I think my room mate is an addict: To video games.

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DaveS

I think my room mate is an addict: To video games.

Ok,

Now I know people might think its not possible, but its ALL he does. He works full time, and spends countless hours on his computer playing games. The other day our internet went down, and he was acting like the WORLD was going to end.

Here is his xfire account
Xfire - @ scorp (scorpion1087)

According to xfire, he's spend 41 hours alone this week, and thats only becuase for one night our internet was down, so it didn't record, its usually a higher number then that.

Its getting bad. He's missing work because he wants to game, he sleeps 14 hours on weekends because he sleeps so little on weekends, he has ZERO social interaction besides me when I can convince him to go see a movie, or go to the gym.

I'm worried about it. Its literally taking over his life, its effecting him in negative ways. He's already over 300lbs, and he eats out all the time because he can't take the 1hour it takes to cook for himself. He doesn't clean up around the house, he does nothing. He will most likley loose his job, twice in the month of december I got home from work (around 6:30pm) and he was still sleeping (he works from 3pm-12am) Its very sad to see. The thing is, he doesn't see it as a problem. He thinks its normal. He says "you go upstairs hang out with your friends and watch movies, I play video games online with my "friends" (virtual friends) He's dropped out of two university programs, and I believe its because it was too much work, and he wasn't willing to cut back on games.
Oh, and when he's not playing games, he's watching youtube videos about how to get better at games, or looking at his game stats on websites. Its an obsession. How would you help him?
 
Gaming is addictive...sounds like your friend may need an intervention...like a drug addict or an alcoholic would get from people who care about them.

I'll be praying for you situation.
 
Wow, I play video games sometimes but I was never this addicted.

He plays those Live games? I never tried...they are addictive. The rush when you win a hard battle...it's thrilling at times and some people get so engrossed into it you can barely peel them away from the computer/television!

I only play video games out of sheer boredom, or just for the thrills or as something to do.

He may need to go see counseling...or you can look it up on the internet, or maybe you should start making him interact in public. He may have a social problem - and hides with his games.

I'll pray also, because this could lead to something horrible.
 
The sad part?

Nobody can help him unless he wants to get help. In order for that to happen, he's going to have to start losing the things that he really loves. His job. Once he loses that, he's not going to have the money to stay anywhere for free...much less spend all of his time online playing games.

Oh - if he does find somewhere to stay for free, would you tell him to let me know? I have some people I know who'd like to know where they can live for free; not clean up; not contribute to the household, etc.

Nobody that I know is going to want to feed him and pay his internet bills while he lays around gaining weight (eating up all the food that he doesn't buy) and doing little to help himself.

It's coming, believe me. Every addict (no matter what they're addicted to - except Jesus and the Word) goes through it. Gambling. Porn. Alcohol. Drugs. You name it, they all eventually hit rock bottom because of their addiction(s).

Only then will they want help, unfortunately.

:(
 
The best thing that you could do in this situation actually isn't trying to take him off the video games. The best thing to do is try to shift his isolated video game playing into a social environment.

Are there any lan places around you that might run tournaments for the games he plays? Tournaments at such places allows a player to meet other players and becomes friends. It may not cut down his playing much but it will make him more social and the fact that he would need money to go to all the tournaments would encourage him to go to work more. If he is good enough he can also make money off the tournaments too. :cool:

Amazingly video games can be a very social experience in this nature. The bonds I have made meeting people through video games are greater than friends I have made in sports and school, and are comparable only to my church friends.
 
The best thing you could do is sabotage his gaming devices. Break them some how.
When he's at work, delete all his games off the computer and break his disks.
If he plays a system on the television, like xbox or something, cut the plug or shove something inside to break the lens.
For his own good... set him free!
You don't want him to die from DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosous) Blood Clots do you? His lack of mobility could easily create health problems and even death.
He'll probably be really mad at you but you'll be saving his life!
 
JeremiahD84 said:
The best thing you could do is sabotage his gaming devices. Break them some how.
Click to expand...
Woah now. You are talking about damaging another person's property? Don't you think that is going a tad bit too far? I would say that should be something you do only after very other option to help him has failed.

When he's at work, delete all his games off the computer and break his disks.
Click to expand...
:eek:

If he plays a system on the television, like xbox or something, cut the plug or shove something inside to break the lens.
Click to expand...
:eek: Thats just not right... those things are really expensive.

For his own good... set him free!
Click to expand...
:eek: You really think that getting rid of his games is going to make him go out and do more? All I think it would do is make him mad and possibly make him move out. He probably would try to get money back in order to replace the damages done to the video game console.

You don't want him to die from DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosous) Blood Clots do you? His lack of mobility could easily create health problems and even death.
Click to expand...
And you think that cutting off the video games is going to help? Its not going to help him get active. I know when I don't have video games I am no more active than I am with them.

He'll probably be really mad at you but you'll be saving his life!
Click to expand...
Or he will just be very mad, move out and replace all the stuff that got damaged. If my roommate was ruining my video games on purpose I would get out of there as fast as possible. Property damage is not the answer.
 
An addiction is an addiction. Just like alcohol and drugs, the games and gaming are just symptoms of the real problem. You can’t treat the symptoms and cure the problem. The fact is, like WhirlWind said, he isn’t going to quit unless he wants to, and he isn’t going to want to until he looses something important. And that doesn’t Include wrecking his stuff. That will just make him angry. He’ll just go out and buy more and then you will have an angry gamer with less money.

About the only thing you can do is tell him how you feel and tell him you won’t enable him in anything he does. Put your foot down and don’t budge.

Blessings
Dean
 
That could also get a very negative reaction since he is so stubborn. You can't shove Christianity down someone's throat. It takes one or two comments about it a day to someone who is completely new. Any more than that, they get annoyed and refuse to listen anymore.

Or it might work. I'm just throwing it out there.

This is one of the few spots I can proudly declare that I don't have a 360!!! I wanted Call Of Duty 4 and Halo 3 so bad, but I stayed out of it. Last system I bought was the xbox back in high school. I play football on it a couple times a week but I have broken the obsession!!!
 
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