...the game designers that get you to spend sixty years in front of an LCD screen would be freakin god-lord masters of the universe and if they let you play for free - oh man, what a deal!

When, in reality, they are concealed societal parasites redirecting human potential and energy into a huge loop while raking in the cash. Some would argue that those whose energy is redirected wouldn't contribute much to society anyway and in fact some rather cynical folks think of video games as a sort of mental masturbation, a self gratification fix that effectively can be used to pacify children, young adults and others who might pose social disturbances were they not so preoccupied.

Of course there's that one dead Korean in an internet cafe whose addiction should serve as some sort of warning. He is now the one's whose decisions were "dead wrong."

But addiction to anything usually creates a default side-effect: denial.

Game addiction, the repetitive self reward of blasting a creature to oblivion with a preset pattern required to win.

All these games are designed to challenge you just long enough. Every level is just a precursor to the next where just a bit more time is required and all the while the "level" process itself makes the player feel they are accomplishing something.

It's computer generated ego-reinforcement in a world where one's ego isn't often stroked. That is the unspoken appeal.

Everyone just is having "fun" and it's harmless.

What they don't take the time to figure out is that the "fun" consists primarily of a combination of faux killing and ego-stroking.

It's the same psychological manipulation performed by a comic book - only it sucks up much more time and more directly rewards the participant, with gratification.

Pay my comments no heed though, I don't want to completely spoil a great escape mechanism for millions of folks. It might start a crime wave.

;-)