Can gaming ruin lives?

When I went unemployed 6 years ago I was a Quake 3 addict. I didn't start that way but after a few weeks of no luck finding a job I had abandoned all hope and submerged myself in whiskey and all day and night in the game. My quest to become the best 56ker was on. It was going fairly well till the bills weren't getting paid and well I had spent all my savings.

There are Quakelive profiles that you can look at where players play weekends and weekdays for 8 hours a day.

Seeing close to 40 individual FFA games played in a single sitting for a whole working day, or day off, is an indication of obsessive behaviour.
The desire to win, be the best, and have it seen by the world (their world).

There is no addiction here. It is an obsession to be the best and have it shown back to you, and for everyone to see it. Numbers proving its authenticity.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to be that.
You are simply trying to prove yourself and believing you can do it.

It's when you can't achieve it, know that you can't and will yourself to do it in the believe that you are indeed special, where the damage starts to build up.

I totally agree with this. Gaming IS addicting. not that i, myself, have become addicted but whenever i see our youth waste so much time on a game with NOTHING to gain, i almost pity them. What will become of them later on in life when they have to face reality, which everyone eventually has to do. Are they going to meet their girlfriend online? are they going to get ready for college by playing non-stop? can they pay the rent if they have certain "achievements"? Gaming is for when you have free time, not ALL THE TIME! It's a sickness. It really is. I know someone who spends all their time playing, but in the real world has no social standing, nothing to offer, and no real skills. Just a empty shell waiting to be entertained with no effort from themselves. I pity them...

I agree with you on every point, I used to be a "hardcore" gamer myself, 22 now but when I look back to 4-5 years ago when I first started playing MMORPG I tell myself I wish I didn't... To be honest I used to sit down and play for 20hrs if not more, back then I didn't realise because I was having fun but now I regret playing 20hrs+ a day my day was to come home and play play play, Right now I am studying "Gaming Culture" I think with myself am I making a mistake again? seems like more we go towards the future the hobby or love for gaming is dropping with more people realising the long term effects on gaming.

You know your head can only take certain amount of gaming before you get bored of it and I see that for almost everyone unless your life or job is based on Gaming, which you see most of them uploading on youtube or working for a game company.

Will I'm just trying to say as a person who used to be on games 24/7 to now who only plays with his friends 5-6 hours a week life changes it has ups and downs and there is no addiction unless you tell yourself, everyone knows the difference between real life and a game, As I said I'm taking a path in gaming industry and hope to make a name for myself but you need to know the limit even if you have nothing to do 4hours a day should be lot for playing game, This comes from a old hardcore gamer who realised playing less gives you more time to see around you and gives you much better future.

What ever you do make sure you know your limit

Good article.

I think younger gamers are definitely at less risk, as they have stronger social circles, and (hopefully) parents guiding them. Once you become an adult and enter the workforce, and no longer have that social circle or parental guidance around you, you can get overly caught up in gaming.

For people who maybe aren't all that social anyways, I actually don't think it's that big a deal. In fact them socializing on a MMO would be preferable to them just reading books or watching T.V all day. Yes it would be better to have a real social life, but if someone doesn't want that, then so be it; game away.

It's the people who get caught up and addicted in gaming that had active social lives, but can't break out of that gaming addiction that are the real concern. People that lose their jobs and lose everything they built up their whole lives just for the spoils of a virtual world. It's those cases you have to look at and say, wow, online gaming can be extremely dangerous.

I think this is just the way society is progressing though. We're going to increasingly become more and more connected through devices, and less and less connected in-person.

I see myself playing alot more lately, and if i go outside, my eyes will hurt really bad. Im not really obsesed, in fact, i have not been on an mmorpg for a few weeks, and everytime i do go on, i only really spend a few minuets.but what about on weekends, when im bored, yes, i sometimes go on games for hours & hours, and find myself having to do stuff on monday that i completley forgot like school work,chores,ect.So latley, I have been playing more and more and trying to stop it, it is seriously like a cigarette addiction. My advice: balance your games with your life, even if your real life sucks, ITS STILL YOUR REAL LIFE, life is not always easy, and it may never be easy, but you still have familly(wether they like you or not), freinds(wether you have them or not), and a life to fulfill for yourself.