Kotaku writer explains the cost of his gaming addiction

[J T]

This was a sad and interesting article to read on Kotaku:

I kept playing: The costs of my gaming addiction by Michael Fahey

It reminds me of the lukemorse1 video that was discussed earlier on this site. While these kinds of stories are sad, I think they are a good reminder that we need to be careful with how much time we devote to gaming, despite how much we love it.

[dlmvii]

It's long, but a pretty good read. I can relate somewhat, as I spent basically a year out of my life doing the same thing -> eat, sleep, WoW, and occasionally classes. Luckily it was at a time in my life when I didn't have a ton of responsibilities, and could still afford to slack off somewhat.

[crux]

During our conversation, Dr. Cash also likened gaming to gambling. Some people can walk into a casino, lose $5, and call it quits. You have to know your own limits, and be conscious enough of them to know when you are in danger of going too far.

I found this funny, simply because I have a very addictive personality but can't understand gambling in the slightest. If I'm not careful I can abuse games, money, alcohol, or drugs - and I've abused all of them at some time or another. I'm acutely aware of the addictiveness of MMORPGs. I went to Vegas, though, and made about $240 in craps, but was so present to the fact that the odds were against me that I cashed my chips out of nervousness and didn't gamble again for the rest of the trip.

I'm glad the story had a happy ending.

[Hatta]

I just don't get it. I've been into some pretty addictive games. Civilization, Nethack, but never have I turned down sex for a video game. Priorities people.

Gotta wonder what's wrong with a girl who will be treated like that and still go back to the guy.

[fastbilly1]

I read it this morning, an excellent read through and through. Luckliy, I quit MMOs long before it got to that point, but I got close twice. Right now the only MMO I have is Guild Wars, and luckily thats only engaging for a short time.

[dedalusdedalus]

I just don't get it. I've been into some pretty addictive games. Civilization, Nethack, but never have I turned down sex for a video game. Priorities people.

Gotta wonder what's wrong with a girl who will be treated like that and still go back to the guy.

Twenty bucks says she was a fatty.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Only game that I can think of that I have ever been "addicted" too would probably be SimCity 4. I spent 4 years playing that game like crack. Come home from school, play SimCity 4, sleep, wake up and check in to SimCity 4 and record all the details (I would print a map and all the graphs), spend school figuring out what I want to do next, go home, play SimCity 4. This was from when I was about 9 or 10 up until around when I joined these forums...

WoW I had a mild addiction too, I would check in every day and play for 15 minutes, sometimes I would play on the weekends for hours, but never lost days and nights to it like SimCity.

ZooTycoon also took a ton of my time. As did Gran Turismo 3.

[KholdStare]

Ahh this was a damn good read. Like some people here I can agree to having somewhat of the same problems. I have a damn addictive personality but luckily I never really got into MMO's.

[jfe2]

This was a great article! I can really relate to him, and I give him credit for taking responsibility and not blaming the game itself for his problems.

I started playing WoW late last year and I am ashamed to admit that I quickly became addicted. It's not like my situation was as bad as those who have addictions to drugs or alcohol, but it was affecting my job, my relationship, and my role as a father. I was constantly either playing or thinking about the game, to the point where I would neglect spending time with my family in order to run another instance or gain another level.

Luckily for me, my computer's motherboard decided to fry, and I was unable to play for a few weeks while it was being fixed. I decided to use the situation as motivation to just stop playing altogether. Part of me feels bad that I left my guild behind without any real explanation other than, "I just can't do this anymore", but I guess it's better to leave them than to have my family leave me.

The new expansion looks really fun, but I don't think it's physically possible for me to play an MMO without getting addicted to it, so I have decided to just not get into them anymore. Even if I tried to force myself to play in moderation, I would always be thinking about it anyway, so it would ultimately just interfere with my life. A few upcoming MMOS, such as The Old Republic, and DC Universe Online look interesting, but its better on my conscience and my wallet to just stick to the "casual" gaming.

[soniklife]

I read this article and it reminded me why I don't play MMOs regardless of how tempted I am. Overall an excellent article.