Same here, I personally have seen a number of people who are hampered socially and financially by their gaming. It's really hard to keep up a conversation, or have anything more than a casual acquaintanceship, with someone who has absolutely nothing to talk about other than video games. I'm still a gamer so I can usually find something to converse about, but what made me realize how detrimental games could be was Magic: The Gathering and the recent popularity of MOBAs. I've never felt so alienated and than when a group of friends spent hours at a dinner get-together debating the finer points of League of Legends. Really put things in perspective for me.Anecdotally, I've seen them do more bad than good,
I completely agree, but I'm trying to discover and avoid my own biases -- isn't it true that keeping up a friendship with someone who has nothing to talk about except [one subject] is always going to be shitty? It does seem, though, that there's something inherently exclusive about video games. I know many people who have just the one "hobby" -- and my friends who are similarly obsessed with football, music, skating or reading fantasy novels all seem to be able to branch out to other interests with much more ease than my League of Legends-playing friends.
I wonder if it's because the only thing people say separates them from the 'pros' in esports is time spent playing. Basically everyone has the opportunity to vie for the grandmasters/whatever rank the pros play at.I know many people who have just the one "hobby" -- and my friends who are similarly obsessed with football, music, skating or reading fantasy novels all seem to be able to branch out to other interests with much more ease than my League of Legends-playing friends.
Really interesting idea. ...I just thought of one of my coworkers. In the workplace 'Secret Santa' we did just now -- on the get-to-know-you list we fill out to direct each other toward gifts -- he listed that his favorite sports team was one from League of Legends. I guess that may be emblematic of this conversation or it may not but either way I got him a fucking scarf.
Addictive personalities come in all types. I knew a guy whose first addiction was coke. His next addiction sequencing. His next addiction was video games. His addiction after that was weed and screensavers. I think people who get addicted to video games are at a higher risk of getting addicted to anything but for whatever reason, there's a lower bar to entry with video games.