Video Games: The New Addiction

Jul. 23 5:12 AM by Ladyluck

Smoking. Drugs. Alcohol. These are just a few things people get addicted to. The user feels they can't live without their addiction. They are constantly looking to get their next fix. Then it dawned on me. I have an addiction. But mine isn't alcohol, smoking, or drugs. My addiction is video games.

At $60 a pop, it's an expensive habit. But I'm always on the lookout for the next game to add to my collection. I love the feeling of accomplishment that you get from beating new levels, or playing online and kicking some butt. There are so many emotions that you have while playing. It's awesome.

Some users even go on binges and play as much as 24 hours straight. Then they crash by sleeping away the time. But just like other users, I'm always looking forward to the next time I get to play. My next fix so to speak.

They say the first step is admitting it. So just to set the record straight "Hello, my name is Ladyluck, and I'm a video gameaholic. Better known as a gamer."

Comments

Hi, I'm Will. My wallet has made a full recovery lately, even though my addiction is worse than ever. Thank you, Gamefly! You have made my addiction healthy again.

Hello my username is klasco, and i'm addicted to video games

lol this is so true ladyluck but really everybody needs a hobby

so quit

lol, i agree, videogaming is an addiction, a healthy addiction i say. As long as we dont get to carried away and start stealing stuff and selling it on the street for game money like the junkies do for drugs. Video games forever :)

where does hobby turn into addiction?

Actually it's $50-$60 a pop, maybe less for used drugs.
I mean GAMES! I'm not crazy! I need a Pixilated HIT!

my addiction is beginning to become unsustainable.... compared to many my addiction is small... i only buy games i know are good... i rarely take a chance on a game... the game has to come highly recommended before i even look at it... and still, with no job to fuel my addiction and school coming up soon, i am finding it hard to buy any newer games...

this is why mmos are good. the game that keeps on giving. a flat fee of £10 a month and i've got a game that will last hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of enjoyment. Its a cheap way to fund that habit.

@ Scarecrow - I agree. It is a healthy addiction. It keeps my hand/eye coordination and quick thinking skills up.

@ Navie - Yeah MMOS's are good for that. But, I never give up on my games, I replay mine. Even if I've beaten them before. So my gaming will never end. But I do look forward to all the new games as well.

Though games tend to take up more of my free time than I'd care for at times, I generally don't consider games to be an addiction... unless it gets to the point where you aren't actually enjoying them and are just playing them to satisfy empty cravings.

MMOs are an exception. Between the commitment encouraged by subscriptions, the amount of time invested into characters, and the social pressures, and the content that is always just out of reach, they tend to become hollow and empty. That's a reason I've taken a break from WoW; I was spending so much time playing to get ready to enjoy the game and so little time actually do the stuff I wanted to.

Hi, My name is FemmeFatale! I'm 6 months clean of World of Warcraft, and I can actually say: I'm not addicted to video games!
That's not to say I don't love them (obviously), but I'm in control of knowing how much is too much!

Whoever is reading this, I respect you and I just want the best for you when I say: Since you just decided video gaming is an addiction, QUIT IT! You can't just say, "video gaming is an addiction" and then try to justify it because there is nothing that could justify a problem of THIS magnitude. How much do you play a day? It's probably in the hours right? Let's say a couple of hours... by the way... THAT'S HUGE!!! The human mind is powerful, cut yourself some slack and do something useful with it, something that might help someone.

Don't give me all this about, "video games help improve your reflexes", ok, yeah I know but so does basketball! So does football (sorry, soccer), and playing those gives some real benefit to your well-being.

I'm not a communist, not a hippie, I'm not really an ideolist or a philosopher but I used to be a gamer (and I'm 17) until I realized the supposed achievements bear no fruits.

Sorry to hit so hard on a simple message-board, but if replacing those few hours of your day with reading or playing sports doesn't immediately make you an amazing person, you are welcome to sue me for indefinite amounts of money. Promise, you'll never look back.

@ Sierra

Then you owe me some money, lol! You can still do those other things. As a 24 year old woman gamer, if your able to still do many other things and game, I see no problem. I've played many games for many hours and I still do many other different things as well.

To me, gaming does bear fruit, no different than reading or watching a movie. For me, especially games with characters that I just admire and adore. Not to mention many other benefits that goes beyond hand/eye coordination.

Its all about moderartion, and that goes for EVERYTHING. Even doing too many sports can be a bad thing for you. ANY type of addiction can be bad for you if you get to the point that you're breaking down.

After playing EverQuest for over five years, and quitting it - which I only did because I didn't have time to raid anymore because I wanted to hang out with my newfound, real life friends - I realized how useless it was. Yeah, it was fun as hell when I played, and I do miss it a lot, and it's been years since I quit! But to have nothing to show after five years (almost 2 years played time!) of juggling your life around the video game is really sad. Calling off work because I stayed up too late playing and can't get out of bed, or scheduling my work around raid times, or taking vacation days just to grind experience? Sometimes, too much really is -too much-. I'm not going to be one of those never-play-video-games people, because extremes in general are dangerous. But just... if you're going to play video games of any kind, play in moderation. Have a real life. Pretend your real life is a video game if you have to. (see: LINKS OMITTED SRSLY!)

Just throwing my own experience out there in hopes that anyone who thinks they might be truly addicted will realize, in the end, real life IS worth living. You just have to let go of the comfort of living your character's life, and get out there and make your own happen! :)

226461,226462

Aww, links omitted :( See the GameSpot.com article, "Real Life: The Full Review" or Google "real life video game" :)

226461,226462

@sierra: it doesnt need to come down to playing and not playing. Everyone who plays isnt a loser with no life. I play games, but I also read ALOT and have other interests as well. very few people are actual, clinically proven addicts. But then it just comes down to what you choose to do to unwind at the end of the day: Where you might flip on the television, we play games.

However, its interesting you bring up sports. In the US, a number of high school teens drop dead every year of heat exhaustion from too much sports practice. Anything to the extreme is bad for you, which is why video games are ok... in moderation. just like everything else.

@sierra

i agree but i don't...ish.

I disagree entirely. I moved out around 22 and lived on my own for about 3 years... in that time, I was out partying, meeting people, dating, going to movies, etc. The aftermath... nearly 30k in debt all because of a couple bad choices that grew on each other. The irony was that gaming was non-existent for me during that time.

Now my free-time choices are sit at home and watch TV/movies, read or play games. I've made a choice to limit spending to a degree unheard of, with my only minor indulgences being fishing and softball during the summer. Dispite playing games for 2-4 hours a night, I still spend 1-2 hours in the gym daily, play softball twice a week, as well as get out on the lakes once or twice a week.

The problem with reading, movies and TV for me is that they bore me. They are not nearly interactive enough to keep me entertained, but in moderation I don't mind them.

One I think people are taking this way out of proportion. I was doing this article as a new age metaphor so to speak. For example people who are addicted to smoking. Love smoking and part of the time cannot wait for the next cigarette. Just like gamers, sometimes cannot wait to play again.

Just to set the record straight, I do have a life. And because of my love for video games, many great things have happened for me and opened doors to new opportunities. Yeah part of the time I cannot wait to get home to beat a level I was playing, but that doesn't mean I always get to. There are many other things that can cause me to be unable to play. So unless your addiction is causing a breakdown, or negatively impacting your life in some way, I see no problems with them.

hay I find this some what insulting and I am some what proud to be a game addicty thats how I got my 2 girl friends althou my 2 one dumped me over a cod4 machup although I won the mach out of angerbut I still havent got over her so I have just gamed and post on gamepro all day(sigh)