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On August 07 2012 05:41 tskarzyn wrote:Show nested quote +On August 07 2012 02:37 R3demption wrote:
I'm 21 years old. A pre Med student and a Starcraft 2 enthusiast. I'm home for the summer and parents wont let my brother and I hook up our computers because they believe we are "Addicted" to video games. I would say we honestly would like to play 2 hours a night and about 4 on the weekends. Is that an addiction? Dunno. But the whole thing has caused more issues in our household than if my brother and I were on meth or something... Just yesterday we had a recovery day from a huge argument we had last week about gaming.
My brother and I have... Jobs, girlfriends, a social life, a future and we both are going to school.
It's articles like these that fuel my parents war against my choice of entertainment.
The lack of understanding... No, the lack of effort to understand something that is different is sooo frustrating.
Until the FDA comes out and states that video games are entirely harmful to ones body (moreso than drinking, smoking, watching shit TV all day).... SHUT THE FUCK UP. All things in moderation, the Greeks knew that shit.... so this article is hundreds of years too late. You are an exception. Most gamers can't limit their playing. Still, you are clocking around 18 hours of sc2 a week? Do youreally have time for your gf and guy friends when you spend close to half a work week playing this game? For those naysayers who are convinced you aren't addicted, try going a week or two "unplugged". No SC2 videos, no forums, certainly no playing. And to make sure you don't just swap the cigarettes for the booze, go without TV or other games on top of that during the experiment. How are you feeling on day 2? How about day 7? At the end of the experiment, will you run to your computer to fire up a game or call a friend to hang out? Most of you will think "Fk this jerk, i don't have a problem. I just enjoy it. I CHOOSE to spend my free time playing, and I could CHOOSE to stop playing whenever the fk I want." You might want to prove to yourself it's true before you start damaging other areas of your life.
Dude that's just modern society, not gamers. Almost no one can go a week without going on the internet to do whatever it is they do these days.
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On August 07 2012 02:10 LuckyFool wrote:
Wow this actually got onto front page of CNN. Must be a slow news day....
This is wonderful for esports, regardless of what it says.
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On August 07 2012 05:41 tskarzyn wrote:Show nested quote +On August 07 2012 02:37 R3demption wrote:
I'm 21 years old. A pre Med student and a Starcraft 2 enthusiast. I'm home for the summer and parents wont let my brother and I hook up our computers because they believe we are "Addicted" to video games. I would say we honestly would like to play 2 hours a night and about 4 on the weekends. Is that an addiction? Dunno. But the whole thing has caused more issues in our household than if my brother and I were on meth or something... Just yesterday we had a recovery day from a huge argument we had last week about gaming.
My brother and I have... Jobs, girlfriends, a social life, a future and we both are going to school.
It's articles like these that fuel my parents war against my choice of entertainment.
The lack of understanding... No, the lack of effort to understand something that is different is sooo frustrating.
Until the FDA comes out and states that video games are entirely harmful to ones body (moreso than drinking, smoking, watching shit TV all day).... SHUT THE FUCK UP. All things in moderation, the Greeks knew that shit.... so this article is hundreds of years too late. You are an exception. Most gamers can't limit their playing. Still, you are clocking around 18 hours of sc2 a week? Do youreally have time for your gf and guy friends when you spend close to half a work week playing this game? For those naysayers who are convinced you aren't addicted, try going a week or two "unplugged". No SC2 videos, no forums, certainly no playing. And to make sure you don't just swap the cigarettes for the booze, go without TV or other games on top of that during the experiment. How are you feeling on day 2? How about day 7? At the end of the experiment, will you run to your computer to fire up a game or call a friend to hang out? Most of you will think "Fk this jerk, i don't have a problem. I just enjoy it. I CHOOSE to spend my free time playing, and I could CHOOSE to stop playing whenever the fk I want." You might want to prove to yourself it's true before you start damaging other areas of your life.
