Are You Addicted?

If you answered yes to four or more of these questions then you should get enrolled in Gamers Anonymous because you are officially an addict. Write Yes or No to each question and determine your score below.

Hygiene

1. Can you remember the last time you showered? 

Fact: Frequently gamers lose their connection with reality and suspend their everyday routines to accommodate the demands of the game. Because these computer games are played in real time, any break in play can result in tragic consequences for the game.

Serial Sociopath

2. Do you get angry at people for disturbing your play?

If you’ve start yelling, berating or rudely ignoring people who knock on your door, you may be sliding further into addiction. Often gamers stop considering the feelings of others and forget social rules because their entire social network is now online. If you no longer have empathy for the feelings of others it might be time to go cold turkey.

Interview with the Vampire

3. Have you ever stayed up all night to play your game?

If you’ve been getting less than four hours a sleep per night because you were in the middle of a raid, it may be time to get help. Your body actually needs sleep to fight diseases, and maintain sanity. Often sleep deprivation can lead to hallucinations and general feelings of anxiety.  Gamers may often appear sickly, out of touch with reality, and generally nervous.

Foreign Language Skills

4. Do you know enough game terminology to become a foreign ambassador for the UN?

MMORPG Games often function as unique worlds complete with terms and phrases almost unrecognizable to the average person. If you’ve casually started referring to your guild and the quests you’re going on tonight, or if you regularly stump your friends by referring to Threshadons, Felguards or crit hits, you need help.

Supporting your Habit

5. Are you spending money you don’t have to support your gaming habit?

These games are all about money. If you’ve been paying for  hefty subscription fees, books, posters, calendars, and exchanging real money for pretend game gold, then this applies to you.

Overall, gaming draws unsuspecting people into turmoil as they neglect their kids, jobs, college eductations. If you answered yes to four or more of these questions then you should get enrolled in Gamers Anonymous because you are officially an addict. (And take a shower now, we can smell you all the way in cyberspace.)