Can Gaming Become an Addiction? A Gamer’s Story

There is a debate raging in the gaming community right now. Everywhere you look, gamers and those who do not play are arguing over whether or not there is such a thing as gaming addiction. The studies are inconclusive; every time you hear about a study backing the existence of video game addiction, you find numerous stories debunking it. Even gamers seem to be split on the issue; while many want to argue it does not exist, others say they have experienced symptoms similar to that of other addictions.

So in the middle of all of the turmoil, the question remains: can someone get addicted to video games?

The Basics of Addiction

So what do we mean when we use the phrase “addiction?” I mean, we all have our own ideas of what an addiction is, but if we are going to get the the bottom of this, we need to have an agreed upon definition of the term itself. Dictionary.com defines addiction as:

the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.

The state of being enslaved to a habit. That is a good place to begin. Addiction is a form of enslavement. This is something I would argue most of us have probably seen throughout our lives. Ever known someone who was addicted? Serious addicts ruin their lives as they chase after their fix. If you have ever known anyone who was addicted to serious drugs, you have probably witnessed this first hand.

Still, it does not have to be something like heroin or meth. I have known many smokers throughout my life who are enslaved to their cigarettes. They know smoking is killing them, they know the packs are costing more and more money, and yet they just cannot stop. Just as a slave must obey its master, an addict must obey his or her cravings. They are not impossible to beat, but you just cannot walk away from them either.

Addictions are not just limited to things that give you a physical sensation, however. Look back at the definition; addictions can include things that are psychologically habit forming. People can become addicted to porn, gambling, companionship or any number of other things. Anything you use as an escape from reality can become an addiction, even work.

So, if we are taking this view of addiction, you could argue that someone could become addicted to video games. Believe it or not, however, that is not the point of this article. We here at Everyday Gamers are not looking to prove or disprove to anyone the existence of video game addictions.

So what is the purpose of this article? Well, I want to tell you all a story. In order for you to fully understand this story, I needed you to understand what my stance on addiction is. I want you all to know what I mean when I say I consider myself to have been a video game addict.

The Story Begins

It was my sophomore year in high school. I was trying to figure out who the heck I was in the midst of the changing world around me. My mom and dad were divorced; my mother was actually just working on her second divorce, while my dad had just recently remarried. I was living with my dad, and at the time, my relationship with my step-mom was not the best. One of my best friends had just moved to Alaska, which was a heck of a long ways away from Albuquerque, NM, and I was trying to find a way to deal with all of the changes around me and the usually issues of just being a teenager. It was not a good time in my life, and many times I found myself needing some form of escape.

Around this time, I was really getting into running. Nothing seriously competitive; I just enjoyed going for runs, especially the occasional event style 5K run. Well, my dad and step-mom insisted that if I was going to do this, I needed to practice, which makes sense. There was a great bicycle/walking path not far from my house, so I would often head there and run a mile or two.

Well, this was 1990-1991, which if you remember from reading the Retro Active article on the arcades was just when they were seeing their resurgence. Not far from my house was a local arcade, and it just happened to be the same direction as this path I ran. As things got harder at home, I found myself going to this arcade instead of doing the running I was supposed to do. After all, this arcade had my favorite game: Street Fighter II.

That was how it started. I used the local arcade and that game in particular to escape the world around me. In the arcade, I was a decent player; not the best, but far from the worst. I was fairly respected among those who came there, and while I lost many battles, I put up a good fight. More than anything, I felt like I was among people who understood me. I felt safe.

The Plot Thickens

The summer after my sophomore year, everything changed. I had always spent the summers with my mom, but I had modified that agreement so I could stay in Albuquerque to get a job. I was hoping to get some spending money to get myself a stereo among other things, and the job would give me a reason to get out of the house, where relations were getting rough. It did not take me too long to find my first real job: working as a buss boy at the Steaksmith, a local restaurant attached to Coronado Mall. I made less than minimum wage with a cut of the tips of the servers making up the difference, something not uncommon in the restaurant trade.

Now image this, if you will: a teenager who is already using video games as an escape getting a job at a restaurant where he was paid at least partially in cash every day and that happens to be attached to a mall with a thriving arcade. If you are thinking this was a recipe for disaster, you’re right.

Video games began to consume me.

