Video Game Obsession

An obsession with computers (or, more precisely, certain game genres) can often be a signal that there's something wrong with a person's life. That's not to say that there's necessarily a mental health issue or the possibility of the person harming somebody, of course, but looking at some of the possibilities of the gamer's reasons for obsession might help us pick up on some underlying difficulty.

Examples of computer obsessions reaching terrible limits in recent years are easy to find. Without even turning to the newspapers or sensational stories of gamer death or murder, I can quote one or two from people I know personally or second-hand - one man who took a year's sabbatical from his job to play an online game (he wanted to see and do everything possible) and another who once played for 36 hours without stopping.

So why the obsession? In many cases, the design of the game is partly to blame. Over the years, we have become accustomed to more and more complex games, all of which (until recently) we were able to beat. Played only offline, the games had a defined beginning and - importantly - a defined end. Once we had become accustomed to winning, the shift into online gaming and open-ended worlds takes on a slightly more worrying aspect. It demands a shift in thinking, much as a child learns that television is not reality. We have to learn that winning is not possible, because the virtual world is designed that way, much as the real world operates.

Online, open-ended, massively-multiplayer games (such as Runescape, World of Warcraft, EverQuest, Guild Wars, City of Heroes and many, many others) are the most frequently accused, but before the current explosion of that genre, games such as Counter Strike and even The Sims were causing concern. The key is the 'next goal' mentality: designers want to build a game that keeps the player interested, so they must always try to provide another goal to achieve. This may be a better house, a bigger car, a more dangerous weapon or a particularly rare item that few people in the game have.

At its most basic level, this design mentality makes sense - none of us want to play boring games which end quickly or have few goals to achieve, after all - but the combination of design and an easily influenced individual can be hazardous. "Being the best" takes on an ominous impossibility, particularly with most online games producing additional content at regular intervals: the goalposts move just as the players are about to kick the ball.

In real terms, an obsession with gaming can stem from any one of a huge number of problems. For example, it could indicate feelings of low self-esteem or a desire to be appreciated for real-world endeavours, with individuals compensating for their perceived failure in real life by achieving online. It could be an avoidance mechanism, a way of escaping a reality which has become too difficult.

It could also be a way of seeking acceptance, if the individual is rejected by their peers: seeking friends in an online world where everyone has at least one thing in common (their love of the game) can be easier than looking outside in the real world. Finally, it could be a way of controlling fear or phobia. If the outside world is too scary to deal with, it's safer to be in front of a screen, in a world which is limited and controllable - and where, even if our worst fears are realised and we die, we simply reincarnate or start again.

In any case, if someone you know is really obsessed with gaming - that is, to a point where their real life is in danger of permanent damage - seek help. If the problem is not dealt with, it risks festering and becoming something much worse.