The fuck kinda bullshit is this? Anyone who randomly stops doing their routine is obviously gonna feel screwed up for a few days. It's all about what motivates you to play. If you're playing because you want to play and because you're genuinely interested in playing for whatever reason, then play. If you're compulsively playing to the point where you are unable to maintain the rest of your life, then you can start thinking about addiction.
"Most gamers can't limit their playing"? Source on this? I'm pretty sure most people in the West play video games, and I'm pretty sure very few of them suffer from any debilitating addiction. This is like saying "convince yourself you aren't addicted to electricity. Go live in the forest for a month." Like no shit you're going to feel completely disjointed and out of place, because you're basically uprooting your habits. It has nothing to do with compulsive addiction. Habit isn't the same thing as addiction, and the two don't even necessarily lead to one another. Addiction is a psychological condition which is characterized by compulsiveness, withdrawal symptoms, and a downward spiral of lost control.
Playing a lot of games because you want to be a pro, or something, isn't addiction, because you are working toward accomplishing something. It's exactly the same sort of mindset that someone who studies a lot has, just for a different aim.
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The fact that you compare playing video games to something as integral to modern day living as electricity is nuts. Someone says you should try giving up video games and TV for a week and you say "I might as well go live in the woods"?
What about hanging out with friends? Or reading a good book? Or spending extra time on self-improvement (academics, work, fitness, etc...).
wow...
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On August 07 2012 06:13 Shiori wrote:Show nested quote +On August 07 2012 05:41 tskarzyn wrote:On August 07 2012 02:37 R3demption wrote:
I'm 21 years old. A pre Med student and a Starcraft 2 enthusiast. I'm home for the summer and parents wont let my brother and I hook up our computers because they believe we are "Addicted" to video games. I would say we honestly would like to play 2 hours a night and about 4 on the weekends. Is that an addiction? Dunno. But the whole thing has caused more issues in our household than if my brother and I were on meth or something... Just yesterday we had a recovery day from a huge argument we had last week about gaming.
My brother and I have... Jobs, girlfriends, a social life, a future and we both are going to school.
It's articles like these that fuel my parents war against my choice of entertainment.
The lack of understanding... No, the lack of effort to understand something that is different is sooo frustrating.
Until the FDA comes out and states that video games are entirely harmful to ones body (moreso than drinking, smoking, watching shit TV all day).... SHUT THE FUCK UP. All things in moderation, the Greeks knew that shit.... so this article is hundreds of years too late. You are an exception. Most gamers can't limit their playing. Still, you are clocking around 18 hours of sc2 a week? Do youreally have time for your gf and guy friends when you spend close to half a work week playing this game? For those naysayers who are convinced you aren't addicted, try going a week or two "unplugged". No SC2 videos, no forums, certainly no playing. And to make sure you don't just swap the cigarettes for the booze, go without TV or other games on top of that during the experiment. How are you feeling on day 2? How about day 7? At the end of the experiment, will you run to your computer to fire up a game or call a friend to hang out? Most of you will think "Fk this jerk, i don't have a problem. I just enjoy it. I CHOOSE to spend my free time playing, and I could CHOOSE to stop playing whenever the fk I want." You might want to prove to yourself it's true before you start damaging other areas of your life. The fuck kinda bullshit is this? Anyone who randomly stops doing their routine is obviously gonna feel screwed up for a few days. It's all about what motivates you to play. If you're playing because you want to play and because you're genuinely interested in playing for whatever reason, then play. If you're compulsively playing to the point where you are unable to maintain the rest of your life, then you can start thinking about addiction. "Most gamers can't limit their playing"? Source on this? I'm pretty sure most people in the West play video games, and I'm pretty sure very few of them suffer from any debilitating addiction. This is like saying "convince yourself you aren't addicted to electricity. Go live in the forest for a month." Like no shit you're going to feel completely disjointed and out of place, because you're basically uprooting your habits. It has nothing to do with compulsive addiction. Habit isn't the same thing as addiction, and the two don't even necessarily lead to one another. Addiction is a psychological condition which is characterized by compulsiveness, withdrawal symptoms, and a downward spiral of lost control. Playing a lot of games because you want to be a pro, or something, isn't addiction, because you are working toward accomplishing something. It's exactly the same sort of mindset that someone who studies a lot has, just for a different aim.
