Anyway, over the last few years, I have noticed a pattern emerging in video games: increased levels of incidents of addiction. This may seem like an exaggeration, but give me a chance.
First, let us discuss the economy of online, massive-multiplayer games where a player is represented in the game by an avatar, or a digital character, for example EverQuest or World of Warcraft. The virtual worlds these games take place in are very complex, and include money, real estate, commerce, etc. I have friends who have spent money (real money) for (not real but virtual) gold for their character. Don't believe me? There are people who are making a living just by playing the game so their character will gain salable goods, and then selling these goods to other gamers. Well, as this virtual economy has evolved, so has its crime rate. Mugging and sweat-shops have now become a part of your gaming experience.
Now let us discuss duration of playing sessions. I think it is fair to say that on a day with no scheduled activities, it is not hard to lose several hours to any good video game. However, when sessions start to creep over the single-day-of-continuous-play mark, it is time to rethink your priorities. I know people who have taken one or two week vacations just so they could spend all their time playing a game. Thus, leading from that with no surprise at all, I present you this.
So there, that is why video games are bad. And, to those gamers who find themselves hopelessly addicted to some game where they get to pretend to be a two-inch high dwarf that hangs-out with a bunch of Swedish elves searching for a dragon-scale-loin-cloth or something, I give you this: go outside and play the game of life as yourself - you never know, you just might like it.
This post was authored by Tony, my brother.
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