LA Times story on game addiction

Games
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Can you call it addiction if you choose to? My answers for those questions are easy: I game a lot, because it’s one of my favorite activities. It never gets in the way of the rest of my life. I also never feel lonely, so games aren’t a substitute for that. I actually like being alone, games have little to do with that.

Frankly, if I say I’m addicted to games using those questions, I’d also have to say I’m addicted to programming, which is an equally enjoyable pastime for me.

edit: answers to questions, with bonus ‘programming’ as alternate questions.

• When you’re not playing a game, do you find it difficult not to think about it?
No, I’ll often think about programming things I’d like to do, or books I’m reading, etc.
For Programming: Yes, because I love the amount of brain activity it takes to solve programming problems, so a part of my brain is always dedicated to problem solving.

• Are you uninterested in anything else besides games?
No.
For Programming: No.

• Do you feel unable to control how much you play?
No, but that’s because I choose to play as much as I do. When I’m done playing I’m done, it’s not a compulsion.
For Programming: Yes, sometimes when I’m programming I just don’t want to stop.

• Are you often late for appointments because of your game play?
I have never been late for an appointment, ever.
For Programming: Same.

• Are you having difficulty managing daily life?
Sure, between gaming and programming, I think I’m going to hire a maid to do my laundry and clean my apartment. But who wants to do that stuff anyway?

• Do you skip meals to play?
Better than that, I eat while I play/program!

• When you feel alone, do you use games to communicate with others?
I never feel alone, so this question doesn’t apply.

• Do you spend more than three hours at a stretch playing?
Yes, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
For Programming: Yes, every day of the week. 8 hours at least!

• Is game play preventing you from getting enough sleep?
Possibly. But unlikely.
For Programming: Same.

• Do you have headaches, dizziness or seizures?
Yes, headaches. But I’ve had them forever.

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OMG, Charles is TEH DEBIL! He is not only addicted to games but also into making all those murder simulations! (Probably to feed his gaming addiction!)

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• When you’re not playing a game, do you find it difficult not to think about it?
Not anymore. It’s been a long time since I played a game that did that to me.

• Are you uninterested in anything else besides games?
Awkwardly worded, but no. I have other interests.

• Do you feel unable to control how much you play?
Not at all. It’s rare that I’ll play for more than 2-3 hours anymore.

• Are you often late for appointments because of your game play?
Nope.

• Are you having difficulty managing daily life?
Not really.

• Do you skip meals to play?
No.

• When you feel alone, do you use games to communicate with others?
No.

• Do you spend more than three hours at a stretch playing?
Seldom. Maybe once a week at most.

• Is game play preventing you from getting enough sleep?
Very occasionally.

• Do you have headaches, dizziness or seizures?
Headaches occasionally.

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I don’t find it difficult not to think about games. Don’t presume from my multiple postings a day to gaming websites that this is the case.

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I fail to see how headaches have anything to do with gaming. I also find it hard to believe that so few people here have headaches. I can understand dizziness and seizures, but headaches? Come on. Someone is lying.

I guess the mark of a true gaming addict is dizzily falling into a seizure as you grip your aching head!

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I interpreted that bit as meaning “on a regular basis, possibly correlated with gaming”. Otherwise yeah, it’s pretty meaningless.

I guess the mark of a true gaming addict is dizzily falling into a seizure as you grip your aching head!

As you’re stumbling towards the doctor’s office, a half-hour late for your appointment because you didn’t get enough sleep, unable to think of anything but how your AH auctions are doing.

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And the ticking of the cortex bomb doesn’t help.

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If they felt an uncontrollable compulsion to watch that much TV? To the point where it’s interfering with the rest of their daily lives? Sure, I’d call that “TV addiction.” Otherwise, they’re just couch potatoes who need to move their fat asses once in a while.

Really, what term you use to describe it is less important than acknowledging that, yes, there really are some people who game way the hell too much (in terms of it interfering with the rest of their lives) and it isn’t healthy. I don’t know if these people need counseling or medication or just to get laid or what, but they do need something to ween them off their gaming addiction / compulsion / dependency.

Also, such behavior can be a symptom of another deeper problem which needs to be addressed: e.g., someone who suffers from depression turns to drugs to escape it; even if they overcome their drug addiction, their depression still needs to be treated, too.

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Great post, Sidd. Thanks.

Yeah, I think part of this is that people are confusing (or conflating) two different ideas: the idea of “Do you spend a lot of time gaming,” and the idea of “Are you addicted to gaming” (or “Do you game compulsively,” if that’s preferable). Spending a lot of time gaming might be an indicator of addiction, but seems (to me) not sufficient to show addiction. People might spend a lot of time on some leisure activity (gaming, TV, whatever) and still lead otherwise normal and healthy lives. It’s when the activity starts interfering with other things we consider healthy and necessary (like eating, sleeping, and maintaining social relationships) that people should grow concerned.

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I was spending too many hours playing LoTRO and my relationship with my family was suffering. I pulled the power cord out of the computer last week and gave it to my wife to hold for a week*. After three days without access to a computer, I came down with the flu but it felt more like a debilitating depression. I’m not sure whether it was one or the other but it has made me aware of how much I was using the computer to manage depression. I’ve booked a long session with my doctor to go through it properly.
Looking at the posting histories and anecdotes that people are offering here, I would urge people to just see how long they can go without using a computer before they start coming up with sly reasons and rationalizations to go back.

Also, Balasarius,

50-60 hours, not an addict.

lol

*I managed 5 days before digging out my spare power cord to check QT3 and some emails.

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I get completely “addicted” with new games. I think about the game all the time, dream about it, and feel anxious when I’m e.g. at work and can’t play. This usually lasts a very short while with any given game, however (usually about a week).

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A Sydney Morning Herald article about the same thing.

I certainly think about games when I’m not playing them, and sometimes don’t get enough sleep because of playing them (Quarter to Three anyone?). But the same is true for other sports and hobbies I do. I like to think it’s just because I really enjoy doing them.

Having said that, if you can have pathological gambling, I don’t see why you can’t have something similar for computer games.

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This many media placements in a short time means that there is a PR company at work. Who is the client?

34

Bingo.