+1
I dont understand why common perception puts technology as basically evil? so what if you use technology to socialize,learn, or relax. why is this bad? if it somehow causes your life to be unmanageable or causes you adverse personal consequences then stop, if you cant, THEN you are addicted and should seek help. so many people seem to think that your toying with evil just by using technology.
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per my response, not saying technology is evil. Not saying TV or video games are evil either. But you can't take a week off everyone once in a while? Hell, cigarette smokers (and please dont argue that smoking is not addictive) take a week off of smoking all the time before succumbing to the itch. You don't know it isn't an addiction until you can prove it...
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On August 07 2012 06:21 tskarzyn wrote:
The fact that you compare playing video games to something as integral to modern day living as electricity is nuts. Someone says you should try giving up video games and TV for a week and you say "I might as well go live in the woods"?
What about hanging out with friends? Or reading a good book? Or spending extra time on self-improvement (academics, work, fitness, etc...).
wow...
So we're basically all gaming, internet, TV, newspaper, gym/fitness, etc addicts, because they are part of our daily routine and we'd suffer if any of those would be removed.
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On August 07 2012 06:21 tskarzyn wrote:
The fact that you compare playing video games to something as integral to modern day living as electricity is nuts. Someone says you should try giving up video games and TV for a week and you say "I might as well go live in the woods"?
What about hanging out with friends? Or reading a good book? Or spending extra time on self-improvement (academics, work, fitness, etc...).
wow...
the fact is the internet can satisfy all of those roles. why is it better to do it the old way? is it somehow "better" for you to read a physical book than to listen to an audio book? or read about interesting subjects on wikipedia instead of in a journal? yes getting 100% of your social interaction from the online world would be pretty hollow, but gaming IS a social activity.
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On August 07 2012 06:21 tskarzyn wrote:
The fact that you compare playing video games to something as integral to modern day living as electricity is nuts. Someone says you should try giving up video games and TV for a week and you say "I might as well go live in the woods"?
What about hanging out with friends? Or reading a good book? Or spending extra time on self-improvement (academics, work, fitness, etc...).
wow...
Extra time at work...ha. I spend enough time there already. I work full time. Go to the gym a minimum of 3 times a week. Have had a gf for the last 7 years. Play games, go out to the movies/camping/clubs/catch up with friends. I also read novels and online articles that are related to my field or just interest me. I don't have to force myself to stop playing games. I play games in my down time because I enjoy it along with everything else I am doing. It's called a hobby not an addiction.
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No need for socializing in real life, gaming does it all! No use arguing I suppose. GL, good day =)
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On August 07 2012 06:25 tskarzyn wrote:
per my response, not saying technology is evil. Not saying TV or video games are evil either. But you can't take a week off everyone once in a while? Hell, cigarette smokers (and please dont argue that smoking is not addictive) take a week off of smoking all the time before succumbing to the itch. You don't know it isn't an addiction until you can prove it...
your saying its not evil and then comparing it to smoking. why dont you compare it to hanging out with friends or reading a book, you can do both of those things online.
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On August 07 2012 06:21 tskarzyn wrote:
The fact that you compare playing video games to something as integral to modern day living as electricity is nuts. Someone says you should try giving up video games and TV for a week and you say "I might as well go live in the woods"?
What about hanging out with friends? Or reading a good book? Or spending extra time on self-improvement (academics, work, fitness, etc...).
wow...
