The Hazards of Gaming: Videogame addiction

I have not played videogames since 5 years, simply because I didn't upgrade my computer. 5 years before, I would play games for like 4-8 hours a day. Currently,I am at home & not doing a fulltime job so I was wondering if I get a new pc, will I be prone to the same addiction? I do feel like playing games sometimes but what if I become na addict again? I remember how hard it was to get a grip on myself, the guilt & the furstration.

Has anyone experienced being a videogame addict? How did you overcome it.. or it overcame you?

And how do you play videogames without becoming na addict?

just keep a limit on the number of hours you play games....don't sacrifice social events for gaming...that will keep you away from being an addict

abhidev said:
just keep a limit on the number of hours you play games....don't sacrifice social events for gaming...that will keep you away from being an addict

That is exactly what I can't do. & thats why I called myself an addict :-(

See this link
-> Positive Effects of Video Games

thetechfreak said:
See this link
-> Positive Effects of Video Games

nice share

1. Buy original games. With that you'll be restricted with a handful of games, since you'll be restricted in a budget.
2. When you overdo, simply delete the game, and then don't play for few weeks.

Problem solved.

come on guys....

cant you can control yourself.. its upto us what we want to do... evey thing has bad or good side...

anything if done too much is bad...

gaming addiction is better than alcohol, smoking, porn etc...

and keep limit for everything....

At times I play, my eyes are watering and back is aching, but if stuck at a point -- I have to complete. Becomes quite an exhausting experience at times.

get a girlfriend...

Zangetsu said:
get a girlfriend...

So lame.

^^once he gets he wont have time for gaming & no money to buy games..
so forget addiction ..he will forget playing games...

SuperH3art said:
gaming addiction is better than alcohol, smoking, porn etc...

Nope nope nope.

Zangetsu said:
get a girlfriend...

hahahaa....good one :lol:

she will surely get him rid of his addiction for computers itself :lol:

Get a *real* life, perhaps?

You are the master of your own life.

Zangetsu said:
^^once he gets he wont have time for gaming & no money to buy games..
so forget addiction ..he will forget playing games...

lol ?

Kl@w-24 said:
Get a *real* life, perhaps?

And wanting to play games is not a part of *real* life? I mean come on, it's a source of entertainment just like TV, movies, etc.

Addiction to games relatively mild compared to addiction to MMOG or just the internet . Its easier to curb , you don't get attached to games as much as you do to more personal things like , again , the internet. + You can just 'not get' the game , o maybe 'Shift + Delete' as a saftey valve

. I would say lets find some other thing to worry about

Its true that it effects the mind of some people...

I saw one boy playing GTA in cyber-cafe..he was mercilessly killing people on road with shotgun...I told him that "you can do other pending missions instead of this.."
he replied..."I m njoying myself killing here..."

Zangetsu said:
Its true that it effects the mind of some people...

I saw one boy playing GTA in cyber-cafe..he was mercilessly killing people on road with shotgun...I told him that "you can do other pending missions instead of this.."
he replied..."I m njoying myself killing here..."

Most of my friends do the same thing instead of missions they start killing.

Liverpool_fan said:
And wanting to play games is not a part of *real* life? I mean come on, it's a source of entertainment just like TV, movies, etc.

Exactly. Let it remain a form of entertainment. Don't let it take over everything that you do.

If you are out of it then don't go back. You wont enjoy gaming the way you did. The joy of completing a game and thinking that you can seat Alexander the king next to you, or the thrill of not getting caught by parents during that late night session etc etc.

I would say get a new hobby, a new addiction. getting hit by the same truck ain't fun. :))

Zangetsu said:
get a girlfriend...

1 hour ago I was playing tekken with my girl. :lol:

Does she really play tekkan?
>yes she does

Who wins?
> No comment :lol:

Why do I have to lose to a girl?

But I learnt a lesson today. :?:

Whenever I lost in a game, I was filled with God mode RAGE

, but losing to my girl doesn't make me feel anything. I guess she has taught me to accept defeat, which is nirvana for a gamer. I can resume normal life now. I am out of the "one more time and I will squish you like a slug" cycle :idea:

Also winning over a girl isn't really going to add up to your "I defeated list". Atleast for me. Sorry for being such a sexist.

Sorry for the many spoilers. Although you should blame your curiosity for that.

And my joblessness :))

And your curiousity again.

Its a loop

No more questions whatsoever.*CONDITIONS APPLY

Sarath said:
If you are out of it then don't go back. You wont enjoy gaming the way you did. The joy of completing a game and thinking that you can seat Alexander the king next to you, or the thrill of not getting caught by parents during that late night session etc etc.

