I get exactly what you're saying [and love all the games you've mentioned] but think of it this way. Video games are an experience and the dopamine is released by the brain as a function of that experience. Yes, the experience is enjoyable and many people have a hard time saying no to that. Taking drugs, however,…

How can they be the same but have magnitudes of difference? Because both can be called 'addictions', even though drug addiction is 1 million orders of magnitude more difficult to deal with than video game addiction, they are still the same thing? That's insulting to people dealing with REAL addictions.

Dammit... I thought my ploy to click Boxy's youtube account links repeatedly got her banned from the internet. It's just this dumb hacker who does much less damage to us all than Boxy does. /sigh

Dopamine is one thing, but it's still not even comparable to drug addiction. No one is dependent upon dopamine and failing to release dopamine will never result in withdrawal. While dopamine is a chemical, I'll give you that, it's still not even remotely fair to say video game addiction is the same as drug addiction.

Right, I was thinking the same thing. I'd feel like I was swindled if my partner read into things that much. Clearly, though, there's more to it than what the article claims. As one who's been there, this has unhealthy relationship written all over it.

Honestly, if I went on a date with someone who chose to leave and go play a game or kept staring at their phone, I'd probably get up and leave them there. For one reason, if you can't get past your personal shit enough to show a minimal amount of respect, then what hope does the relationship have? Secondly, it might…

I think it's quite important in any relationship to know what your partner sees in you. Especially if you have self confidence issues, as it seems Tiffany [honestly] admits, else it can just eat away at you via doubt in yourself and the validity of your partners devotion.

Basically, badass math and statistics... with some geek magic thrown in there.

Yep, there will always be [often hidden] influencing variables and far too many to play the 'what would have happened' game. Like Drags and Frostback have said, that's why we show up. It doesn't matter what happened, however lucky or unlucky, it's who crosses the line first.

Yes, shame on anyone for not labeling their chart axes... that's chart 101!

Man, I fucking LOVE F1.

As someone who has [legitimately and legally] taken adderall for nearly 10 years, I can completely see how it would help these guys with their mental performance. Certainly, they would be more capable of memorizing plays and quicker to make snap judgement decisions.

Just last night, I got Black Dragon Kalameet to 2% before he one shot me. I could have cried. Yet, that's why I love Dark Souls.

Ding, ding, ding! Listen up, Laurenshaw, GenericScreenName has laid out the truth for ya. I'll summarize it another way... there is "addiction" and then there is "dependence". Often when people say 'addiction' they mean both, but it's not true - you can be addicted but not dependent, but never dependent without…

Ahh, that is the one meaning my name does not originate from. It's from my dual love of Johnny Cash and, at the time I created my io9 account, Lost.

Decent list, in my opinion. You got Shadow of the Colossus, which no true gamer can deny. Mass Effect 2, which is a personal favorite. Red Dead Redemption, which is one of the few recent games, which has incorporated the available technology and still yet remained true as a game, first and foremost. Batman, I…

Are you telling me... that Annalee Newitz is... an alien?

Dicks? Is it dicks? Or gold? Gold dicks?

Seriously. I HATE how it's tilted... why do that?

You mean because of the ears? Isn't that kind of a... you know... speciesist thing to say?