Gaming Derangement Syndrome

Geeky

Work....bleh.

School...ugh.

Can't wait to get home and go from Bad screen to Good screen. [insert Bad Screen / Good Screen meme].

But then when get to our computer, console or whatever our choice of drug deliverance is and then we just.... dammit!

Nothing to play, just a library of 200 games sitting there like they didn't cost us a combined $4,000.
Then we remember we're waiting on game X and we can't wait for it, we're so excited and we want it now.  It's our game, it's our Last Best Hope at joy and excitement.  It's what's owed us....it's our hit and we need it now.  Why is it not out yet?

We join the forums, all of them, and absorb as much of the game as we can.
We post.  We contribute we consume more.  It's refreshing to know we finally have what we've always wanted.
We wait, we are happy to be a part of this new and invigorating experience.
We wait, we long for it.  We know it's coming, but we need it....soon.
We've waited.  We've been loyal for a year....it's due now, right?
We've waited.  We still love you, it's been two years.  We said some things we didn't mean, but it's because we believe in you.
It's been 2 and a half years.  We're done!
We get mad, because we need our drug.  
We blame the developer.  He has it, it's ready, he just won't give it to us!
We start to say the developer lied and the game is vaporware.
We become a troll and do everything we can to be dismissive about our drug because our drug doesn't love us back and instead of allowing ourselves to be vulnerable we go cold and distant.
Then we find a gem.  It's new, different and holds our interest for a few months (best case scenario).
But it fads, and our darkness is coming back, so we rush back to our Last Best Hope and find it hasn't progressed fast enough and now we're even more mad.
We search for clues about how inept the developer is.
We scour the internet for proof that it's all but over for game x.
The game isn't out yet, we can't play it NOW so no one should play it EVER!
Our Game!  Where is it!

And then....

We die.

The End.

Couple of links:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213158216301632

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/07/31/duty-care-warning-link-depression-video-game-addiction-mri-scan/

Hatefull

That has not been my experience.

Phry

Science direct i have never heard of, but at least with the telegraph, its much the same as huffington post, far left and nobody pays any attention to them, kind of thing, though i will say, if you have to advertise your website as being Science related, chances are it probably isn't.

TEKK3N

What about alcohol, drugs and gambling?
Those too are related to depression as a way to escape reality.

All considering, gaming seems to be the ‘healthiest’ option.

I mean, if you suffer from chronic depression, and have and addictive personality, I would rather be hooked on games than crack.

Just another generic article which blame videogames for everything wrong in our society.

Geeky

TEKK3N said:

Just another generic article which blame video games for everything wrong in our society.

What?  I didn't get that from either article.  

The links were just info and the 2nd link applies to me personally so I thought I'd add it.

Plus, who's definition of "healthy" are you using?  How healthy is it staying inside playing on your computer 16 hours a day.  Seems to me going to a bar for 5 or 6 hours is "heather" since I'm out walking around and socializing.  Maybe I'm "heather" if I'm a whacked out meth head.  At least I'm getting exercise.  (I assume that's why Meth addicts are skinny, they must run alot.)

Kyleran

Geeky said:

TEKK3N said:

Just another generic article which blame video games for everything wrong in our society.

What?  I didn't get that from either article.  

The links were just info and the 2nd link applies to me personally so I thought I'd add it.

Plus, who's definition of "healthy" are you using?  How healthy is it staying inside playing on your computer 16 hours a day.  Seems to me going to a bar for 5 or 6 hours is "heather" since I'm out walking around and socializing.  Maybe I'm "heather" if I'm a whacked out meth head.  At least I'm getting exercise.  (I assume that's why Meth addicts are skinny, they must run alot.)

Trust me, with both of my parents being alcoholics and my daughter 7 years clean after almost dieing twice from opiate addiction, being a 16 hour a day game addict is still much healthier.   (Not recommending anyone do it however)

Perspective.... keeps you remembering what is really important.

AlBQuirky

I see this a lot on gaming forums. It's one of the reasons I don't visit any specific game sub-forum here.

I've also learned that I'd rather put in a new game and NOT know everything about it before I ever play it, than know exactly where all the "secrets" are in the game.

Of course, I'm no scientist, but it seems to be "a thing."

PS: Thanks for the smile, @Phry. "But the website has "SCIENCE" in the name!"

lahnmir

Gorwe said:

What about sex overdose though? That thing can kill you in more than one way. (like I'd know... )

Regardless, I'm more interested in that "white noise" part from the beginning. You know, when you have 200 games, but don't know what to actually play(then you play nothing). I've experienced this. Whatever could it be?

