Is anyone really surprised?<p>"We're not going to pay you enough to ever actually own anything, so you'll have to rent most things for the rest of your life, and you're still going to be living paycheck to paycheck."<p>"Gee, maybe I'll find something else to do than maintain the institutions you rigged against me because you didn't want to invest in your own retirement."
Games offer a degree of empowerment and security to anyone feeling downtrodden: it's no surprise that they come entangled with other life issues. To deal with anything in the real world, you have to summon the energy to get up and do tasks, make calls, send emails and hold meetings, and worst of all, spend your limited money on something. If you're already depressed, even mildly so, you will have trouble reaching the "activation threshold" needed to do any task.<p>With an investment in a game, you pay for the game and the equipment once, and can then have a multitude of experiences with no financial consequence. Negative elements have been guardrailed and smoothed out for you into minor irritants, allowing you to get through a day without experiencing stress, panic or anxiety even if your mind and mood are at a low level of resilience.<p>What games often don't do is guide their players back into views and habits that aid in overall life satisfaction. Most forms of human development involve struggling with more and more things - but in a liberated sense, where you are taking it on because you want to grow and challenge yourself. The escapist fantasy can't do that - which doesn't mean they shouldn't exist, but society is conflicted with how they should be used.
yeah, the majority of my male friends are addicted to gaming and living in an alternate reality; it is something I have struggled with as well. Though I have always held a job and currently am enrolled in college in pursuit of my B.S. Comp sci degree, I would rather relax at home and game on my PS4/PC than go out to bars or clubs. Every year I spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on new games, hardware, monitors and whatever comforts that enhance that experience.<p>Many of us don't see the point in chasing marriage, higher education, careers, relationships or being a homeowner. The dating game in most cities is abysmal, and the majority of attractive single ladies are high end escorts, sugar babies and or gold diggers. There are many factors in society that has led to that. Sure I can spend a thousand or two on a nice watch, but for what? I can get a high NUC PC and huge monitor for that price. The same applies to a luxury car, sure I can afford it, but I would rather walk, take the train/bus or uber, so that I space out and listen to podcasts, youtube or game while commuting.<p>Phillip Zimbardo wrote a recent book on the afflictions that young men are facing today. It seems dauntless. Sometimes, I too ask myself if the chase is worth it. My gut feeling is that it's not.
I was addicted to gaming in my teens, often staying up late nights till 4am. I'm 100% sure if I'd have stayed playing games I would have destroyed my career. I understand the allure of games. I understand the buzz of fading into a world where you can be anyone or anything.<p>I came to the realisation one night that I was wasting my life away. That gaming was an escape from reality. I stopped gaming completely because I felt like I was missing out on what the world had to offer.<p>After I stopped gaming a lot of things changed for the better. I became happier, healthier and made more friends in real life than I had ever before.<p>Gaming addiction should be spoken about more.
Games have a really well defined goal-reward structure. "Do this X times and get Y". If you get a job, your path to success is nebulous. Learning new things is hard, getting outside your comfort zone is hard.<p>Combined with slight depression, it's really easy to see video games dominating all aspects of someone's life.
All this focus on gaming could be backwards. The young guy I know who games all day instead of working is always sending out resumes. None of his jobs lasts very long but he does well while they last. This labor market has failed young people and not everyone is going to respond by founding concerns of their own. Its not the games, its the economy.
[2017] <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13890782" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13890782</a>
Still very interesting though.