possum

I was kind of hoping I would find this subject here.

I totally totally totally agree that online games can be a complete relationship killer. They follow very well-established patterns for inducing psychological addiction (frequent rewards for repetitive actions with occasional big rewards for sustained repetition). They consume HUGE amounts of time and they involve development of external 'family-like' relationships (as in 'guilds') with responsibilities and schedules all their own.

It is extremely easy to slide down the slippery slope of online game addiction these days. I've been there. I have three teenagers that have been right there with me, too. Addictions kill our relationships by supplanting our loved-one's places in our lives. When the game interferes with your interactions with your wife, your kid, or even your dog, it's done some serious damage.

The best thing I did for my family was to pack up the computer and stop playing entirely. It was hard - it REALLY is an addiction. I can monitor my kids and control their game time (kids seem to have an attention span that actually buffers them from this particular form of addiction I think) but I have to admit that I seem to be unable to play online games (MMORPGs to be exact) and maintain healthy relationships.