paulgiamatti |
10-19-2014 01:13 AM |
I mean look, EverQuest is absolutely the most time-consuming online game I've ever played. In many ways, World of Warcraft is a reaction to EQ in that it was designed to not repeat the same mistakes - designed to not ruin people's lives - by appealing to a more casual playerbase and by rewarding casual gameplay.
Having said that, the cause of the issue as you rightly allude to is not EverQuest or Project 1999. The problem is him. Online game addiction is very much a real thing, and it is definitely stigmatized in our culture much in the same way that drug addiction is; people tend to blame the drug addict rather than the underlying causes of the drug addiction. In very much the same way, it's easy to blame the video game addict and say, "What a loser - get a job, get a life, go outside!" But it's more complicated than that, because there are real issues which lead someone to become addicted to things, whether those things are drugs or video games.
It may be easier to recover from an unhealthy video game addiction than it is to recover from a destructive drug habit, but it can definitely still ruin someone's life while they're in the throes of the addiction. It can cause people to neglect their job, their social life, and necessary chores like cleaning and even personal hygiene. And just like a real drug addiction, when confronted with the reality of their situation their first reaction will probably be denial.
So I guess my advice is to try and find a way to convince him to seek help. Not like, a support group for video game addicts or something, but rather just a personal therapist that can address the underlying problems that lead him to negligent behavior. Barring this, my advice is to stop wasting your time on someone who spends 12+ hours a day on a video game, because you deserve better than that.
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