In our home, we have a "no video games" rule. No game consuls. No internet gaming. Just regular, old-fashioned addictive television. And who knows, maybe our rule could actually be the link that keeps us together.
This is all in light of a new finding that says constant video game users could not only appear super geeky, they can also develop addictions that cause severe damage to a person's relationships. And those gaming addictions make a person act very different than when they're hooked on other substances.
Check this out, from an article titled The Demise of Guys :
Alcohol, drugs, gambling, tobacco, even love trigger a specific type of addiction in our brains - a spot that says "I can't get enough of that stuff" and "gimme gimme gimme." These are the types of addictions Dr. Drew and his celebrity rehab dreamcast thrive in.
And then there are the other type of addictions. Ones that trigger a totally different type of giddy-ness in our brains.
Video game and porn addictions are different. They are "arousal addictions," where the attraction is in the novelty, the variety or the surprise factor of the content. Sameness is soon habituated; newness heightens excitement. In traditional drug arousal, conversely, addicts want more of the same cocaine or heroin or favorite food.
The consequences could be dramatic: The excessive use of video games and online porn in pursuit of the next thing is creating a generation of risk-averse guys who are unable (and unwilling) to navigate the complexities and risks inherent to real-life relationships, school and employment.
Time to put your Super Mario to rest and call some friends!
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