I just thought I'd share this story with you guys. I consider myself a weak writer but that's besides the point as I'm sure a lots people can learn from my experience.

Since graduating from school in April 2010 I've had time off with no work or school. I always wanted to find something I could get passionate about and have fun doing. So I decided to master a game which I always loved playing online, Age of Empires 2. I couldn't believe how deep the game was, I would watch replays of pro's, I would then play 8 hours straight trying to perfect my game. Playing the game was a job. I would push off everything to play more AOE 2.

Finally in early August there came a time when I realized that the game was taking over my life. By this time 4 months had already gone by. I had dreamed and lived the game for 4 months and I felt like there was still so much to learn about the game. After realizing the problem I was still unable to break the addiction. Finally after losing 3 games in a row I hit the uninstall button and I haven’t played since that day.

I’ve been clean for a month and ever since I've been doing a lot more constructive things like getting out of the house and spending more time with family and friends.

Yet I am still faced with one problem - I'm forever unable to play the best online RTS game ever made.

Game addiction is real but I don't think it is the fault of the developers. I suffered from it just once, but I have been playing games I love for more than 20 years. When I suffered it I had no family (ie no wife and kids) but lived very close to my parents and saw them all the time. I also continued to work productively though I spent a lot of time on the games forum and occaisionally played it for 10 mins on my laptop at work. I was addicted for around a year. Thankfully it was an MMO and the New Game Experience that was introduced killed my desire to play that game. Unlike you though I can never go back, because it no longer exists.

You can still play AoE2, you just have to take responsibility for your actions. This addiction is nowhere near as bad as other addictions and with a little practice you can play responsibly.

Wait, there are (were?) AOE2 progamers?

Heh binging on games is fun. My attention span for games and most things is a few days. See my addiction for games is more geared toward Flash games. A quick casual game a day is usually what I do, but that adds up a lot.

Quote: Original post by BLiTZWiNG
Unlike you though I can never go back, because it no longer exists.

Please don't remind me. Played Planetside for a few years off and on. See I had friends that played with me. It's pretty much the only way I can play a game for more than a few days. Like Guild Wars was fun until my friends stopped playing.

I wrote a research paper in high school actually on Internet addiction and it's definitely real. Part of my paper was on game addiction which is dwarfed by other more common addictions like social networking and email checking.

"They say 'once you feel like you need to cut down on your drinking, you've got a drinking problem'"

I think the same thing goes for gaming. If you feel like you're doing way too much of it, maybe you are. But then again, if gaming is your job, maybe you're just passionate about what you do, and it's not an addiction at all.

I once played a multiplayer game of aoe2 with my friend, it went on for 4 hours and 3400 units were lost. Its was epic. I won.

Quote: Original post by Instigator
I always wanted to find something I could get passionate about and have fun doing. So I decided to master a game which I always loved playing online, Age of Empires 2. I couldn't believe how deep the game was, I would watch replays of pro's, I would then play 8 hours straight trying to perfect my game. Playing the game was a job.

This part is basically fine. There are many people who do this and not become addicted.

There are professionals who play at tournaments, and they make a living off it, yet are not addicted.

Quote: I would push off everything to play more AOE 2. Finally in early August there came a time when I realized that the game was taking over my life. ... After realizing the problem I was still unable to break the addiction.

This is where it becomes a problem.

When something begins to inhibit your ability to live life, or you obsess about it to an unhealthy level, you need help.

The addiction comes from yourself, not inherently from the game. You can become addicted to anything that is pleasurable to you. Many people who are depressed become addicted things like games or the internet because it is pleasurable relative to their current state.

There are quite a few non-drug addictions where your own body chemistry and mental state cause either a mental addiction or an actual physical addiction to your own body chemistry. Adrenaline junkies, "Runner's High", major relaxation, and other events can cause an endorphin rush, which can be addictive.

Quote: Yet I am still faced with one problem - I'm forever unable to play the best online RTS game ever made.

That is a personal decision. Now that you know, you may be able to play it but not let it control you.

Congrats on overcoming your addiction. It's easy to get sucked in.

If you're talking about game addiction, this article is a necessary read:
5 Creepy Ways Video Games Are Trying to Get You Addicted. After reading this article, the feeling was like having the curtains pulled back and being disappointed and disillusioned. Don't read it if you don't want to be disillusioned.

I'm actually kind of envious of people who have game addiction. My problem is I play a game, at most though I'll typically finish a game (SP) and never touch it again. I literally sit at home sometimes wishing there was a game I want to play that I own.

That state of 'limbo' where I don't have any games I feel like playing I think signifies a different type of addiction, one not applicable to a specific game but to the idea of playing games.

For example, last night I started playing a game out of boredom and shut it off only a few minutes in by pretty much telling myself to forcefully go do something else.

My cousin was/is pretty addicted to WoW, so much so that my grandparents actually shun the entire INTERNET for that fact when they have never used it a day in their life.

True grandma quote: "I wish they had never created that internet."

Of course, that makes me, the successful programmer and web developer feel grrrrreat!

What is the consensus about AoE 2 vs WOW? I'm looking to get into a game, but not sure which one I should choose. Lots of my friends go with wow, but after this review of AOE, I'm tempted to go that direction, although I would like to play with friends. Is it worth it to choose AOE and not play wow with friends?