Run around. Battle. Attack, attack, attack, run around, battle, run, battle, run, battle, repeat, repeat, repeat. Repetition is the obvious way to describe much of my own early days of playing through the Pokémon and Final Fantasy series. I poured hours of my life into each franchise, from Pokémon Red to Final Fantasy 10. For the most part, I remember enjoying myself, but when I look back at the hours I spent grinding away in battles, I can’t help but ponder over the question, “Was I addicted?”
Addiction. The word is classically synonymous with alcohol, smoking, gambling, and hard drugs. Today, however, we’re beginning to see blatant hints of other addictions right under our noses. In fact, some forms of entertainment openly and proudly proclaim themselves as such, with many mainstream TV box sets being advertised as something to ‘binge on’. Gaming is no different, and while praising immersion seems understandable, many advertisements and reviewers heap praise on a title for having ‘addictive’ gameplay, and we’re unlikely to even bat an eyelid at the word. Of course, this nonchalance could just be because they’re clearly using the word in a broader sense and not as the malevolent term associated with substance abuse, but it does leave some food for thought.
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