TNC chews over video game addiction:
I game today and will likely game to the day I die. But one thing I'm clear on is that gaming doesn't actually make me happy, instead it offers relief from the work I undertake in order to be happy. Television plays that role for most folks, and it may do the same for me again one day. But gaming has ruined me because it offers more control. In terms of pure happiness, there really isn't anything like working on a piece for months, or over a year, and then seeing you name on the cover of magazine. For me, it's just unmatched.
What a puss. A commenter (edited for grammar and clarity):
Aristotle made a similar point to TNC. When Aristotle talks about happiness, he says that one thing it is not is pleasure or amusement. While receiving pleasure or being amused is cool and is definitely better than not having it- -he argues that real happiness comes from working towards and achieving your larger goals in life. Perhaps this is not true for everyone--or perhaps defeating Baal on Diablo II is part of someone's greater goals in life--but I've always tended to find this analysis of happiness to be pretty spot on.