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[UPDATE] Is gaming to you a habit or an addiction?

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TheOneTrueLegit polycounter lvl 3
Improved Poll for clarity and understanding for the participants.

Writing a poll for my dissertation in advance.

Is gaming to you a habit or an addiction

Please, don't be a stranger to write a reason why, your opinions is the life blood of this poll.

--For those of you that commented on the original thread --

-->http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=155994

Thank you.

Replies

  • Joshflighter
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    Joshflighter polycounter lvl 9
    Honestly, it's hard to find time to game. Between work 3d/personal 3d/life, it's hard to find time to waist. If I really want to see a games gameplay or storyline for example, I will leave a youtube run-through of it (Usually consists of like 20+ video parts) to play on my other screen as I work.
  • PhattyEwok
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    PhattyEwok polycounter lvl 9
    Gaming to me is the medium that drove my passion in the first place. However the last thing I want to do, after staring at a screen for 8-12 hours at work, is jump on the computer when I get home.

    Kind of funny how it works out that way. I do love me some good digital/game/movie/vfx (whatever you want to call it) art and spend more time looking at stills and breakdowns then I do actually playing games and watching movies. I'd rather be outside doing shtuff then stuck at my desk in my tiny apartment.

    -2 cents
  • sprunghunt
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    sprunghunt polycounter
    I didn't really get into the industry because I really wanted to make games. I got into the industry because I really enjoyed making 3d art - and games was part of that. So playing games now isn't always as interesting to me as making some art.

    If I wanted to make games because I enjoyed playing them I would probably be more interested in becoming a game designer instead of remaining an artist.
  • TheOneTrueLegit
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    TheOneTrueLegit polycounter lvl 3
    @sprunghunt

    Off topic, but what keeps you motivated to keep doing your art, aside from money of course. I find myself losing motivation to continue doing work from time to time
  • Turneep
    Interesting question. Kind of a tough one for me. I chose other.

    I have somewhat of a quite severe anxiety disorder and Games are a way of shutting my brain off. I absolutely love the calm focus I get from playing some games. So I keep going back to them. I think I have played only 4 different games in the last 2 years (Where as 10 years ago I was playing everything under the sun) and hated The Witcher 3 (I still think its a brilliant Game designwise but not for me) because it didnt give me the fix I needed.
  • Mathew O
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    Mathew O polycounter
    I'm the same as many here, I enjoy 3D so much plus I want to improve so that takes up most of my time, also I'm trying to get in better shape so between the gym and 3D I end up with a couple of hours of Dota a week and that's about it really :(
  • TheOneTrueLegit
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    TheOneTrueLegit polycounter lvl 3
    Turneep wrote: »
    I have somewhat of a quite severe anxiety disorder and Games are a way of shutting my brain off. I absolutely love the calm focus I get from playing some games.

    Interesting it never occurred to me until now, that games could be used as some sort of "tool" to help people and there problems, although am more focused on metal dependency on games (addiction) this is an interesting view port that i will have to take at look at.

    But am lazy, it will have to wait till next week.

    I love witcher 3, but its too much, too much for me to get grasp on DA:inquisition was my limit.
  • Lazerus Reborn
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    Lazerus Reborn polycounter lvl 8
    I did some similar research two years back on immersion in games and whether or not it was addictive. Found some evidence for it but again basic studies get basic answers. I'd suggest you look into it as a factor.
  • TheOneTrueLegit
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    TheOneTrueLegit polycounter lvl 3
    I did some similar research two years back on immersion in games and whether or not it was addictive. Found some evidence for it but again basic studies get basic answers. I'd suggest you look into it as a factor.

    Actually funny enough I did "Immersion in video game space" for my essay assignment in year 2 of my course, literature review as well, it which was pretty much a warm up for the dissertation In the coming 3 year.

    I really liked looking in to that field from marvin minsky research/idea of presence in another space, how you can get feed back from a completely different space threw stimulus, too much more.
  • jovcem
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    jovcem polycounter lvl 9
    Its hard to find great games, same games with different textures
  • chrisradsby
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    chrisradsby polycounter lvl 14
    I have different phases, sometimes I do a lot of 3d-work and minimal gaming and sometimes it's just the other way around.

    I believe that to be a great game-developer you have to play a lot of games, you have to know what's new and what all your competitors are doing. So I play a lot of games, even though I'm an artist, but I do it because I love it, it's my passion and has always been my passion.

    That said, it might not be all that necessary for an environment artist.
  • Turneep
    Isnt one of the classic signs of addiction the fact that you cant admit to being addicted? Like Drug addicts and Alcoholics, they never really see themselves as addicts until they need help. Like of the combined 73% who said Hobby & Casual, how many of those spend literally upwards of 50 hours playing games a week and consider themselves in no way addicted? Yet from an outsiders perspective who plays games for 15 hours a week would they not see the 50 hour a week person as addicted?

    I know its probably not relevant to your study as you seem to be asking what Gaming is to that individual person but I find it interesting.
  • TheOneTrueLegit
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    TheOneTrueLegit polycounter lvl 3
    Turneep wrote: »
    Isnt one of the classic signs of addiction the fact that you cant admit to being addicted?

    I know its probably not relevant to your study as you seem to be asking what Gaming is to that individual person but I find it interesting.

    Thank for you intrigue, your correct that some that take this poll may be completely oblivious or rather it has become a necessary part of there lively hood that it has become almost akin to breathing so it is near unnoticeable, well not to this extreme but i hope you catch my drift.

    Those that openly admit it is a addiction my hats off to you as well as a habit.

    Like me saying Blink, now breath in and out, am sorry in advance for making you aware of your blinking and breathing, no am not, but it nice to say I was.
  • SHEPEIRO
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    SHEPEIRO polycounter lvl 17
    making games is an addiction...playing them... i can take it or leave it these days
  • Add3r
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    Add3r polycounter lvl 11
    SHEPEIRO wrote: »
    making games is an addiction...playing them... i can take it or leave it these days

    This, though recently I have had an increase in the want to play games through the finding of a pretty awesome group of friends to play games with on a regular basis. Like I said in the other thread, its more of a social experience than actually enjoying the game. The game is just a bonus. I would say I am addicted to the fun had with friends playing the games, not the games themselves.
  • SuperFranky
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    SuperFranky polycounter lvl 10
    It's a vital part of my life. You can even say that my life revolves around gaming in one sense or another. I've been playing since 4 year old and I can't see myself stopping any time soon.
  • ikken
    from a gamer's point of view, rewarding or stimulating gameplay is a dopamine-inducing process, which can lead to an actual clinical addiction for a number of people (or can manifest itself as social isolation/unhealthy life to gameplay ratio), however, same is accurate for anything dopamine-producing, i.e. food, sugar/liquid carbs, party drugs, petting animals, shopping, etc.

    from a game art staff position, I barely care about gaming itself, but visual direction/creative component of videogames excite me, especially with the recent indie games boom, so that's it
    making art in general is smth equally addictive to me, it basically replaced my videogaming needs these days.
  • batflipper
    probably was an addiction when i was younger, now...not so much. probably a hobby, if anything
  • Dataday
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    Dataday polycounter lvl 8
    I feel like inspiration and coping mechanism need to be part of the list. =)

    Really entertainment and gaming boils down to triggering and emotional response, how much we rely on that emotional response or whats causing it certainly hits that range, but the emotional response is generally the common core of it all.
  • TheOneTrueLegit
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    TheOneTrueLegit polycounter lvl 3
    ikken wrote: »
    I barely care about gaming itself, but visual direction/creative component of videogames excite me

    Yes, I find myself leaning more towards this myself, aside from a few favourites.
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