Too much freedom and/or choice can have a paralyzing effect on people, its quite well known and applies to many situations, not just gaming. Its also the reason I keep only a few games installed on my PC. Anything above 6 and I just keep staring at my library. No joke.

/Cheers,
Lahnmir

Geeky

lahnmir said:

Gorwe said:

What about sex overdose though? That thing can kill you in more than one way. (like I'd know... )

Regardless, I'm more interested in that "white noise" part from the beginning. You know, when you have 200 games, but don't know what to actually play(then you play nothing). I've experienced this. Whatever could it be?

Too much freedom and/or choice can have a paralyzing effect on people, its quite well known and applies to many situations, not just gaming. Its also the reason I keep only a few games installed on my PC. Anything above 6 and I just keep staring at my library. No joke.

/Cheers,
Lahnmir

Yeah, I've heard of this.  Back when I was a kid and have 5 TV stations to choose from (1 being PBS, so really only 4).  It was an easy choice of what we were going to watch.

Geeky

Gorwe said:

Regardless, I'm more interested in that "white noise" part from the beginning. You know, when you have 200 games, but don't know what to actually play(then you play nothing). I've experienced this. Whatever could it be?

That's more about what this thread was supposed to be about rather than the links...but looks like I derailed my own thread.  

TEKK3N

The article is misguiding because it hints that gaming causes depression.

In reality gaming addiction, like alcohol, drugs and gambling is a consequence of depression.
It’s the chosen way to withdraw from society and all its perceived problems.

Sure gaming can make depression worse but at least in some way it keeps you functional, unlike other form of addiction.

Nanbino

I eat poker chips, inject marijuana, beat the video games, smoke alcohol, and WOW was the hardest thing to break.

Nanbino

Geeky said:

Work....bleh.

School...ugh.

Can't wait to get home and go from Bad screen to Good screen. [insert Bad Screen / Good Screen meme].

But then when get to our computer, console or whatever our choice of drug deliverance is and then we just.... dammit!

Nothing to play, just a library of 200 games sitting there like they didn't cost us a combined $4,000.
Then we remember we're waiting on game X and we can't wait for it, we're so excited and we want it now.  It's our game, it's our Last Best Hope at joy and excitement.  It's what's owed us....it's our hit and we need it now.  Why is it not out yet?

We join the forums, all of them, and absorb as much of the game as we can.
We post.  We contribute we consume more.  It's refreshing to know we finally have what we've always wanted.
We wait, we are happy to be a part of this new and invigorating experience.
We wait, we long for it.  We know it's coming, but we need it....soon.
We've waited.  We've been loyal for a year....it's due now, right?
We've waited.  We still love you, it's been two years.  We said some things we didn't mean, but it's because we believe in you.
It's been 2 and a half years.  We're done!
We get mad, because we need our drug.  
We blame the developer.  He has it, it's ready, he just won't give it to us!
We start to say the developer lied and the game is vaporware.
We become a troll and do everything we can to be dismissive about our drug because our drug doesn't love us back and instead of allowing ourselves to be vulnerable we go cold and distant.
Then we find a gem.  It's new, different and holds our interest for a few months (best case scenario).
But it fads, and our darkness is coming back, so we rush back to our Last Best Hope and find it hasn't progressed fast enough and now we're even more mad.
We search for clues about how inept the developer is.
We scour the internet for proof that it's all but over for game x.
The game isn't out yet, we can't play it NOW so no one should play it EVER!
Our Game!  Where is it!

And then....

We die.

The End.

Couple of links:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213158216301632

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/07/31/duty-care-warning-link-depression-video-game-addiction-mri-scan/

Sounds like you need some weed man. Problem solved XD

Kyleran

Xodic said:

Moderation is the key to everything.
Too much water, can kill you.
Too much oxygen, can kill you.
Too much food, can kill you.

There's a reason why we refer to it as "too much".

I'm not sure too much money can kill you, but if anyone wants to give me a few hundred million I'll be happy to investigate, in the name of "science" of course.

  

Elsabolts

Kyleran said:

Xodic said:

Moderation is the key to everything.
Too much water, can kill you.
Too much oxygen, can kill you.
Too much food, can kill you.

There's a reason why we refer to it as "too much".

I'm not sure too much money can kill you, but if anyone wants to give me a few hundred million I'll be happy to investigate, in the name of "science" of course.

  

Check is in the mail.

