I took to playing Call of Duty with my son not as a gamer, personally, but to spend some time with him. I experienced that -just one more round- feeling. I experienced the pull of meeting other players and wanting to make a run with them. I met some nice people in the game. Now I know what it feels like, that pull to be addicted to the game, and to that sense of reward when you advance. But it's a chemical addiction. Playing video games can help cure boredom, but resistance to becoming addicted to the hit of dopamine with each reward play must be practiced for all players, even me. A 'loss of interest' reaction must find its way to the frontal lobe of a player while playing, or they will become addicted. Experience taught me this. What do you think?
vanessa Mazzoccoli
It sounds like you have healthy boundaries over game time with your son and recognise the power and lure of the game.
I understand how people might become enmeshed in gaming and find themselves addicted. It's fun, at the start. There is no warning about addiction when they start playing. If there was, many people would think it does not apply to them anyway. Everyone else games and most people can have a balanced life, but there are a significant percentage who struggle for one reason or another. Even gamers who really want to quit have real difficulty quitting. Its the same with drug addiction; most people using drugs do not need to go to rehab to quit, but there will be some people who have a real struggle. Every person has a different story. Addiction is not a simple issue. There is usually stuff going on underneath,
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