ThinkTank

I usually think about: Friends Relationships/women Family Better ways to spend my time Things I don't like about my life and how I intend to change them But at times when i've been lonely/deep in thought i've worried about: My future What makes people like me? Where do I want to end up/what should my ambition be? and why have I not been chasing it sooner? I often beat myself up (not literally) for spending so much time online over the past few years when I could have been doing much more rewarding and productive things (my personal opinion and is aimed at myself and no-one else). But all in all I tend to follow my motto of positive thinking leads to progression. (and for the record my life has been far from perfect, i'm currently unemployed after graduating, had a mother and brother who both were manic depressants and alcoholics, i'm from a split family, Dad left when I was 3, I moved 250 miles away from friends and family for the sake of my mothers health. I just choose to be a positive person, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I learn from my experiences and they make me a stronger person.)

Thats also true. Although online gaming addiction has many similarities to those involving drugs and other forms of addiction, people find it hard to live without. It's not that uncommon to find people who have played online games for 5+ years, and on some occassions for more than 14 hours a day. I found an article which mentioned online gaming addiction leading to neglection of self hygene, nutrition and also can lead to sleep deprivation. So with this in mind, what warnings are out there? If you aren't aware of the risk then how can you prepare for it? Is rehab a possibility for these people, or should it be?

I totally agree, it's down to the user. But what if the game was played from a young age and that person became 'consumed' (so to speak), before the age of maturity and the formation of priorities?

Before we start I'd just like to say this quote was plucked from a forum similar to this one, and it has alot of strong issues and concerns aimed towards online gaming and how it can affect your life. I'd like to use the above quote as a guideline to the debate. How many of you agree with it? Are there parts you agree with and parts you don't? Which are they? Can you relate to whats being said? I'd like to start by saying I'm in agreement with what is being said, online gaming can be dangerous, but no more than anything else in high consumption, sitting watching television whilst eating too much can lead to obesity and such; reading too many pornography magazines can lead to the tendancy to become excessively perverse etcetera... Do you think enough people are aware of the risks? I expect some people may become defensive, so I'd like to point out this is not a personal attack on anyone, I am just intrigued to find out your thoughts on the matter. Discuss :). TT