Hello, my name is Rus, and I'm a video-game addict. BOOYAH!

Luckily, I'm a functioning addict, and my cravings feed into my bank account in the form of regular paychecks. But don't think that just because I do this for a living that my days are filled with free games and drool-worthy exclusives. Family obligations -- and reality -- restrict my gaming...somewhat against my will.

Should I be worried here?

That's nothing compared to when the in-laws show up and stay for a few days in the room where the games live. Unfortunately, they're foodies, not gamers. I clearly recall one day spent feasting on crudo, artisan cheeses, delicious wines, and gourmet pizza throughout the Bay Area, something I'd normally enjoy. Instead, my brain occupied itself by actively scheming ways to fire up my 360 and fry subhuman vermin, house guests or no house guests.

"Holy crap," I thought in a brief moment of clarity, "I'm jonesing for a fix."

Yes, my withdrawal symptoms were pretty damn mild. Giving up sugar cold turkey for a few South Beach dieting days actually hurt more physically. It's also true that I get very focused, but c'mon...most games zap you for losing concentration. I'm engaged, not high. And minus a sterling multiplayer, when I finish a game, I'm usually done with it.

So do I really have a problem? I felt some pretty heavy compulsions on that whirlwind food tour, and they followed me right into my dreams. Back in the '80s, I couldn't stop playing Pac-Man for the Atari 2600, and I hated that game. Part of me rationalized it as a matter of practicality; this was the Pac-Man I had, so this was the Pac-Man I played. But that didn't cover the obvious question: why play it at all?  

Betrayer of the trust!

Mainly, we play because it's fun. Today's games are so engrossing that they even alter the definition of "fun." You might never straighten up the house, but you'll direct your Sim to do it regularly so your stats don't slip. You'll spend hours catching virtual fish, fetching random items, or pumping iron (via button mashing) before committing to one real push-up in your living room. 

Those things aren't drudgery in a game. They're accomplishments, and doing them imparts a sense of accomplishment.  Who doesn't like that?

Some people like it too much. Lately, the news is lousy with stories about a Florida woman who accidently killed her baby for interrupting Farmville time, or a Korean couple who coddled a virtual child while their real daughter starved. Similar stories filter out of South Korea every few years since 2002, when a man named Kim became the first known death by MMORPG after gaming for 86 hours straight. To him and others like him, gaming represented escape. They could've walked away at any point, but didn't. They chose to die rather than stop playing.

I've wandered through a few PC bangs (Korean for "room") in Seoul, and they are hot, eerily quiet, windowless worlds. The faces are all blank. No one talks. I couldn't even say if anyone enjoyed themselves.

This is not behavior I wish to emulate.

Their feeding tubes haven't been installed yet.

The truth is, anything taken to extremes forces a bad result. Tune into the Olympics, and you'll soon gather that half the athletes in competition are returning from recent, often career-threatening injuries. They're not all klutzes, y'know. Training at that level for years on end breaks things, period.

Make all the civil rights arguments you want, but I'm in rare agreement with the Chinese government for imposing limits on its 100+ million online minors...and in a clever way, too. After three hours, MMO players find their stats chopped in half. After five, they're flattened. Sound unfair? Think about Kim's 86-hour binge, and tell me how long you'd let a kid play World of Warcraft before enough's enough.

Addictions go out of control when there's no moderation. Personally, I know where my limits are, and I have the discipline to say "I'm done, it's time for something else." Most people do. Those that don't -- whether it's games, drugs, alcohol, television, gambling, whatever -- need help.

So by all means, game your guts out.  Enjoy the many pleasures gaming brings, and then get your ass outside for a little detox. Breathe fresh air, do real things. Believe me, that's worth your time, too.