My shift at the Steaksmith did not start will 10:30 AM  and ended around 2:30m PM. this allowed me 30 minutes before my shift to game, and often just a little time afterward to get some time in before I would be too late getting home to be able to hide what I was doing. That was all it was at first. In time, however, I was finding it harder to pry myself away from the games. While I was never quite late for work because of gaming, I came close on several occasions, and I started getting home later than I could really explain. On top of that, I started to take money from my checks to support my gaming habit.

Needless to say, I hit a point where I could no longer hide what I was doing. To say my dad and step-mom were ticked off when they found out what I was doing is an understatement. They started demanding to see my deposit slips to make sure I was actually putting my checks in the bank. They also tried to limit my ex[osure to games, but that was tough to do when I worked at a mall.

I remember when everything really came to a head. My dad and step-mom had just about had it with me, and they threatened to send me to live with my mom if I screwed up one more time. They were headed for vacation, and my grandmother was coming into town to watch me, since I had to stay for work. That first day they were gone, I stayed at the arcade till around 6 PM, finally calling my grandmother who was worried sick. I knew I had blown my last chance, and in pretty short order, I was packing to move to Phoenix.

So how bad did things get? Well, I cannot remember for certain, but in about 2 months time, I spent over $200 on coin-op video games, and this was back when the majority of the games I was playing were still 25 cents a piece. I was out of control. I was addicted.

Breaking the Cycle

You’ll notice that I used the past tense there. I am no longer addicted to gaming, though when I am not careful, I can get lost in them once more.

So how did I get past the addiction? There is no magic formula; all I did was what you would normally do when dealing with an addiction.

1. Admit you have a problem: While I may not have been ready to step out at the time and state I was addicted, I knew something was wrong. After all, I had just blown and inordinate amount of money on arcade games, and though gaming was something I truly enjoyed, I knew there had to be a limit somewhere. When I moved to Phoenix, I think a part of me thought it would just go away, but it didn’t. I had to admit I had a problem, and I had to deal with it.
2. Remove the temptation: So this part was relatively easy for me. When I moved to Phoenix, I was no longer working at a mall, and though I could get to one relatively easy, I did not have the money to spend. So, as you can probably see, removing the temptation was rather easy for me. Still, it was a necessary step, even if it was not one I took voluntarily.
3. Deal with the issues that drove you to game: I’m not going to bore you with all the details of how I dealt with the pressures that were leading me to lose myself in video games. The fact of the matter is I did deal with them. I had been using the games as an escape, and the addiction was not broken until I dealt with what I was using them to escape.

Now I am probably making this sound much easier that it actually was. Though I was beyond the worst of it rather quickly, it took years to be completely over the addiction. I still remember spending $3o some odd dollars at the arcade at Disneyland on one of our church choir trips. Think about it: I was at Disneyland, and I was spending my time and money in the arcade. There was still something wrong with me for quite a while afterward.

In the end, I can point to one thing that really pulled me out of the addiction: my faith. I truly believe God was able to help me get past the addiction itself, allowing me not only to eventually return to playing the games I enjoy, but opening the door for me to write for  Everyday Gamers, something for which I am very grateful.

So that is my story. I am not trying to convince anyone of the dangers of video game addiction here. I am just relaying my experiences with it in hopes that anyone else who might be struggling with it to see there is a way out. There are others who have struggled through it, and it can be beaten.

Retro Active Podcast – Level 3: The Arcades

In the third level of the Retro Active Podcast, Eric Bouchard, David Rennich and Chris Maeurer share their memories of the arcades.

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Retro Active: The Rise and Fall of the Arcades

Through most of the eighties and even the early nineties, the scene was always the same. Somewhere in your local mall, a noisy little “store” would sit in some corner. In it, groups of people would crowd around strange looking cabinets, trying to catch a glimpse of the action.

Those of you who grew up in this time period know exactly what I am describing. To us, the local arcade was more than just a place to hang out. It was a place to gather with other people who shared your passion for for gaming, whether they be friends or just people who happened to ask if they could join your game. There was something about the local arcade that just felt right. Sure, they were not always the cleanest places, and some were definitely not what you would call safe, but to gamers growing up in that time period, the arcades will always hold a place in our hearts.

And yet when you look around now, arcades are almost non-existent. Sure, you might find one in the occasional mall, and there are still some attached to miniature golf or eateries like Dave & Busters. They are all a shadow of their former selves, however.

So just how did the arcades go from being the most popular place around to husks they are today?

Aliens, Ghosts and One Angry Gorilla

While we tend to think of arcades as places that carry coin operated video games, the term has been around much longer that that. It originates in the amusement parks and fairs, where the various ball toss and shooting gallery games were located in what was commonly refereed to as the midway arcade. Add to that the introduction of pinball in the 1930s, and you have a history that really goes back much further than most people realize.