Kyleran

Gorwe said:

What about sex overdose though? That thing can kill you in more than one way. (like I'd know... )

Regardless, I'm more interested in that "white noise" part from the beginning. You know, when you have 200 games, but don't know what to actually play(then you play nothing). I've experienced this. Whatever could it be?

Back in my day we used to call it "too much of anything gets boring "

Seen it all my life, my father, avid golfer, played any weekend day he could in the limited summers we had in PA but after retiring to Florida played once or twice a week after being here a year or so.

Same for my father in law, avid recreational fisherman during his working years, sold his boat 3 years after an early retirement, rarely going fishing afterwards.

BTW, sex overdose sounds like something else I would have enjoyed investigating in my younger days, but now it would certainly kill me quickly.

  

Geeky

Nanbino said:

Geeky said:

Work....bleh.

School...ugh.

Can't wait to get home and go from Bad screen to Good screen. [insert Bad Screen / Good Screen meme].

But then when get to our computer, console or whatever our choice of drug deliverance is and then we just.... dammit!

Nothing to play, just a library of 200 games sitting there like they didn't cost us a combined $4,000.
Then we remember we're waiting on game X and we can't wait for it, we're so excited and we want it now.  It's our game, it's our Last Best Hope at joy and excitement.  It's what's owed us....it's our hit and we need it now.  Why is it not out yet?

We join the forums, all of them, and absorb as much of the game as we can.
We post.  We contribute we consume more.  It's refreshing to know we finally have what we've always wanted.
We wait, we are happy to be a part of this new and invigorating experience.
We wait, we long for it.  We know it's coming, but we need it....soon.
We've waited.  We've been loyal for a year....it's due now, right?
We've waited.  We still love you, it's been two years.  We said some things we didn't mean, but it's because we believe in you.
It's been 2 and a half years.  We're done!
We get mad, because we need our drug.  
We blame the developer.  He has it, it's ready, he just won't give it to us!
We start to say the developer lied and the game is vaporware.
We become a troll and do everything we can to be dismissive about our drug because our drug doesn't love us back and instead of allowing ourselves to be vulnerable we go cold and distant.
Then we find a gem.  It's new, different and holds our interest for a few months (best case scenario).
But it fads, and our darkness is coming back, so we rush back to our Last Best Hope and find it hasn't progressed fast enough and now we're even more mad.
We search for clues about how inept the developer is.
We scour the internet for proof that it's all but over for game x.
The game isn't out yet, we can't play it NOW so no one should play it EVER!
Our Game!  Where is it!

And then....

We die.

The End.

Sounds like you need some weed man. Problem solved XD

Not me man.  I don't have this issue.  I see this issue daily from at least 3 different people on this site alone.  I've "donated" money to a lot of pre-order games yet have never once "demanded" information about said game.  (The only real issue I have is "I have a library of 175 games on steam and yet none seem to appeal to me." Issue.)

Phaserlight

TEKK3N said:

What about alcohol, drugs and gambling?
Those too are related to depression as a way to escape reality.

All considering, gaming seems to be the ‘healthiest’ option.

I mean, if you suffer from chronic depression, and have and addictive personality, I would rather be hooked on games than crack.

Just another generic article which blame videogames for everything wrong in our society.

I distinctly recall seeing this documentary, must have been 5 or 6 years ago, including a scene where a gaming addict was raging in his apartment about how hooked he was on games: he went on to sarcastically compare himself with a drug addict, claiming that being addicted to drugs would actually require going outside and talking to someone therefore being too much effort.

So... not every gaming addict would agree with it being the "healthiest" option, although I can't say I have confidence in the interviewee's logic.

NorseGod

Gaming replaced drinking for me. It's cheaper and safer.

Cryomatrix

I 100% had and have a gaming addiction. It is like any other addiction in life. It affects me and my overall performance and my sleep as well. 

However, it is not as intrinsically destructive as other addictions are such as illegal drug use or gambling. I am able to control it better now than I used to partly because I can't game with my son around because he is so goddamn annoying it ruins 100% of the enjoyment for me. 

I work like a dog and I enjoy working. I get out of the house when i have free time as to not feel like a useless piece of crap.

But otherwise, every night I come home, when everyone is asleep, it is gaming time. I do stop to watch stuff with my wife. But sometimes, i'm like, i'll be there in 30 minutes and come 90 minutes later. 

But yeah, it fits all criteria medically for an addiction. Especially for me. Hell, i'm wasting my time posting on this site instead of studying for an exam.