Do you think people can get addicted to video games ?

Of course. People can get addicted to everything that brings joy.

People can get addicted to pretty much anything so...yes. Like all things in life, gaming is best had in moderation and not at the expense of friends and family.

Of course you can get addicted to video games - the most popular example (as in "you hear about people being addicted to this game in the media") would probably be World of Warcraft.

Edit: clicky

There is physical addiction; spicy food, drugs, alcohol, chocolate and such. That releases certain chemicals that satisfies your body.

And there is mental addiction; certain activities like hobbies(even collecting), video games, social interaction, competition and such, that triggers your reward system.

My biggest problem isn't playing them, but that I'm addicted to buying more. I don't need them, but I'm constantly buying them.

Addiction is a psychological condition. One can become addicted to anything. That's not an opinion, just a well-established fact.

/thread

Also, if you enjoyed the time you spent, it was not wasted.

Yep, they can addict easily. I'm afraid nowhere in the world a person can catch joy without any chemistry taken in in such volumes as by playing games. Some people might even lose their socializations skills, get aggressive and stop having any interest in real life until it start impeding playing more games.

if you enjoy wasting time, is that time really wasted?

No, you can never get addicted to gaming. Now If you'll excuse me, I have to go refill my bag of parenteral nutrition, and empty the bucket under my chair.

I found this interesting.

Yes. What is worse - cash shops and microtransactions can mean that addicted people will ruin themselfs and their families financially spending big amounts of money in them.

No. If my gear breaks, I don't go begging or stealing for new parts, like a drug addict. I simply wait for some paychecks while finding other forms of entertainment or carrying on with my (other) hobbies and pastimes. If I'm on vacation for more than a week, I don't go into withdrawal lol

I find other people physically more agitated when they don't get their daily info on what a workmate had for breakfast, or what that friend did to that other friend, or what time did a neighbor come home last night, or who owns the new car in the parking lot. OR when they can't control their loved ones :)

I call addiction 'the thing worth repeating'

Yes, very easily. As much as we hate to admit it and as much as we like to justify it (i.e. "if you like the time you spend playing games, it's not wasted and you're not addicted), truth is we can become very easily addicted and, in fact, many of us are addicted but we won't admit it. I'll be the first one to say, I've tried many times to quit gaming because I have a feeling that more time I spend playing games, more time I waste. Yes, I do enjoy myself but I feel I can use that time to be more productive or creative on some other level. However, I find it incredibly difficult to stop gaming. I've tried several times and, unfortunately, every time I came back to gaming (longest I was without even starting a game was about 4 months cca. 16 months ago). The biggest problem is the procrastination that often follows gaming. I either spend countless hours playing games or I spend few hours playing games and then I spend couple of hours laying around and watching TV because, for God's sake, I got tired after playing games.
So to say it in a short answer - yes, people can and people are addicted to gaming. I'll be the first one to admit it. I'm planning on "retiring" for who knows what time in October since the hardest year on Uni starts and I'd like to dedicate what little time I'll have to writing and workout and stuff. Whether I'll succeed remains to be seen.

Most of my gamer friends have difficulty to balance between MMO grinding and attending lectures. It is an addiction. I've tried convincing them to play something else less grinding to treat the addiction but they returned back to MMOs.

Too much of anything is addictive even clean air which should be plentiful, but is not

I know I am addicted, and not just saying that. I want to spend all my time playing games, though I am trying to be better.

Civilization its an addiction for example xD

It's certainly an addiction and may drive people, especially teenagers into solitude and isolation. An addicted person would spend their time playing games rather than hanging out with their friends or improving themselves. But as the person grows older life may intervene and the addiction may become less effective in their lives or they may end up in the basement of their parents.

Currently suffering from severe oxygen addiction.

Yes

yes they do. i'm an addict since early 2000s

People can get addicted to anything.

Dopamine is a bitch.

I think a person can get addicted with everything he likes, nothing more, nothing less.