Computer game addiction

[Disgustipated]

Anyone here addicted to computer games? Or just me? I'm not diagnosed professionally mind you, more like a self diagnosis. I don't even know if it is a legitimate mental disease. I figure we have a quitting smoking thread, why not a thread for those addicted to computer games. Not that I want to give up computer games. I enjoy them so much. I just can't quit them entirely. Not even for my gf. There have been times that computer games have gotten in the way of my relationship. Like yesterday I was getting into a game of Civ4 fighting a war against the Incas, and I forgot to text her. And I stayed up past the time I wanted to go to sleep. Just one more turn is really code for addiction as far as I'm concerned.

Problem is computer games are a pretty big time hog. Especially if you like to play them all. Although I only like 2 genres (TBS and RPG), but even keeping up with those games is difficult. The only thing saving me is a lot of newer games (Civ 5, Dragon Age 2) have sucked. After going back to Civ4 recently, I completely forgotten how much better that game is than Civ 5. You don't think about it unless you play them side by side so to speak.

Anyways, use this thread to discuss how much impact computer games have in your life, and if you've ever had them interfere with your life in any way (like grades at school, or girls etc.). I'll make a simple yes or no poll. No ambiguity here, just answer what you honestly feel about your self.

The only good thing for me is computer games weren't that good when I was a teenager. And I wasn't as interested in them as much back then, than I am now. I think my addiction has grown in the past 5 years. Is there any relief? It's not something I want to quit cold turkey, and I can't. I just want to manage it within my life. It was better in a way when I was single and had no life, then I could devote all my free time to computer games. Problem is, I'm not good at time management, and I'm having trouble finding time for gaming, and my gf. I know I should stop gaming completely. I mean, what's the point of living in a fantasy world when my real life is pretty good now?

 

[Terxpahseyton]

I think your best bet is a plan to tame your habits. Assigns yourself a set time per week or something where you do some playing. But I advise to so in a manner that the amount of time reflects recreation rather than consumption of your life. And you need to actually believe that if you don't follow the plan, gaming is bound to make you miserable on the long run.
I personally never had a gaming issue. Okay, there were times when a game so excited me that I just had ot keep playing. But those times faded and that was it. When I otherwise did too much playing, it was just one means of escapism of many. Nowadays I increasingly rarely play, and I increasingly rarely really enjoy gaming. It just can seem so utmost pointless.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I'd rather give up smoking than gaming.

 

[Akka]

Problem is computer games are a pretty big time hog.

Not really anymore.
Less and less games are released (due to exploding budgets limiting a lot the number of companies able to make them and the number they can crank), and most of them have become incredibly short.
In fact I'm becoming "forced" to find new hobbies, because even with sport eating half of my free time, I can't find enough good games to fill the rest since a few years.

Anyways, use this thread to discuss how much impact computer games have in your life, and if you've ever had them interfere with your life in any way (like grades at school, or girls etc.). I'll make a simple yes or no poll. No ambiguity here, just answer what you honestly feel about your self.

Video games make up for about nearly all of my non-sport past-time, and I can't really imagine a life without a computer.
At the same time, they have a pretty low priority compared to the other stuff I may be doing, and I have no problem leaving my chair when there is an occasion to see friends or to things elsewhere.
In other words, I can't give up on them and need to have my fix, but they don't hinder me in any way when it comes to do stuff and see people. So I'm not sure if I'm addicted or not.

The only good thing for me is computer games weren't that good when I was a teenager.

I disagree on this.
The peak of creativity in games was in the late 80's and early 90's, after which came the polishing phase (less creativity, but better constructed games) during the mid 90' and early 2000, and then the "big budget" phase (lots of stuff we couldn't dream about before due to ressources limitation, but game having less passion and less soul in them) in the mid 2000.
Since then, it has just become a big bunch of copy-pasted bland stuff and is on a steady downward slope.

 

[Skwink]

I've played about four hours of video games in the last two weeks.

 

[Synobun]

There are times where I go months without playing anything and I was totally fine. I enjoy gaming, and if there's a new game, I will play it for a long time, but it's not really something that is a necessity to my life. Entertainment, but nothing more. I don't get the shakes if I don't game.

 

[Murky]

Playing civ and other video games takes my mind off other things.

 

[warpus]

I've played over 800 hours of Football Manager in the last 6 months.

