Almost everyone i know watches youtube and many people play video games from time to time. And even though many people i see could profit from less screen time very few would drop their responsibilities and game so excessively that it turns their life upside down. But still, there is something in games and the internet that makes us want to use it more and more. A personal collection of what got me hooked:
- Sense of achievement
Its fun to master a difficult skill, get to the next level and be able to beat other players. Even if that achievement is useless in real life, noone applauds me for doing the dishes every day, yet i never forgot to log in for my daily rewards. - Cognitive stimulation
Its just fun to solve complex problems, i feel smart when i find the solution. And in games the chance of solving the problem was at one point much higher than in real life where i cant control the people around me. - Random rewards
I realised to me i keep scrolling and watching to find the next good video, not because i like everything i see. I dont know when it will come but with each short i swipe away i think im coming closer to the next good one. Much like gambling acctually. - Escapism
In the gaming world there are never any unsolvable problems. I never had to sit through days that were going so bad that i didnt know what to do. The possibilities were finite, i didnt need to deal with my responsibilities, with dull tasks, with people i hurt or disappointed, with my own emotions.