For some, its alcoholism. For others, an undeniable need for drugs. For myself, and probably tons of others on this site, gaming is the vice of choice. By definition, addiction is a "compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal."

I've been playing video games since I was 4. That's 17 years of gaming. From the beginning there was something about the flashing lights and colors on the screen that enthralled me, and could keep me glued to the television for hours straight. Whenever I was at my grandparents' house, I was sitting in front of an Intellivision or an Atari, stealing untold riches in Lock N' Chase, or wasting enemy tanks in Battlezone. This was followed up with my aquisition of a Sega Genesis, and then a PlayStation, PS2, the original Xbox, and finally my Xbox 360. This is without mentioning my years of PC gaming, or the numerous handheld systems owned. Over the past 17 yearsl I've probably put more time into gaming than school, which is sad and upsetting, but nontheless a fact. I know when I have periods where I am unable to game, I feel anxious and think of almost nothing but gaming, I even get a little twitchy from what I at the time jokingly referred to as "Game Withdrawal," but now I see it may be more than a joke, that it is probably a true addiction.

Although it may not be a life changing or damaging as drugs or alcohol, gaming can be an addiction, and with more and more people getting into gaming each year, this could come to be a more widespread problem. I love gaming and I know I'll likely be addicted to it for the rest of my life, and following along with each new generation of game, but I also feel it won't be too long before we see "Gamers Anonymous" groups popping up, at least around the US. I'm sure I'm not the only one here on GameSpot who feels this way.