

      Hi Brooke, thanks for the facebook site for Rachael. I wonder did you have any luck finding Peter’s. Brooke,how long ago was the episode. Thank you, Jo Ann

  16. Tazz

    I found Peter’s FB page 😊 It took me a few minutes to see if it was actually him, but it is.
    https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1111788

    Looks like he got married not long after his episode aired. His wife and 3 kids are absolutely gorgeous. He looks very content and healthy. A whole different person, really. I have to wonder how much of an impact the whole Rachael dynamic had on his episode. How much of a distortion or distraction from what it really was…Like how much of it was not really about him and his “video game addiction” and more about Rachael? No doubt, he was dealing with some internal pain and childhood trauma; but it’s such a contrast to what we saw portrayed through the show.
    Anyway, I’m so happy to see him well and happy. I wish he and his family the best 🙂

  17. Anonymous

    I’m always hesitant to say, oh look they’re so happy on FB! Because I know so many people very personally who, if you saw their FB timeline, you’d think they had the perfect life, but their life is a big mess and they can’t stand the person they’re with and it’s all for show. I’m just saying. Good for Peter if he’s genuinely happy though.

    1. Tazz

      He looks genuinely healthy and happy. People are allowed to have their own perspective and opinion. Most of us deal with things on the inside and have a face to put on for the outside world. Doesn’t mean that they’re fake though.

      1. Lacie

        Side note: but after Rachel told him their relationship would be at a standstill, if he did not go to treatment. I loved how he says “Don’t…. do that…” I knew tht was it for him and so did he lmao 😂 and I cannot b mad at her she did what needed to b done to get his normal every day life back on track

  18. Rose

    It’s honestly crazy how judgmental people are being over this guy. This episode was way overblown. The editing was done in ways to make him look way more intense and creepy than he actually was.

    People are judging him for yelling after he broke a 24 hour dance marathon record. How many people yell or scream when they score a simple touch down? It’s about hype and being pumped.

    People are judging him for saying his eyes were weird. Dude was just passionate, for crying out loud.

    He didn’t need rehab, he needed therapy. Honestly, his mom was one of the worst parents I’ve ever seen on this show. She was so selfish and condescending. It was clear his issues were coming from what she did to him, not from him binging video games.

  19. marcus

    lots of hate for a guy with the least life threatening addiction, pretty smart and good looking too.

  20. Beatrice Thomas

    Yep, I think so too! The way he speaks, holds himself, moves.

    And I watch more netflix than he plays…

  21. julia

    i haven’t even finished the episode and i feel so emotional. both my younger brothers are asperger and have been thru addiction to videogames and online gaming in general. although i don’t know if he is even in the spectrum, i see sooo much of them in peter.. the apathy in real life and over the top emotions while gaming, the loneliness and depression… seeing how well he is today makes me hopeful that my brothers – who are no longer addicted to gaming thanks to years of therapy – will find someone who understand them and love them like they deserve and, in the end, happiness.

    1. MNprincess

      Then you should know aspergers is now an outdated term and no longer used. It’s ASD.

  22. Basado

    Peter honestly seemed like a cool guy. He probably suffered from anxiety or depression if anything. It’s clear he was just being humorous for the show; no he did not literally believe he was Max Payne as the video editors would have led you to believe. They tried to portray him as this psycho with goofy editing tricks, but the guy honestly seemed to have a level head on his shoulders when he would speak up. You can tell the people around him were manipulative and putting on crocodile tears for the cameras (Rachael and his mom) and that’s likely why he seemed so dissociative the whole time.

    If other comments around here are true, I’m glad that he’s moved on and has a happy family of his own now.

  23. Stefan

    it was all for appearances too. Notice how she looked directly into the camera while hugging him.

  24. Dahlia

    This episode is probably my least favorite in the series. Very of its time (2005 and not too long after Columbine and the whole video game hysteria that came with it). Now obviously Peter has some serious emotional issues that needed dealing with, but Intervention was definitely not the way to go with it. Almost seems like an easy way out of dealing with the real issues, which is never a good thing to have to say about an intervention.

    1. Dahlia

      Not to mention the countless studies that have shown that video games do not inherently cause serious emotional issues, even when played to the extent Peter was playing them. If that were the case, most Twitch streamers would be criminals (which I guess if you think about it is not too far from the truth anyway lol).

      1. Stefan

        White collar criminals at worst lol

  25. Addicted to Intervention

    That girl Rachel is creepy af. She gives off the vibe that she is in it to fuck with his head and one of those girls that think she can “change” him.