You're missing the point. God, I hate when people do this. The point of an analogy isn't that something is identical to something else. It's that it's the same in the way that matters for the sake of comparison. You're asking people to give up something that they basically have done on a daily basis for a long period of time. You're acting like feeling some discomfort from doing this is evidence of an addiction. It isn't. What if I really like reading, and I've traditionally read for 3 hours a night, but then you tell me to start attending dance class instead? If I feel annoyed, frustrated, or miss reading, that doesn't mean anything other than that a) I like reading more than dance class and b) I'm used to reading, not dance class.
I like how you slip "work" into "self-improvement." No idea how that works. Unless you're working at a career that aligns well with your interests and passions, most work is actually just there to sustain you until your larger goals are realized. I'm pretty sure I'm not thinking about self-improvement when I work to fund my tuition. I'm thinking about not being in debt, not development of my character. When I play Starcraft with the aim of being better at the game, I'm improving myself by becoming better at the game.
It's annoying that people who know they have no ground to stand on grossly and obviously misinterpret a post in order for it to be easier to dismiss. I didn't say "might as well go live in the woods." I said your reasoning would work similarly if applied to electricity. You offer no evidence for why wanting to do something and feeling displaced when you stop doing is actually evidence of addiction.
And actually, you DO know it is an addiction without trying to stop. It's very easy to tell by introspection and cognitive therapy whether something is an addiction or just a habit. It's all about the motivation, not the time you put into something.
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On August 07 2012 05:41 tskarzyn wrote:Show nested quote +On August 07 2012 02:37 R3demption wrote:
I'm 21 years old. A pre Med student and a Starcraft 2 enthusiast. I'm home for the summer and parents wont let my brother and I hook up our computers because they believe we are "Addicted" to video games. I would say we honestly would like to play 2 hours a night and about 4 on the weekends. Is that an addiction? Dunno. But the whole thing has caused more issues in our household than if my brother and I were on meth or something... Just yesterday we had a recovery day from a huge argument we had last week about gaming.
My brother and I have... Jobs, girlfriends, a social life, a future and we both are going to school.
It's articles like these that fuel my parents war against my choice of entertainment.
The lack of understanding... No, the lack of effort to understand something that is different is sooo frustrating.
Until the FDA comes out and states that video games are entirely harmful to ones body (moreso than drinking, smoking, watching shit TV all day).... SHUT THE FUCK UP. All things in moderation, the Greeks knew that shit.... so this article is hundreds of years too late. You are an exception. Most gamers can't limit their playing. Still, you are clocking around 18 hours of sc2 a week? Do youreally have time for your gf and guy friends when you spend close to half a work week playing this game? For those naysayers who are convinced you aren't addicted, try going a week or two "unplugged". No SC2 videos, no forums, certainly no playing. And to make sure you don't just swap the cigarettes for the booze, go without TV or other games on top of that during the experiment. How are you feeling on day 2? How about day 7? At the end of the experiment, will you run to your computer to fire up a game or call a friend to hang out? Most of you will think "Fk this jerk, i don't have a problem. I just enjoy it. I CHOOSE to spend my free time playing, and I could CHOOSE to stop playing whenever the fk I want." You might want to prove to yourself it's true before you start damaging other areas of your life.
Something that made sense to me was, I saw someone define psychological addiction by what other interests a person has. If there is nothing else that is satisfying, that one thing is an addiction. It is pathological in the same vein as that symptom of depression where one is bored with every activity and unmotivated to do anything. You cannot simply declare that because of 18 hours of gaming per week, that person is addicted. There is after all a lot of hours left in the week, and you cannot know how enjoyable he finds whatever he does in that time.