I would say get a new hobby, a new addiction. getting hit by the same truck ain't fun.

1 hour ago I was playing tekken with my girl.

Does she really play tekkan?
>yes she does

Who wins?
> No comment

Why do I have to lose to a girl?

But I learnt a lesson today.

Whenever I lost in a game, I was filled with God mode RAGE, but losing to my girl doesn't make me feel anything. I guess she has taught me to accept defeat, which is nirvana for a gamer. I can resume normal life now. I am out of the "one more time and I will squish you like a slug" cycle

Also winning over a girl isn't really going to add up to your "I defeated list". Atleast for me. Sorry for being such a sexist.

Sorry for the many spoilers. Although you should blame your curiosity for that.

And my joblessness

And your curiousity again.

Its a loop

No more questions whatsoever.*CONDITIONS APPLY

ma you are lucky to hv a girl like that...who can play games with u

Loved that spoiler bit.

//MOD:
The OP had asked "The Hazards of Gaming: Videogame addiction". And was quite serious about it. Not sure where stuff like, "get a GF", "get a life" and smoking/porn came into this discussion. Let us not make a mockery of members and contribute judiciously or refrain from doing so.

Like the spoiler bit.

dude chill being addicted to videogames is the most natural thing in the world lol, as long as you are not otherwise fruitfully occupied, go ahead and game it can be intense fun, usually everyone has one thing that they are addicted to, and this is a good thing if you take it up responsibly... im a videogame addict right now, play the same game for upwards of 15 hours a day lol, having the time of my life no prolems

for many people it can be just the game, but for others this is a new frontier and we are approaching that point where human interaction is the same in digital spaces as it is in real spaces (ofc there are some things better not simulated but) really dont worry about it too much apart from your hands hurting, there is nothing that will harm you if you dont take it too seriously and do it for fun... so if you have the time, pick a game and go be a beast in it haha good luck and getting a gf is fine and all, but its better if you get your gf to game lol

But I don't think he will become an addict again. Atleast from my experience once you lose that flow of back to back gaming sessions you tend to start getting interested in other things in life.

I was dying to get a PS3 and now my (unplayed) games are just gathering dust. I don't think with the newer set of circumstances you will become an addict again.

Having said that in the 5years you were gone, we moved from Cd to DVD to BD but the games kept getting shorter and shorter and shorter. Heck my 3000/- bucks worth of pre-order (NFS) is only 3 hours long. Come on! 1000 bucks for an hour? :shock:

Games are pretty short now.

But stay away from World of Warcraft, Dota, Starcraft, other MMORPGs that again can turn you into a serious addict with a few physical and gross social abnormalities.

Additction reminds me of the Discovery Channel show I saw; the Pac Man machines caused a yen shortage in Japan. See there a lot of addicts in this world. You will learn to get over it. In fact the very fact that you are aware of the addiction will hamper it from becoming an addiction. In other words you will be more cautious when gaming this time. Shorter still; you won't become an addict again.

P.S. I still would say that go for a different hobby but it's your choice in the end

Thank you for appreciating the spoilers. Initially intended it to be just a normal spoiler. Don't know what I was thinking and went into a frenzy

uh just play MMORPGs, putting months into em isnt enough HAHAHA you cannot eat or sleep till you have six alts with endgame gear in WoW

Zangetsu said:
get a girlfriend...

Zangetsu said:
^^once he gets he wont have time for gaming & no money to buy games..
so forget addiction ..he will forget playing games...

lol.. true..

Faun said:
Nope nope nope.

seconded!

anarchy0x said:
Has anyone experienced being a videogame addict?

I have experienced it... :grin:

In the Era of 8bit video games..I remember I had not played it for a whole day...bcoz of TV shows of mom..(I was angry back then).so I woke early in the morning @4.00am & started playing the console silently (on mute) so that no body gets disturbed while they were dreaming....I enjoyed it a lot

anarchy0x said:
How did you overcome it.. or it overcame you?

by just watching movies instead of gaming...

anarchy0x said:
And how do you play videogames without becoming na addict?

I consider video games as stress buster...
don't play for too long...keep it short & simple...
I wud love to smash my office BOSS face in a video game...

remember leaving a gaming addiction is far easier than drug addiction,alcohol,smoking etc :grin:

Mantra:Enjoy Life..Enjoy games..have FUN.....& then R.I.P

Symptons: if u get a shout from back (from elders) then u r addicted to gaming

Play for fun. Keep a control over yourself and don't get addicted.

No "hazards" as such.

bang.