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Massively Speaking Podcast
Massively Speaking Episode 185: Bree-to-play
Latest episode: Tuesday, February 7th, 2012



Reader Comments (1)
Posted: Oct 6th 2009 5:00AM HackJack said
"Am I any less of a person because I'm addicted to video games?
Do I cause harm to myself or other people as a result of my addiction?
Does this addiction have ANY tangible negative effects on my wellbeing?"
The first question is too subjective and philosophical to be answered but the latter two definitely can't be answered with a "NO". Well, in case of an actual addiction, of course. One hour a day in front of a PC is actually GOOD since it's merely a form of entertainment, but much more hours are BAD.
You (generic) do cause psychological harm to others if you game too much. You risk severing relationships and even insulting people who tell you to quit gaming for a bit and spend some more time with them (I know lots of people who did this AT LEAST once, myself included).
Also sitting in front of a monitor/TV screen gaming is no different from sitting on a couch watching sports instead of practicing sports: you gain weight, your sight diminishes (proven fact so don't BS me on this one), your social EQ diminishes (spending 7 hours in chat channels doesn't help understand people more than 1 hours does). Are these tangible enough for you? I hope so.
But there's a very good side to this addiction: it's fun and costs less than any other form of entertainment (if handled with care). Plus it naturally fades when and IF you decide to take on responsibilities :]