How to deal with video game addiction

            Believe it or not, many people become addicted to video games. Great case-and-point, my brother. Remarkably, he is proud of the fact that he has spent over eight-hundred hours on a single game. 'Wow', does come to mind.

            Some might think he really stinks at that game, apparently but that is far from the truth. Fact is, he is obsessed with mastering the game by accomplishing every single aspect of that game no matter how much time he may spend trying to do so. Still, in my mind, this is an addiction to a video game.

            For many, playing video games is just a great way to get their minds off of stress by focusing on something that has absolutely nothing to do with what’s going on in their life. The same could be said about drugs or alcohol with several huge exceptions.

            Ultimately, any continuous action over a long period of time will have adverse affects on the human body. Working eight hours a day in a factory will put wear and tear on the body, over an extended period time and may cause permanent damage to that person’s body, as it has done so to mine.

            Playing video games, for an extended length of time, will do damage to the fingers and can cause problems with vision to, occur. Most game manuals suggest that a person take a break once every hour and do something else, to give the body a chance to regenerate. Unfortunately, the games themselves are not designed with that philosophy in mind. Instead, they designed around the theme of the game where saving may not be as possible. Although, many titles are trying to fix this problem by creating more save points or ways of saving more frequently. Still, the advice is solid and should be taken by all gamers.

            In extreme cases, some game players will dive into a game eight-to-twelve hours a day with relentless enthusiasm. In such cases, the individual may soon find a need for glasses, have frequent and painful headaches and may even cause permanent damage to their hearing depending on the use of high volume.

            If you are having problems playing games for way too many hours at a time, you really should consider pacing yourself better and finding other ways to entertain yourself.

             If you play video games to drown out the world then, maybe you should consider getting a therapist and findout if there is some underlying problem you are not addressing properly or are unaware of. There may be something wrong that goes beyond normal day-to-day stress.

            Also, if  you play video games for extended periods of time, you really should put your health first and take breaks to get up and move around. Usually, I take advantage by throwing in a load of laundry, grabbing something to drink, swinging by the bathroom and saying hi to a friend or family member before going back to work on whooping a boss fight.

            Think of playing video games as being a job that you love. Play, take breaks and avoid playing for more than a few hours a day so you can go on to accomplish other goals in life. Whether you beat a game in a week or a few months, you beat the game and that is all that really matters.

Playing a game constantly, however, is very unhealthy in the long run and there is a reason why it’s called permanent damage…because it will stay with you and affect you, for the rest of your long life. Life is too short to fill your memories with video games versus the people in your life or spending time finding new ways to improve your life. Video games are created for recreation and not an addiction so use them while protecting yourself from suffering as you get older.

            Thank you for reading my article and I sincerely hope you have a great day! Happy gaming!