When does gaming become an "addiction"?

I'm rarely accused of being an addict, but when someone does say that, it bugs me, because I'm just immersing myself in something, not addicted in the slightest.

I know that there are some people who stay glued to the screen without sleep for days, neglecting their physical needs to the point of severe dehydration, but frequently playing a game for a few hours a day surely isn't anything bordering on addiction.

edited 22nd May '11 3:04:58 PM by Shichibukai

It becomes an addiction when the speaker thinks the time spent is unexcuseable.

Seriously? I don't know.

I'd agree. Sure, there might be better ways to spend the day, but a few hours of gaming a day does not make an addict. I remember hearing a story about some man playing (IIRC) World of Warcraft nonstop for about 40 hours, forgoing sleep and food to the point of death. Now that's addiction.

If it doesn't hinder other aspects of your life (job, school, health, family etc.) then it's not an addiction.

Pretty much.

It's not addiction if you can't snort it.

Seriously, though, I consider it addiction when a husband and wife play World Of Warcraft so much that they forget to feed their baby and it starves to death.

That was exactly what I was gonna say

Now you guys are reminding me of that Penny Arcade strip about the lawsuit about some thing for WOW that was considered a "hack."

Oh yeah, here it is.

It's addiction when it interferes with your life and you can't stop it. People tend to overuse it - being a nerd and/or spending a few hours a day isn't addiction.

When it stops being an enjoyable experience, and starts being a compulsion.

When you experience withdrawal-like symptoms. Essentially, when the need to play a video games is the same as the craving for a drug or alcohol or a smoke.

As some people have said, when it starts negatively impacting real life.

Wherein lies the same pitfall as with alcoholism and drug abuse (the drugs a little less, being mostly illegal in most countries to begin with). Where do you draw the line of "I can control it" and "I can't control it!", huh? I maintain that I am an addict, seeing as I do tend to forgo social interaction in favour of digital entertainment, but most people that know me IRL state that I don't spend nearly enough time gaming to be a real proper addict. Then again, it's not only about the games, I'm more of an addict to escapism. Substitute the games for a good movie, a brilliant book or a wonderful theatre play — and I would still persist in my preference for the entertainment over constructive work. Which somehow still hasn't managed to destroy me or my social life (stable girlfriend, many friends, lots of non-game-related habits, a well-looked-after dog, a nearly-finished Ph.D...). Yet, I consider myself an addict, but won't seek help about it. Sorry.

I would consider it to be when you yourself say that you do it too much.

While if you wanna go with the psychological definition of addiction, then gaming only becomes an addiction when it starts interfering with other aspects of your daily life.

Do you skip eating one of your three meals a day to play games? you might be addicted.
Do you spend money that should have gone towards something else(groceries or something like that) on games instead? You might be addicted.

you sound just like me!

edited 23rd May '11 9:46:57 AM by Blissey1

I can quit gaming any time I want!

I'LL TELL YOU WHEN I'VE HAD ENOUGH!

To have an "addiction" you need to go through withdrawal when removed, so unless you have Bizarre Alien Biology, you're not.

There is something called emotional dependence.

That, too, has withdrawal symptoms associated with it - depression, panic attacks, etc.