Still, it was not till 1971 that the first coin operated game, a simplistic game called Galaxy War, was released. Throughout the 70s, more and more games started to appear and the video arcades were born. The big games, however, were yet to come.

In 1978, Space Invaders made its debut, followed by Pac-Man (1980) and Donkey Kong (1981). The importance of these games cannot be overlooked. While they may seem simple by today’s standards, each brought something to the table that had never been done before: Space Invaders was one of the first shooters to involve multiple different units, Pac-Man created a whole new genre of game, and Donkey Kong was one of the first games to really provide a very simplistic story, complete with cut-scenes. These games really helped to bring the local arcade into the focus of the public eye.

More games would soon follow. Tron, released in 1982 to coincide with the film, allowed gamers a chance to step into the movie, even getting a chance to race the ever popular light cycles. Dragon’s Lair, the first of the Don Bluth cartoon style action games and originator of Quick Time Events, captured the attention of gamers and non gamers alike. The game was so popular that Starcade, a tv game show where gamers competed against each other on various arcade cabinets, brought in an expert during one of its shows just so they could show the ending.

Then there was the Star Wars arcade game. Simple vector graphics, sound roughly edited in from the movie and only the illusion of full control over an X-Wing, and yet I guarantee you, if you ask anyone who grew up in the arcades, every single one will admit to spending a lot of time and money on that game. The chance to be Luke Skywalker, even if only in a limited fashion, was too much for any gamer to pass up.

With all the popular games hitting the arcades and more public attention being drawn to them, it seemed the arcades were unstoppable. Ironically, one of the characters who helped usher in the popularity of the arcades was almost its downfall.

Mario and NES: the Arcade Comes Home

When Mario made his first appearance in Donkey Kong, it was actually under the name Jumpman. He didn’t gain the name Mario till the release of Donkey Kong Jr. Mario Brothers was the first introduction of his brother Luigi, and it also introduced his penchant for jumping on turtles.

Any gamer worth his or her controller knows what came next: Super Mario Brothers. To say it was a huge hit would be a massive understatement; until recently, it was the top selling video game of all time. It was a major hit in the arcades; heck, I am not really a big fan of the series, and even I remember playing it on more than one ocassion. Only thing is, most of my time playing it was not at the arcade.

Right around the same time Super Mario Brothers hit the arcade, the Nintendo Entertainment System hit the stores. Along with it came a perfect port of the game, right down to the smallest details. It was rare to see a true arcade port come home, but that was just the beginning. Soon games like Legend of Zelda and Metroid had gamers playing games they could never imagine finding in the arcades. More and more, people started playing games at home, and the local arcades started to empty. As other home consoles took more and more of the crowds away, it looked like it was going to take something drastic for the arcades to make a comeback.

Here Comes a New Challenger

I remember thinking it was one of the more gimmicky ideas I had ever seen in a video game: a fighting game with two large pads where the buttons would normally go, one labeled punch and the other kick. They reacted to how hard you hit the pads, which made for interesting if exhausting gameplay. Still, there really was not enough to keep my interest, especially when the pads were replaced with six buttons, three for each type of attack. So when I first saw the sequel sitting there in one of my favorite arcades, I didn’t really think much of it.

It would not take long, however, for Street Fighter II: The World Warrior to grab a hold of me. As I have said in the past, it was the game that made me a gamer. The characters, the moves, the battles with my friends; they were all unlike anything I had ever played.

I wasn’t the only one enjoying the game. Street Fighter II was a huge success, and it helped usher in a renaissance for the arcades. Game companies realized there were experiences in the arcade the consoles could not match, even with the ports getting more and more accurate to the real thing. Fighting games like Mortal Combat, Tekken and Killer Instinct were much more exhilarating when you had a crown of people forming around you, watching your every move. Light gun games like Lethal Enforcers, House of the Dead and Time Crisis just were not the same on your home television. Racers like Hydro Thunder and Daytona USA just never felt right without climbing in and challenging your friends. The arcades were full again, but it would not last.

Online Play Ushers in the End

In 1999, Sega introduced the Dreamcast. The system had unrivaled graphics, as was shown with the launch title, a perfect port of Soulcalibur. Oddly enough, that was not the part of the Dreamcast the arcades had to fear. Sega’s swan song had one thing no console before it had ever had: the ability to play games online.

