Why Are Games Compared To Drugs? [Column]

After recently enduring a tidal wave of vomit insight (I say this with caution) from Steve Pope, a man who claims that two hours of gaming is equivalent to doing one line of cocaine with regards to the high you get from it, I started to seriously think why on earth gaming is continuously compared to drugs and made an enemy out of in this way. Yes I know, you get the media who blow things out of proportion and then you get all the anti-gaming dudes who agree with negativity associated with gaming, but I’m trying to think of it logically, because as gamers we’re all going to laugh at the stupidity of this comparison, but I want to try to understand why this comparison could possibly be made – if there is any truth that can be linked to it beyond the garbage we hear floating around the industry.

Now, Pope man over there isn’t the only one to attack games in this way. There is an endless list of these people who try to associate everything wrong with the world with gaming. From violence to addiction to murder. But let’s not get into that right now, because the violence in video games argument is pointless. In this area, people tend to somehow overlook individual insanity and instead prefer to focus on the game said whacko was playing at the time. An example would be that whole Counter Strike debacle where some psycho spent six months tracking down some dude who knifed him online, only to stab the guy once locating him. Clearly that’s the game’s fault.

Possible Reasons

Back to the topic at hand. Are games compared to drugs because gaming can be an addiction? I seriously would laugh if this is the primary reason, because anything can be an addiction if it’s not managed correctly, and if grown adults are drawing this conclusion about gaming because it can be addictive then sadly all I can do is shake my head. Or is it perhaps because they’ve seen games like World of Warcraft and have witnessed the individuals who lose track of life itself while playing? Well, I’d say if you take the exceptions and the odd whacko here and there you could maybe put together a valid argument, but on the other end of the scale, most of the time, taking a handful of people to describe an entire group only results in you trying to prove a point rather than presenting actual clear cut truth.

Perhaps it is maybe because gaming as a hobby can be a huge distraction? Taking your mind off important things like homework, studies, eating, going out and paying attention to your partner? Sadly, I can’t see value in this either, because a damn interesting TV show like LOST could do the same for me, personally. Heck, if I’m concentrating hard enough on my studies I’ll lose track of time and all that which goes with it. And we all know what a buzz kill studying is. So I think, all things considered, it’s safe to rule this one out as well.

Maybe concerned mothers are phoning in saying that gaming alters a person’s mood. Well, that’s true. I mean, some games can frustrate the hell out of me, to the point that I’m screaming profanities at my TV or wanting to punch something. Or gaming can make me incredibly hyped up and excited – and quite happy if I’m playing something like FIFA with my friends. But really, this argument isn’t that great either because just about anything alters your mood. Personally, studying makes me bored and annoyed, KFC makes me happy, being hungry makes me irritable and gaming, depending on the game, can make me bored, happy, excited, thrilled, frustrated and so on and so boringly on.

In the end though, I could go on with possible reasons, but the main point I want to make today, over above all, is this:

The Point: My Conclusion

You simply can’t compare drugs to video games because the single unchangeable fact is that drugs are harmful to anyone and everyone who takes them, but games are not harmful to anyone, and everyone, who plays them.

Even if someone is still right as rain despite drug use or something like smoking, these substances are still harmful to your body in so many ways and have a string of negative effects that go with them. Whereas if you play two hours of games, by contrast, chances are to the average person all you’ve done positively is just make your brain explode from awesomeness and from generating too much fun, while the negatives would be your eyes might be tired, you might be feeling lazy or, well, you just lost two hours of your time. Well spent or not – that would be up to you now wouldn’t it?

From this I’m left wondering when do these people (anti-gaming peeps) ever actually consider the individual person when it comes to gaming being ‘harmful’. They’re certainly not harmful to me and just about everyone I know. In fact, I haven’t met one person whose gaming negatively impacts his/her life.

But if some guy plays Batman for an hour and then jumps off a skyscraper wearing a cape and tights, you’ve got to then maybe, possibly, take a look at the man himself and the extent to which he’s most definitely brain damaged.

Name: Azhar Lorgat
Location: Cape Town
Position: Potato

Azhar has published 3571 posts. Read all of Azhar's posts.

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