Help me

 

[HarvesterofSorr]

I have to say Yes and No.
In that there have definitely been times when I let gaming take over all of my non-work life. 1999-2001 especially I played Civ 2 and Call to Power endlessly. I only stopped to feed myself, work, do laundry, etc. And I tried to do as many of those tasks while the AI was taking it's turn as possible. My apartment was a stye and no chores that didn't relate directly to me going to work in an acceptable appearance got done.
Of course during that time I had a lot of issues going on and I was really trying to escape. There have been other times like that but they usually come along when something else emotionally is going on.
Right now things IRL are going a lot better on the upswing and I find my gaming has decreased considerably. The thing for me is that the type of game I like (Civ series, EU series, HOI) is better played in long stretches. Now I need something to do on days when I've only got one hour at a time. Oh well. As far as I'm concerned that's a good problem to have.
If you find yourself ignoring your GF for games that could mean you have a problem. Of course it could just mean that women are hard to pay attention to because they never shut up!

 

[NickyJ]

I've got gaming times that will put all your gaming time totals to shame. They will make you all weep, and if you play as much as I do, you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body.

I won't post the numbers. They're too hideous. All I'll say is that warpus needs no help.

 

[Kozmos]

Once obligations start mounting and money gets tight your addiction will either evaporate or deepen.

 

[Synobun]

I've got gaming times that will put all your gaming time totals to shame. They will make you all weep, and if you play as much as I do, you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body.

I won't post the numbers. They're too hideous. All I'll say is that warpus needs no help.

The most I've put into a game was 300, over the course of several years. I think I'm safe from the addiction.

 

[Murky]

I haven't bought any video games for over a month so I don't know if I still qualify.

 

[Kennigit]

I'm not that addicted to video games, although I am addicted to the internet and most specifically watching professional korean starcraft: brood war. I play brood war as well on korean servers, despite a lot of problems (I cannot host games due to port forwarding issues/latency, and it is difficult to communicate with koreans when you speak no korean). But I kind of get tired of games after 3 hours of gameplay (whether it's brood war or civilization, etc) and I don't feel a compulsion to play/continue playing, as is the case with addition.

I've followed professional brood war since ~jan 2008, almost every single day. I even use korean streaming services like afreeca to watch former retired progamers, and I'd try to watch as much stuff as possible live.

that's not what makes it addictive to me though, that's just spending a lot of time doing something you like (and there are fantasy leagues just as there are fantasy football leagues, etc). But the addiction comes from the emotional attachment--I'm very emotionally attached to it, and it's the one constant in my life. But more and more brood war is dieing out professionally, as the league officially ended in august and the former pros/amateurs playing for ~5000 dollar tournaments got rocked with another gambling issue recently (where players throw matches while betting money on gambling sites).

 

[peter grimes]

It's funny - many posters here come at this from the point of view that the time spent on games are negatively affecting their life, while I find that using a game-playing approach to my life has actually enhanced it.

Small example: civ4 is the version where I came to learn and practice a certain level of micromanagement - MM, for short. I've applied these analysis techniques to our household communications needs and was able to draft a civics revolt proposal for a new cell phone plan. I now see this procedure as relatively straight forward, but before I was comfortable making tables of data to compare, I really would not have been confident in my conclusion.

Another qiickie: thinking about what interests me and excites me about a game playing experience can help to relate to someone else's interest that I find, we'll, boring. Pinterest, for instance. Wife loves it and is excited to bell me about certain things that happen for her there. I can relate to that by analogy.

These aren't profound examples, but they serve to show that not all brain time spent on video games is wasted ;-)

Ediys:because my pocket computer sucks

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I've played over 800 hours of Football Manager in the last 6 months.

Help me

Dear warpus: Go outside and find a real game of football to play. Or a game of street hockey. Any rinks operational in your neighborhood yet? Find a game of shinny and have fun.


I've got 26 Big Fish Games credits piled up (that's over 2 years' worth) because my current computer has decided to partially die on me and so help me I do not understand the instructions on how to try to fix this situation (something about drivers that I'm computer-challenged enough to be baffled by).

So no... I haven't been having any gaming problems lately... But I have occasionally spent insane numbers of hours per day reading fanfic.

 

[holy king]

no. i only play games you play through once or twice (like assasins creed at the moment) these days.
every two or three months or so...

 

[Ayatollah So]

Trashed the Civ2 disk years (decades?) ago and got over it. But if World In Flames ever does come out as a computer game, I hope to become semi-addicted again to play-by-email on it.

 

[Murky]

Trashed the Civ2 disk years (decades?) ago and got over it. But if World In Flames ever does come out as a computer game, I hope to become semi-addicted again to play-by-email on it.

There's Fate of the World where you can play as an evil oil Barron and destroy the world through Global Warming.

 

[Core Imposter]

I have a working Ms. Pacman machine in my walk in closet.