You see, the consoles had been gaining on the arcades in every area except one, the ability to play against others. Sure, you could invite your friends over, but in the arcades, you could always find others to play. Online play made it so you could now play with other people from the comfort of your own living room, and not just with those who happened to be playing at your local hangout.

The writing was on the wall. As more consoles began to further improve the online experience, fewer and fewer people made their way to the local arcades. Soon all but the big ones closed down, and the ones that remained, with few exceptions, were mere shells of their former selves.

Still, for those of us who grew up with them, there will always be a bit a soft spot in our hearts for the arcade. There is something about standing side by side with your allies and opponents that can never be matched by online services. There is just something about that personal contact that you just cannot simulate even over the best of internet connections.

After all, the arcades weren’t only about the games. They were about going to a place where others shared your passion for gaming. They were about meeting new friends, even if you only for an afternoon. They were about a set of experiences that a whole generation of gamers has missed.

That is the saddest part of the story of the arcades. Those of us who had the chance to experience them in their prime know losing them is like losing a part of gaming history. For me, that history is very personal. I would not be the gamer I am now without the arcades.

Retro Active: Remember where you were when….

Anybody who has been playing games for a while can point to moments that define them as a gamer. These are the games, memories and decisions that truly lead to the passion we now have for these virtual worlds in which we spend so much time.

I could think of no better way to really kick off Retro Active than giving the staff of Everyday Gamers a chance to share some of our gaming memories.

Eric Bouchard- It all started in a laundry mat:

I couldn’t tell you what the first game I played was. More than likely, it was Pac-Man, though Space Invaders also may have been the one. I can tell you the first one I remember, though.

It was summer, and I was in Las Vegas with my mom (she lived there, my parents were divorced). I was probably about 5 or 6 at the time. We had to make a trip to the local laundry mat, something kids don’t exactly relish. Still, mom told me I would enjoy it. Why? Because they had a new video game I had to see.

That game was Donkey Kong.

May not look like much now, but Donky Kong blew me away when I first saw it.

Up to this point, all I had ever seen were games with no real point. Sure, you ate pellets in Pac-Man and shot enemies in Space Invaders, but to what end? All you got to do was go to the next stage and start all over again.

Donkey Kong was different. The goal sat right in front of you; rescue the girl from the ape. As the hero, you could jump over the barrels or you could grab the hammer and take them out. It didn’t matter to me that if you got far enough to rescue the girl it all started again; there was a tangible goal, and I was hooked.

From that moment on, I was drawn to arcades. I remember watching in awe as Dirk the Daring ducked sideways and bumbled his way to victory or defeat in Dragon’s Lair, feeling the thrill of sitting in the cockpit of an X-Wing in the first Star Wars arcade game, and grabbing my whip and chasing after vampires in Castlevania. Putt Putt, a local mini-golf and arcade center in Albuquerque, NM, used to have Super Saturdays, where for a reasonable price you got unlimited golf and 30 tokens. I spent many a Saturday there.

The Commodore brings it home:

As much as the arcades were starting to shape my love of video games, it was the Commodore 64 that cemented it. When my dad got us that computer, I’m sure he thought it would be a good teaching tool for me. In many ways, it probably was.

I just don’t think he ever dreamed it would also further cement my love of video games.

The game I really remember playing for hours on end in the beginning was Load Runner. I loved that game! Trying to figure out just how to get to the various gold pieces while avoiding or trapping the bad guys became an obsession. Each game, I strove to get further than I had before.

Load Runner, Jumpman and Aliens were just a few of my favorite C64 games.

My mom remarried when I was fairly young, and my step-father had a C64 as well. He had a floppy drive, however, and that was something my dad did not have. With that, I was introduced to a whole slew of new games, including Montezuma’s Revenge, Jumpman and the series of sports themed games by Epic. I spent hours playing those and many others.

Then came the ultimate C64 game in my opinion: Aliens. Based on the incredible movie, the game gave you the chance to fly the drop ship down to the planet, hold off the aliens long enough to burn through the door to escape, rescue Newt and climb into the power loader as Ripley to battle the Queen. Sure, the fight against the queen only involved slamming her against the sides till she was tired enough to grab and drop through the airlock, but I did not care. I was hooked.

THE GAME that made me a gamer for life:

It was the height of the arcades. Games were getting better, and more people were playing them. I had found an arcade very close to my home in Albuquerque, and I was visiting it frequently.

