Gamers - Step Away from the Console

Gaming too much? Try this quick test. Stretch your hands and fingers as far as you can. Attempt to place them on a flat surface such as a coffee table or end table. (Note: if your coffee table or end table is not accessible because it is covered with empty fast food and chip bags, the floor will also work.)

Once you've tried the hand test, interpret your results. If your hand fits flat against the surface, no worries, keep playing. If your hand won't unbend enough to try the test, you have problems. Step away from your machine and seek professional help. If you find the results inconclusive, perhaps you fall somewhere in between these two results, take the following quiz to find out for sure if you have been gaming too much.

Gaming Quiz

1. Your last meal consisted of:
a. Home cooked chicken and dumplings.
b. Frozen pizza.
c. Meal?? Do corn chips count?

2. The last time you showered was:
a. This morning.
b. Last night.
c. I don't remember.

3. The whites of your eyes are:
a. White, of course.
b. A little bloodshot.
c. A strange blue, resembling the not so realistic sky on your current game.

4. The mail carrier:
a. Sees you each afternoon, smiling and collecting your mail.
b. Thinks perhaps you've been out of town for a few days.
c. Has reported your home as abandoned.

5. When you go out in public:
a. You are just another face in the crowd.
b. You feel a bit uneasy.
c. You are planning escape routes at each stop you make.

6. When in conversation with someone:
a. You talk just like them.
b. You are a bit slow, but not noticeably so.
c. You are confused. Where's the dialogue button?

7. When late for an appointment:
a. You calmly proceed to your destination, a little late.
b. You feel slightly agitated, but it is manageable.
c. You are frantically searching for your turbo booster.

8. In the course of a day, you hear:
a. Birds and traffic, like everyone else.
b. Birds and traffic, accompanied by a strange sense that something is missing.
c. A theme song, which follows you everywhere you go.

9. When you drop something you:
a. Pick it up.
b. Pause, trying to think of an easier way, and then pick it up.
c. Slide your hand through the air above the object expecting it to land in your hand.

10. You smell something burning and see smoke rising from your console. You:
a. Immediately unplug the game and go for the fire extinguisher.
b. Save your game, then unplug and go for the fire extinguisher.
c. Keep playing and ignore the smell. You've just got to beat this level!

The Results:

Mostly a: You have a healthy balance between real life and your gaming hobby. Continue to enjoy gaming as you have been.

Mostly b: You may have cause for concern. Continue your gaming habits as you have been and take the quiz again in a week.

Mostly c: If you continue to your gaming habits at the current rate, it is likely you will experience gamer's burnout, a frightening condition in which gamers are no longer able to separate gaming from reality. The condition is not permanent, but can be if not treated. Step away from the console and seek help. And grab your sunglasses, the graphics outside are amazing!