Can anyone relate to this?

I like to play almost all the driving games and Tiger Woods and of course Madden they're a blast online

Addiction...plain and simple...<img src="http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/nerd.gif" alt="image"><br>

<p>There's a line somewhere, and not everyone on the outside is qualified to pass judgement on where it is,<br>between enjoyment / hobby / favorite passtime / addiction.<br>If you enjoy something and do it often, are you addicted to it?<br>Does buying little toy cars for hundreds of dollars at every show you can get to equal addiction?<br>When does casual or social drinking become an addiction?<br>When does a propensity for buying scratch tickets qualify as a gambling problem?<br>Ask 100 people and get a whole bunch of different answers.<br><br>One theme you'll hear a lot though is "when it interferes with the rest of your life", it's an addiction and unhealthy.<br>However, what if that's the life you want, and you're not hurting anyone, and you manage to meet all your responsibilities?<br>Is it ok to come straight home from school, do all your chores right away, including homework,<br>and THEN spend the rest of the night right up to bedtime playing online games?<br><br>Of course, I'm making extreme examples, there are a lot more shades of grey in real life,<br>but the point is, the only people other than ourselves we should EVER pass judgement on<br>are any children we might have that we are responsible for.<br>You do not know or live in anyone else's life enough to pass judgement on it.<br></p>

Greg is smart<img src="http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/laugh.gif" alt="image"><br>agree with you on this one...<br>I think some of us have an addiction, or what appears to be an addiction to old potmetal toy cars. It's just more of a closet thing that not many peopleknow about, or would understand. I think I could understand becoming addicted to video games much easier than old toy cars. The little toy car addictionreally doesn't make much sense, that's why there's no help for it...<br>

I can understand playing some games for fun every now and then but all night at there age?? There going to end up like Dave a drink in one hand and.............<br><br>When I was there age the only game I played was the date game<img src="http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/tongue.gif" alt="image">

My step-son was really big into the war-type games. I tried desperately to play them, but just didn't have the dexterity to master all the buttonsrequired. I'd be shot three times over before I ever got my gun raised and aimed where I wanted !<br><br>On the other hand, I would be up in to the wee hours of the morning playing the racing games. Gran Turismo and Tokyo Extreme Racer were my favorite series. Thehours would just fly by during those sessions. Still play them from time to time - still have to get 100% on GT4. GT5 is due out (if it's not already), butit requires the PS3 console in order to play it .... can't see spending the money just to be able to play a single game.<br><br>The biggest problem I had was finding someone for multiple player races that was actually challenging. I had so many hours wrapped up in those games, nobodycould touch me ! LOL<br><br><br>Mark.

Greg, you know I love ya, my Greg brother... but all you wrote is called "denial". I know that there's a huge stigma attached to the word"addiction" but addiction is not necessarily a bad thing. The common denominator on this Board, the thing that joins all us disparate humans togetherand gives us the common language that we speak, is obsessive / compulsive behavior, or addictive personalities, if you will. We are (probably most of us)"functioning addicts" and there's nothing wrong with that. Indeed, as long as all the rest of life's responsibilities are adequately takencare of, and others are not affected by your actions, then you can indulge your addiction to whatever extent you want. And being addicted to video games, orlittle toy cars, is a great thing indeed compared to being addicted to alcohol or other substances. But it's still addictive behavior... and no, it'snot a matter of semantic interpretation. Remember, too, that all humans are OCD to some extent; it's just how our brains work.

I agree with Greg..........

So how the hell do I respond to that?!? LOL!!!<br>How does one deny an accusation of being in denial?<br><img src="http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/tongue.gif" alt="image"><br><br>I will tell you this, not that it truly matters,<br>but I have been so busy in my chosen profession lately that<br>I hadn't played a single video game for about 2 months.<br>(My first game back online was yesterday).<br>During that time, I didn't do the video game equivelent of "nicking out";<br>I wasn't thinking about it, breaking out into cold sweats or dreaming of it.<br>I was too busy to be wasting time. Now I'm in a more quiet period of business,<br>and my human brain seeks entertainment, so I picked up the ol' controller once again.<br>I hardly feel like I've fallen off the wagon or anything.<br>Geez....

What exactly IS......your "chosen profession"??