One game caught my eye. It was a sequel to a game that had one of the more…unusual interfaces I had seen. You see, in the original version of this fighting game, there were just 2 buttons, big ones that reacted to how hard you hit them. The sequel had gotten rid of that clunky interface in favor of 6 separate buttons, split by punch and kick and short, medium and hard. On top of that, you had a colorful cast of characters to choose from, and you traveled the world fighting other challengers in the attempt to take out an evil organization bent on world domination.

If you have not guessed by now, I’m talking about Street Fighter II.

Street Fighter II was an arcade phenom that will never be duplicated.

No other game in all the time I have been playing them has affected me the way this one did. In one summer, I spent over $200.00 in arcades, most of it being spent on this game. Nothing captivated me the way this legendary brawler did, in all its various forms.

I was not the only one. Crowds would develop around this game. Every arcade had its regulars, and everyone knew when they were there. People would watch these legendary players battle each other, gasping as moves were countered, blocked and timed to perfection. Quarters were placed at the top of the game to hold one’s place in line to battle one of these greats.

Street Fighter II was the first game I ever remember seeing “tournament” style rules used. It was not unusual to adopt the No Throws rule, unless someone was using Zangief who was all about throws. When a player was dizzy, you were not allowed to hit him; if you did, you had to give the opponent a free shot at your character. And heaven help you if these rules were in place and you refused to abide by them; the crowd of onlookers was not kind to those who broke the code, and you would not feel welcomed at that arcade again.

Even with all the competition of that game, however, there was a camaraderie that could not be denied.  Players would swap strategies, especially if they were trying to learn how to use a new character. It was also common to see someone help someone else who was trying to beat the game. The challenger would put his quarter in the machine and wait. If the player was struggling against the computer opponent, the challenger would jump in just before the finishing blow, giving his opponent the chance to beat him and then face the CPU anew.

And yes, before you ask, Chun Li was my best character.

There are many other memories I could bring up here, and many I will when we do our Retro Active podcast. These, however, are the ones that truly helped make me the gamer I am now.

So as you read about my gaming memories and those of the other members of the EDG crew, think about what you remember as a gamer. If you are interested in having some of those memories mentioned in the podcast, make sure to head over to our forums and post in the thread about under the podcast section of our forums here. We will be reading some of the best when we discuss the games and events we remember most.

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Thomas Pine- Down at the Arcade:

There’s no doubt that every gamer has that moment(s) when they can look back and emphatically say “that’s when I was hooked”. Much like Eric, I was introduced to the hobby that I have grown to love on an arcade cabinet.

It was the late 80′s early 90′s at The New Castle Square Mall. What was once home to booming businesses, profitable retailers, and excited shoppers – the mall had become a shell of it’s former self. Only a few shops still existed, and save for the pharmacy, a pizzeria, and a dollar movie theater not much remained to attract the crowds that once gathered there. It was inside that mall that I was introduced to my first arcade -  I can still make out the musty smell, sounds of quarters clinking, and bleeps from the cabinets – it’s all still there implanted in the memories that made up my youth.

I know what you’re thinking.. “Where’s Chris Hanson when you need him?”

Buried in the corner of that arcade was the one cabinet that would introduce me to the hobby that has consumed hours of my life. I still remember the first time that I saw Michael Jackson’s Moon Walker. I don’t know what it was, but something made me want to play that machine over any other cabinet in that entire arcade. Hours later and several dollars poorer I made my way home – changed – a gamer.

Nintendo Is What Genes-isn’t:

So there I was a gamer junkie, and like any junkie I needed my fix. The infrequent visits to the arcade would only temporarily subdue my pinned up gaming desires, and even at that young age I somehow knew that a full-size Moonwalker cabinet was out of the question. Nintendo to the rescue.

I can’t recall the exact Christmas, but I still remember the feeling I had as I unwrapped that magical box from Nintendo. Sure there was no Moonwalker (Genesis only), but I didn’t know and neither did I care. There was RAD RACER, EXCITE BIKE, GYROMITE… I mean Gyromite, and numerous other games that would devour hours of my life.

8 bit graphics and tube televisions!

The addiction quickly grew into a love for all things game related. Christmases, birthdays, and any other holiday would consist of requests only for video game related items. There was something magical about opening a new game, and for the first time exploring a world that was only accessible with a controller in my hand. I was experiencing the very thing that has created generations of gamers.This is what makes us passionate about our hobby – it’s the reason we read EGM (unfortunately no longer) – it’s why we wait in subzero temperatures for midnight game releases – and it’s why we do Rectro Active… press start to continue.