It all started with arcades, the hip place to hang out at back in the day. Then along came the first home video game system Atari. So simple, so innocent, but now things have taken a turn in the world of video games, a turn for the worst.
Let me start by stating my whole-hearted opinions on the matter then I will go into more detail on why I think this way. I have seen people pull away from friendships, from active happy lives, and begin the slow decline of zero self-hygiene, which equals no showers, ignoring friends, and insane amounts of high calorie foods which, in turn, turn into fat.
I am not saying that this happens to every single person who plays video games. For example, I know a woman who is 65 years old, and her favorite pastime is sitting down after a long day of cleaning and eating healthy and playing Game Cube. She does it simply for the short-lived joy that one receives from "finishing a level" or "getting her new high score."
For her, it is an innocent adorable hobby. For others, it is simply an addiction that invades everyday lives and limits any potential for meeting new people or holding a steady or healthy relationship or, for goodness sake, taking a step outside.
One of my biggest pet peeves with the video game world these days is those Facebook games. Farmville has become a problem for me. For those who don't know the necessity for this type of game, this is it.
Apparently there was an outrageous demand for fake farms. People seem to be over their real lives and want to work and concentrate more on harvesting their crops and spending money in a fake farm instead of spending time with friends, or taking care of their kids. Yes, I know numerous people whose ages range from nine to 50 that are more than committed and obsessed with these types of games. I say, come on, grow up all of you, farmvillians.
"WOW", known to us normal people as "World of Warcraft,"  is another issue with me. This is a large craze to a certain group of people. Some people like to go to Renaissance fairs and dress up medieval.
I support that; go outside, be around people you love. But when you pay money, a large amount of money that is, to sit in front of a screen and waste away your time in a made up world, that seems a little more than sketchy to me.
So people feel obliged to get their money's worth. This, in turn, creates an addiction. When parents let their children get away with not coming downstairs for days on end and becoming friends with 10 year olds, it is not only creepy, but it's mentally straining and will definitely set them back once they jump out of that negative routine and enter the real world of communicating face to face with people, and creating real, true friendships.
This way of living is something I have never found attractive, but if you find yourself living this life, and you look at yourself in the mirror and say, "I'm a happy guy or girl," then good for you, but don't say I never told you so. If you're saying the opposite, then I say to you, the first step is admitting you have a problem.