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On August 06 2012 20:18 Rabiator wrote:Show nested quote +On August 06 2012 20:09 Detwiler wrote:
Are they addicted? Yes they are. But not anymore than football players are addicted to football. Or baseball players to baseball. Look to reach those heights in any skill you have to have an addiction. Its not normal behavior to sit down for 8+ hours and practice the same thing over and over. But hey if it an Olympic diver you call it dedication. If its a starcraft player you call it addiction. In reality both are the same thing only difference is society approves of the diver. No, they are not the same thing, because playing a computer game does NOTHING for your future life and is just something "for the moment". Sports will always give you fitness which is good to have as a human being and will at least give you a fringe training for other jobs. Do you think "playing computer games" will look good on any job application? Nope. Having trained as a professional athlete will give you fitness enough to become a firefighter, policeman, ranger, ... name one job where "playing Starcraft 2" will at least give you a fringe benefit and which is needed en masse like cops, firefighters and so on. Show nested quote +On August 06 2012 20:14 Dosey wrote:On August 06 2012 19:14 Hyperionnn wrote:On August 06 2012 18:42 Kyrillion wrote:I have an easy question, which one would you choose?
Your son/daughter practices a sport 10 hours per day.
Your son/daughter studies on his/her classes 10 hours per day.
Your son/daughter plays videogames 10 hours per day.
Although the first 2 options are not that pleasant either, most of the people will pick 1st or 2nd option, only some video game addicts will go for 3rd. Not a very hard question indeed. In the first option, it all depends on the sport but the second one is clearly the worst. Unless we're talking about University, it's fairly astonishing and sad that one could study for 10 hours a day. Thank god Nony wasn't playing MKP. The reporters head would fucking explode trying to find a way to insult that handsome man. Makes you wonder why they chose to show the beauteous Tasteless while introducing him as an ex-progamer. Which debatable, but that's what the viewer will think anyway. It is even more sad one could play some game for 10 hours a day, I guess you are playing around 10 hours as well Is it any worse than sitting in an office for 10 hours a day? At least video games are challenging... They also dont mean anything while the decisions you make in your office all those 10 hours a day can make the difference between an oilspill in the gulf of mexico or a building your company constructed withstanding a tornado and saving lives. Please kids .... stop kidding yourselves.
You are very wrong saying gaming does nothing to your future. Theres plenty of positive things it does for you and probably all negative side effects are possible to negate if you care enough.
About the job side. If you are not casual gamer you get A LOT of training for your brains which helps immensly. Personally I'm interested in playing these kind of games since they challenge me and are always at start impossible and even at the end extremely hard and stressing.
And socializing has very little to do with gaming. Playing games doesn't mean you can't go out with your friends but playing games means you are instantly invited to groups in totally random areas in real life and you also will meet new people. (You get real life friends thru games, but there's not reason to lose friends because of gaming.)
btw you can get addicted to anything. I can and have been EASILY for week or more without computer at all. It's pretty relaxing actually, makes life go slower. HOWEVER could I be 1-2 weeks without some stories in any form? That would be living hell. Lol I can't stop reading books or watching visualized stories. It's real form of escapism out of this world, gaming doesn't put me out of this world - it feels very anchored to this world unlike stories.
Or maybe I'm addicted to gaming, and I'm talking about GAMES, lol game doesn't mean its virtual, chess is a game. I've been playing any game (virtual or not) for as long as I can remember and I always do it thru way or another, never even had to thought how to survive without some real brain challenges. (Go to summerhouse > sudokus for example).
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Just going to ramble a bit - to be honest, while I like gaming, can't say I wouldn't trade some of that gaming time for something else. I'm a bit past my mid twenties at this point, and while I like gaming a lot, I've always felt like I squandered a lot of that time. I'm doing pretty OK - personal life is fine, I go to the gym, I eat pretty well, read books, office job is reasonable and I'm looking at buying my own place and moving out for good (yes late bloomer lol). I still feel like I could've done better without gaming - it's just way too much time and nothing to show for it.
