VIEWPOINT by Chan Mon/reporter
I was sure I would die at some checkpoint, but I wanted to finish the mission in Modern Combat 2. I got killed and replayed it again and again. It was all evening until midnight. I couldn’t stop it. It was addicting, like heroin.
I didn’t notice how much time and how much money I had spent. I did not know what was going on in my environment. What I wanted was to finish my mission. It was not just one day. I played almost every day until I was told it was not suitable for a student to waste time and money every day. But I couldn’t stop it. I was over-attached to it.
It’s not only me that is addicted to games. About 145 million Americans play games, and more than 63 million people are willing to spend money to play.
Nintendo Wii was the most popular device, selling about 100 million units in 2012. But everyone has a game device or more than one.
The cellphone is the major device that pushed people to become gamers. They carry it all the time.
Although some people believe that game players are kids, data show that the numbers of middle-aged players are higher than teens and kids.
Most players are college students or even graduates. They spend at least one-and-a-half hours playing every day. Some students spend more than that.
Games are good for relaxing, players say. Some people believe setting up a TV game is a great way to control their kids from going out to play.
But nobody notices that the kids have less general knowledge. It is like isolating them from the community and environment.
Gaming is not bad if we use games for an educational purpose or for relaxing.
But it needs a serious balance. We need to balance what kind of games we play and for how long. We need to set time limits.
If it’s possible, not playing a game is a great choice because it helps prevent addiction.
But for me, I can’t live without games. I want to stop it, but there is no rehab for game-free living.
