Games as Addiction

[dsheinem]

I just read this very personal editorial on Joystiq by David Hinkle who detailed how an addiction to Diablo 2 ruined his life: http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/16/i-can ... -diablo-3/

I remember a few years ago reading about Luke Morse and the loss of his family over collecting: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=15044 although it seems that he is back at it again: http://www.youtube.com/user/lukemorse1

I have obviously heard stories of people dying in internet cafes in Korea while playing for too long, and I am sure we've all encountered people online or in real life who have had some serious life problems that stemmed at least in part from an addiction to an MMORPG.

So let's discuss this a bit.

Are you someone who has had this problem with a particular game or aspect of the hobby? Have you had to adjust anything in your life as a result? Have you hurt others by spending money on a game instead of a legitimate household need? Do you have stories to share as a caution to others?

Disclaimer: PLEASE let's not be judgmental here. There are manypeople who have addictive personalities, diagnosable conditions, etc. - don't make the assumption that getting into or out of any addiction can always be managed by just "changing" or sucking it up," etc. I think that this thread could be useful for really exploring some of the nuances of the subject and, potentially, for giving people an outlet to admit problems and/or seek help. Let's not put the kibosh on that with cheap and easy judgements.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Like most things, you can in fact become psychologically addicted to video games.

I had a problem with it when I was much younger. With all the domestic violence and alcoholism I ended up turning to games and basically was living in them instead of my own shitty life. When I wasn't at school or sleeping I was gaming. If I had to guess the extent of time this went on, probably from ages 8-12 so a good 4 years.

I don't have the issue anymore, but there are some psychological reminders. There are some nights where I become absorbed enough that I consciously skip dinner or put off going to bed till 2-3am to finish a game or compete online longer. I only do it maybe once or twice a month if that. There are also times I have the strong compulsion to drop whatever I'm doing to play games, but I almost always ignore it.

[Valkyrie-Favor]

I never had a problem with gaming, but fantasy as a whole has been a struggle for me. Who wouldn't rather play Metroid than dig holes for 8 hours?

Lately I've been digging holes and enjoying it. There's a lot more to life than escaping it, so gaming one of many relaxing hobbies rather than the thing to do when I have no distractions or commitments.

[Ack]

Hmm..in late 2010 I lost my job. Faced with a lack of income, no potential professional positions, and competition with the large student body of the nearby university, I was unable to find work for several months. As a result of my depression, I turned towards playing games as a panacea, one that allowed me to feel some sort of accomplishment, though I did little more than wake up and retreat into the back room where I kept my consoles. I beat many games over the ensuing months, but lost contact with many close friends, and my relationship suffered. I don't know how much this contributed to its end, though I feel my unwillingness to seek help for my depression was a partial cause.

So I would say I turned towards games not as the problem but as a symptom. I have had family members accuse me of being addicted to games in the past, though this accusation came primarily from my stepmother, whom I was not on good terms with at the time. On the one hand, I can see how it can be an issue, though since games "reward" the player by causing the release of endorphins, I wonder if this could also be used as a psychiatric treatment if monitored effectively by the doctor.

[Dylan]

The most serious problem I've had lately with gaming is how it's interfered with my studies at school this year. It's not at all uncommon to come into college and realize that you have genuinely terrible study habits, but gaming amplified the problem for me. When you're used to X hours of gaming a day and when life becomes busier and you don't have as much time to engage in pleasurable activities, you still feel the need to meet yesterday's "pleasure quota" even though it's now unattainable.

Gaming I believe is particularly bad about this (at least for me) because it's always accessible in any situation. Compare this to something like hanging out with friends. I'll ask people if they want to hang out, and sometimes they'll say they can't because they need to study. This makes me consciously aware that I also need to study, and that my mode of entertainment has failed regardless of whether I chose to or not. When I played sports, I only ever enjoyed putting in about 2 hours before I became physically tired and wanted to relax. The source of entertainment has run dry for the time being. Gaming on the other hand is always accessible and always engaging, and I believe that that's where the danger of it can come in. I mean, Gaming is on the exact same machine I'm trying to use to do my work in the first place! I don't even have to stand up and walk across the room to start. It makes it that much easier to get frustrated and say "well, I've done enough work for today, time for a break" when "a break" is 20 seconds two clicks away.

[Valkyrie-Favor]

I have exactly the same problem. I'm a pretty hard worker and can do hours or weeks at a time, but I feel like I need "pleasure" in return.

The main thing is to change your viewpoint. Working hard, doing a great job and genuinely accomplishing something is more rewarding and builds your real life skills. You get a lot more endorphins that way!

[gtmtnbiker]

Personally, I never had an addiction to games. There was one person who used to work for me who was addicted to EverQuest. As a result, his personal hygiene suffered. His work was still good, just that he spent all of his non-work, non-sleeping time playing the game.

[Dylan]

I have exactly the same problem. I'm a pretty hard worker and can do hours or weeks at a time, but I feel like I need "pleasure" in return.

The main thing is to change your viewpoint. Working hard, doing a great job and genuinely accomplishing something is more rewarding and builds your real life skills. You get a lot more endorphins that way!

Yeah, that's been really important. I've always admired hard work, but college really makes you put your money where your mouth is. Even if the act of work itself doesn't feel great, the absence of the self-loathing due to laziness is pretty uplifting in its own right.

[Menegrothx]

Back when I was in school and played WoW I used to fake that I was sick so I could skip school and play (I think it was more about social anxiety/dislike of social situations rather than "I'VE GOT TO PLAY WORLD OF WARCRAFT!!!" though) and some times I only got 2 hours of sleep a night before going to school. I played WoW 8-15 hours a day on school days and 10-18 on weekends and holidays.

I dont know if I'm addicted to gaming anymore as I dont play MMORPGs and I dont work or study at the moment so I dont know if it "interferes" with my "real" life. But I doubt I will have any major problems to stop playing games for 8 hours if I get a job, if anything, getting back to home and playing games feels a lot better after something like that and you are more motivated to play video games when you dont have 24 hours of free time a day, it's easier to procrastinate gaming in a situation like mine when you can do it whenever you want.

There was one person who used to work for me who was addicted to EverQuest. As a result, his personal hygiene suffered. His work was still good, just that he spent all of his non-work, non-sleeping time playing the game.

I guess I "suffer" from the same thing, but I dont know wheter it's gaming or just plain lazyness. I dont mind being in a room full of trash and If my hair is greasy and my shirt is dirty and I smell like sweat, it doesnt really matter if I'm alone in my room I change clothes and go to shower if I need to go to some social situation like shopping for groceries or something.

[Menegrothx]

Oh yeah, one thing about WoW (and MMORPGs in general) addiction is that you will start to feel guilty when you are not playing the game. Many times I logged in for hours to do absolutely nothing, because I felt like I needed to be in WoW. Not because there was raid or arena scheduled or that I needed to do something in WoW, I just sat there doing nothing. With daily quests, monthly subscription fees etc, many people complain that the game feels like another job. Any time invested in any other game starts to feel like a waste, when you could have been using that time on improving your character.