Video Gaming is not an addiction.

According to this article, video gaming is not an addiction. Please, do comment on this.

Link: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201202/video-game-addiction-does-it-occur-if-so-why

 

That site is full of nonsense (in general)... and the article headline? Gaming can be EXACTLY like gambling. In many MMOs you earn in-game money to buy items and risk them. How is this not like gambling? And why would gambling be any more real than a video game? Idiotic researcher.

 

Ok, I'll send this link to my friends who've spent literally 12 hours a day wasting their time playing MMOs. Super healthy past-time, yes?

 

I've seen you on the front page too, thefalcon241.

Stop living in denial FFS. Playing a video game is tantamount to escaping from / avoiding real life.

 

I agree with the other guys that videogames can be addicting, but stop acting like it's the same as porn people, videogames can be, and actually are by a lot of people, used in moderation. And they're not that bad if you're not spending too long on them and obsessing over them. Also a lot of people (myself included) only play games with great stories, and aren't interested in sports/shooters/etc. As long as they're used right, they're just like reading books or watching movies.

 

MMOs are every bit as addicting as P. Addiction is addiction... when will people get a clue? The real issue is a lack of empathy, really. Very few seem to be able to see from another person's perspective. "I have X problem and it is the worst."

 

1. MMOs are very addicting, but not QUITE as addicting as P.
2. MMOs being addicting doesn't mean videogames are addicting. MMOs being addicting means MMOs are addicting. MMOs are only like 5% of videogames. Probably even less.

Some games are extremely addicting, but others aren't any more addicting than music or books.

 

Anything that keeps you from living in the moment is bad. When someone is addicted to gaming, they constantly think about playing the game... leveling up. It's endless and it's horrible. I would play Runescape 12-17 hours a day on weekends and 8 hours a day on school days. Those hours went by like nothing... I didn't get hungry, either. Withdrawal was immediate. I would get shakes and unbearable anxiety when not playing. And friends from school and in-game played as much as me.

The addiction to Runescape was just as strong as the addiction to P. Just watch some videos of what happens when someone's mmo account gets deleted. Anything that is endless is awful for you. If you had a limited amount of P, it wouldn't be AS damaging as it is. It would still do mental damage... but wouldn't be as likely to cause sexual dysfunction.

 

I just said MMOs are addictive but not all videogames are...why would you try to convince me by talking about an MMO?

Also, I was a fairly heavy gamer, but I never spent 17 hours, or even 12 hours playing games, and I don't think the majority of gamers spends that much time on them.

And did you just say anything that keeps you from living in the moment is bad? So reading books is bad too?

 

Saying MMOs are bad and other video games in general can't be... is like saying having a foot fetish is bad, but porn isn't. Pick your poison... Ever hear of Flappy Bird?

Personally, I can have fun on FPS games and not be drawn back all the time. Is it the same for everyone? No.

Is reading a book bad? No... is thinking about reading a book or reading instead of interacting with family/friends bad? YES.

Read this:
http://www.dailydot.com/gaming/psychology-flappy-bird-addiction/

 

Actually, it's the other way around, saying all videogames are bad because MMOs are bad, is like saying a foot fetish is bad because porn is bad. Foot fetish in porn is bad, because porn is bad, foot fetish with a clean partner is fine.

I agree on both of your other points. Not all people get addicted as easily or as hardly, some people can get addicted playing anything, and other people only get addicted when playing MMOs and stuff, my point is, if you don't overdo it, and you're not playing just for the dopamine or getting a killstreak or whatever, but actually for the storytelling, then it's not addictive.

Reading books is also bad if you take it to the point where it messes with the rest of your life, but that doesn't mean you should not read. Food is also bad if you eat too much of it because you'll get fat and die of a heart attack, but if don't eat you die, so everything has to be moderated to some point. It's all about whether something is addictive by design, or just addictive for certain people. Each of us should know our limits and not make a habit of crossing them too often.

 

Psychology today is only a step above buzzfeed in terms of its accuracy and quality of information.

 

I really don't think it is. If you can get addicted to games like that https://rocketpayz.com/online-casino-real-money-paypal/ , you can get addicted to anything. This kind of games is harmless. That's just my opinion.

 

If something has a greater negative effect on your life than positive, but you still feel compelled to do it - then if not addiction, it is addiction like.

I wonder what the brain chemistry is like around gaming. Also, they are many different sorts of games. Some are basically gambling in different formats - so could become gambling addictions.

 

Story-rich, linear games with a fixed length imo are the only kind of games you can play without risk of addiction. RPGs are definitely the most harmful, especially f2p coop and MMOs.

 

Interesting. Some RPG are story rich. Do you have any examples of the types of games with low risk?

 

I guess I don't necessarily only mean story rich in terms of lore but in terms of the narrative impact. Dark Souls has a fairly detailed lore but the gameplay itself is virtually free of any narrative or in-game lore besides fairly trivial conversations with NPCs.

The problem with most RPGs is that the narrative is garbage, you start with some big opening cutscene then wander around for hours doing menial tasks inbetween other cutscenes and they're so far apart that the narrative, and overall story immersion, is completely lost on you. You don't play the game for the experience of meaningful story but instead to do fetch quests and level up your bullshit. This is in contrast to linear games with highly structured and carefully tailored gameplay that forces a consistent narrative, often without the need for cutscenes (such as Half Life 2).

A prime example of what I'm talking about is the game Soma, an existential horror & hard sci fi on par with the some of the greatest films and pieces of literature. It's fairly short and 100% linear, once you beat it a once or twice you don't feel the need to play it again anytime soon, it's like reading a really good book.

Contrast this with Dark Souls which can take 100+ hrs to beat and allows NG+, y0u become attached to your stats/armor/weapons/etc and build little dopamine circuits in your brain for all sorts of things related to that. It's also common to want to "show off" your outfits/armor/etc which is very similar to the phenomenon seen in F2Ps like TF2 or Fortnite - many people are more interested in showing off their rare hats and costumes than actually competing.

RPGs are all inherently toxic and addictive by design, especially MMORPGs, with F2Ps being just as bad in some ways.

 

Used to play DOTA 2 like 4 hrs a day everyday minimum 5 years ago. It lead me to sleep deprevation. PMO addiction. Weakened my right wrist dude to preforming quick flicking and fast clicking at un-ergonomic positions.

I still play games. But only single player games with controller on my PS4. <2 hrs a day or not at all. Trying to finish RDR2 and pause gaming for a while till my health gets better.