Starcraft is a different game to me in that I still feel challenged playing the game - I do feel like I've gotten something done after a ladder session, but I know that feeling is mostly imaginary haha. In moderation and balance with everything else I think it can be enriching, but part of me wishes I enjoyed doing something else more productive. Oh well 
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On August 07 2012 06:25 iglocska wrote:Show nested quote +On August 07 2012 06:21 tskarzyn wrote:
The fact that you compare playing video games to something as integral to modern day living as electricity is nuts. Someone says you should try giving up video games and TV for a week and you say "I might as well go live in the woods"?
What about hanging out with friends? Or reading a good book? Or spending extra time on self-improvement (academics, work, fitness, etc...).
wow... So we're basically all gaming, internet, TV, newspaper, gym/fitness, etc addicts, because they are part of our daily routine and we'd suffer if any of those would be removed.
Oh no, I eat every day and drink water every day. I have a terrible addiction 
Worse yet, I talk to my room mates and co-workers daily... I must have a gossip/social addiction. But wait, I also spend time alone, so I'm a social shut-in? This is so confusing
I find it amusing that tskarzyn posted his arguements on an internet forum.
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You guys missing the big picture. Class action lawsuit against games makers for releasing products they knew were addictive, destroy young lives and break up families. 30 years these companies have been peddling this stuff to us. they are worse than the cigarette companies. Lets take them feckers down for all the pain and suffering they have caused us and our poor familes.
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On August 07 2012 06:35 Shiori wrote:Show nested quote +On August 07 2012 06:21 tskarzyn wrote:
The fact that you compare playing video games to something as integral to modern day living as electricity is nuts. Someone says you should try giving up video games and TV for a week and you say "I might as well go live in the woods"?
What about hanging out with friends? Or reading a good book? Or spending extra time on self-improvement (academics, work, fitness, etc...).
wow... You're missing the point. God, I hate when people do this. The point of an analogy isn't that something is identical to something else. It's that it's the same in the way that matters for the sake of comparison. You're asking people to give up something that they basically have done on a daily basis for a long period of time. You're acting like feeling some discomfort from doing this is evidence of an addiction. It isn't. What if I really like reading, and I've traditionally read for 3 hours a night, but then you tell me to start attending dance class instead? If I feel annoyed, frustrated, or miss reading, that doesn't mean anything other than that a) I like reading more than dance class and b) I'm used to reading, not dance class. I like how you slip "work" into "self-improvement." No idea how that works. Unless you're working at a career that aligns well with your interests and passions, most work is actually just there to sustain you until your larger goals are realized. I'm pretty sure I'm not thinking about self-improvement when I work to fund my tuition. I'm thinking about not being in debt, not development of my character. When I play Starcraft with the aim of being better at the game, I'm improving myself by becoming better at the game. It's annoying that people who know they have no ground to stand on grossly and obviously misinterpret a post in order for it to be easier to dismiss. I didn't say "might as well go live in the woods." I said your reasoning would work similarly if applied to electricity. You offer no evidence for why wanting to do something and feeling displaced when you stop doing is actually evidence of addiction. And actually, you DO know it is an addiction without trying to stop. It's very easy to tell by introspection and cognitive therapy whether something is an addiction or just a habit. It's all about the motivation, not the time you put into something.
To be honest I think you're misunderstanding him. Fundamentally all he's saying is that people should see whether they're even capable of doing it. He never said that being uncomfortable was a sign of addiction, I re-read his post and didn't read him saying that anywhere.
It would be just like someone who smokes and is trying to stop, its not just going to be uncomfortable, its going to be really really difficult and there will be all sorts of cravings; and if someone notices that being the case then its a useful indicator. I actually read a post by someone on TL before SC2 was even in beta stage, talking about how his whole body was shaking and he couldn't stop thinking about playing SC2. If he were to try this test while SC2 was out they'd probably find out they have a harder time stopping themselves than those addicted to nicotine.
So by your analogy if you tried to live without electricity, you would probably be quite uncomfortable, but it wouldn't be something where you feel withdrawal symptoms (i.e. it could basically be a camping trip, or staying at home reading or going out with friends).
