Gaming Addiction

Are games are valid form of addiction? That depends how you quantify addiction but personally I would say, no they are not. There is no physical element to playing a game, no substance that the body grows to need (unless sore backs and 'mouse wrist' count). Of course, under that definition gambling would not be considered and addiction either.

The largest culprits of the 'Addictive Game' accusations are Online Role Playing games and for obvious reasons. These are games which are designed to be entertaining for months, even years. There should always be something more for a player, even one who plays a lot, to do. As such they can never be won, never completed. I guess there is an element in that that appeals to certain people who need to keep going, even if there is no end in sight. I dont think games can be addictive, but what they can be is appealing to people prone to addictive tendencies. The game cant be blamed for that. After all, if these people did not have the game to play, they would find something else to consume thier attention and be 'addicted' to, even if it is self destructive.