Why are Video Games So Addicting?

After playing a video game for nearly three hours just now, I had to ask myself the question, Why are Video Games so addicting?

This, of course, was not the first time I've played a video game, and not the first time I have played for three hours.  Indeed, my longest streak must run close to 12 or so hours non-stop.  It's scary and sad how addicting these games can be for me.  And I do not have an addictive personality.  I rarely get addicted to anything, but for some reason, video games get me.  I can sit there for hours playing the most inane of video games and the time will just fly me by.  And it's not like I have all the time in the world either.  There are plenty of other things that I could be, should be doing.  But perhaps that's the reason I'm not doing them, because I should be doing them; whereas no one ever says you should be playing video games. 

In any case, I thought I would come up with a list of reasons why video games are so addictive.  Here they are:

1.  They're challenging.  They give you a thrill and an obstacle to overcome.  I like that challenge.  And then, each level you overcome, the next one becomes harder and harder and harder.  There is no time to grow complacent.  Just when you think you are getting good, the levels get more and more difficult, forcing you to try harder and harder, and to concentrate all your mental skills and energy into defeating that level.  But once you overcome that level?  Especially one that is particularly trying and difficult and took you countless attempts?  Ah, what joy!  You hardly get such a high in life.  In life, the challenges don't come so steadily, but in spurts.  And in the spaces between, there are lulls that can bore you.  Not so in games.  Games are constantly entertaining, constantly keeping you on your toes, keeping you alert. 

2. They reward you with points.  What is it about imaginary numbers that grow that make you want to keep playing, keep growing the numbers bigger and bigger?  We all know those numbers don't exist and don't represent anything, but when we're playing, the numbers matter for some reason.  We want them to go higher and higher, even though as soon as we reach the highest point possible, we let it go, and forget.  At least I do.  It's positive reinforcement at it's strongest, I suppose.  In life, you don't get rewarded for everything you do, at least not so substantially and immediately.  If you eat fruit and vegetables every day for a week, you don't get any points that tell you you're doing something good for your body.  You get a healthier body for sure, but you don't get to see the effects of it until some time down the road, and even then, it's not always such a direct correlation as a points system allows a game to be. 

3.  They concentrate on one area.  Ok, so the game I was playing for three hours today was Cake Mania 2.  It allows you to have your own bakery, where you serve cakes that you bake and decorate to customers.  And each time you make enough money, you can shop for items to update your shop.  The shopping aspect is what does it for me.  There is such a direct correlation with making money and being able to buy better and better appliances.  For some reason, this makes me really happy.  In real life, the correlation is much looser.  There are bills and taxes to pay too.  You don't get to keep all your money to spend on baking supplies.  That's because, in life, there are so many other things to consider.  In a game however, you get to escape to a world that is just focused on one thing: your bakery.  You make money for it and you buy stuff for it.  That's it.  It is simple and focused, and that is a very nice place to escape to.

4.  They let you live vicariously through their characters.  They're sort of like reading a story, I suppose.  You get to be someone else -- a baker, a soldier, a princess.  They give you experiences you wouldn't get to have in your normal day-to-day life, especially if you just want to test out these experiences, and not really live them out.  And you get to do things, like run a bakery, be in a gun battle, race a car, without the real-life consequences of doing them.  In real life, you can go bankrupt, get injured, or die.  In a game, you get to live the experience without getting hurt by it.  And you get to do what you crave to do, and channel that desire of yours, which can only make you so very happy.

5.  They make you feel good about yourself.  For some reason, a silly little game -- any silly little game -- can make you feel good about yourself, once you've beaten it.  It feels like some sort of accomplishment, that you overcame something that you weren't sure you could, and proved yourself.  It's a nice feeling of satisfaction whenever you win and overcome.  In life, we don't always get such outright chances to win and feel that thrill and satisfaction of success.  But in a game, we can get that thrill, we can get that high.  And it's really nice to have. 

So now that I've written this list, I understand why I and so many other people will play a game for hours and hours on end.  It's an instant sense of reward, an instant sense of gratification that comes through overcoming challenging obstacles.  To put it simply, it just makes you feel really happy with yourself.