But anyways I think a better indicator should simply be to follow the definition for what addiction is, kind of like what you wrote. If it actually gets in the way of other important things in your life, and stops you from doing them because you can't stop playing (i.e. hygiene, eating well, doing your school work, maintaining relationships - all of which should be integral to the well-being of a person except maybe the last one if they are highly introverted) then it is an addiction. But really either method should work.
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On August 07 2012 07:03 radscorpion9 wrote:Show nested quote +On August 07 2012 06:35 Shiori wrote:On August 07 2012 06:21 tskarzyn wrote:
The fact that you compare playing video games to something as integral to modern day living as electricity is nuts. Someone says you should try giving up video games and TV for a week and you say "I might as well go live in the woods"?
What about hanging out with friends? Or reading a good book? Or spending extra time on self-improvement (academics, work, fitness, etc...).
wow... You're missing the point. God, I hate when people do this. The point of an analogy isn't that something is identical to something else. It's that it's the same in the way that matters for the sake of comparison. You're asking people to give up something that they basically have done on a daily basis for a long period of time. You're acting like feeling some discomfort from doing this is evidence of an addiction. It isn't. What if I really like reading, and I've traditionally read for 3 hours a night, but then you tell me to start attending dance class instead? If I feel annoyed, frustrated, or miss reading, that doesn't mean anything other than that a) I like reading more than dance class and b) I'm used to reading, not dance class. I like how you slip "work" into "self-improvement." No idea how that works. Unless you're working at a career that aligns well with your interests and passions, most work is actually just there to sustain you until your larger goals are realized. I'm pretty sure I'm not thinking about self-improvement when I work to fund my tuition. I'm thinking about not being in debt, not development of my character. When I play Starcraft with the aim of being better at the game, I'm improving myself by becoming better at the game. It's annoying that people who know they have no ground to stand on grossly and obviously misinterpret a post in order for it to be easier to dismiss. I didn't say "might as well go live in the woods." I said your reasoning would work similarly if applied to electricity. You offer no evidence for why wanting to do something and feeling displaced when you stop doing is actually evidence of addiction. And actually, you DO know it is an addiction without trying to stop. It's very easy to tell by introspection and cognitive therapy whether something is an addiction or just a habit. It's all about the motivation, not the time you put into something. To be honest I think you're misunderstanding him. Fundamentally all he's saying is that people should see whether they're even capable of doing it. He never said that being uncomfortable was a sign of addiction, I re-read his post and didn't read him saying that anywhere. It would be just like someone who smokes and is trying to stop, its not just going to be uncomfortable, its going to be really really difficult and there will be all sorts of cravings; and if someone notices that being the case then its a useful indicator. I actually read a post by someone on TL before SC2 was even in beta stage, talking about how his whole body was shaking and he couldn't stop thinking about playing SC2. If they were to try this test while SC2 was out they'd probably find out they have a harder time stopping themselves than those addicted to nicotine. So by your analogy if you tried to live without electricity, you would probably be quite uncomfortable, but it wouldn't be something where you feel withdrawal symptoms (i.e. it could basically be a camping trip, or staying at home reading or going out with friends). But anyways I think a better indicator should simply be to follow the definition for what addiction is, kind of like what you wrote. If it actually gets in the way of other important things in your life, and stops you from doing them because you can't stop playing (i.e. hygiene, eating well, doing your school work, maintaining relationships - all of which should be integral to the well-being of a person except maybe the last one if they are highly introverted) then it is an addiction. But really either method should work.
If you feel illogical cravings for Sc2 all the time (beyond the usual "I'd really like to play a game now to unwind" that could periodically arise) then you might have a problem. Smokers can realize they're addicted when they stop wanting to have a smoke to relax and start craving them all the time and needing a smoke to relax. I don't get the impression that most gamers are the same way.
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EPT
