Video games, just like anything, need to be moderated. If you are not careful, anything can take over your life and slowly detract from it. I have gone through periods where games were all I wanted to do and realized, sometimes too late, that my quality of life suffered quite a bit.
Now, I make a decent amount of money (not a living) from writing about games on sites like Steemit, my own sites, and sites for others. I also run a PR firm where I work with many clients, a few are gaming related in some way but for the most part they are government contractors and such.
When I hear people on Facebook joke about being addicted to a game I just shake my head because they don't know what true addiction is. I know I have an addictive personality so I don't frequent casinos or the like. Unfortunately, not many people realize their shortcomings till it is too late, if ever.
Hmm... maybe you can go after the health effects of gaming as a topic. The only game I have ever really played was Pokemon Red. My son got it for Christmas from someone before he could read. He wanted to win. I helped and played and played and played. I think it was 200 hours but we won. He did not care for the walking around and only wanted to battle. So there's me - doing nothing else between Christmas and New Year's. Afterwards, I was all "Now what?" He's still a pokemon guy but not the Go version, thankfully. I'm pretty sure he's done all the rest and various other games.
I work with chronic illnesses and I know 100's if not 1000's of people in fb groups addicted and physically dependent on Rx opiates right now. Yes, that is another level for sure. But I'm pretty sure some of the gamers are actually suffering and not taking breaks etc. It may not be addiction, but it's still not healthy.
Good for you to be one of the people getting some money out of this :)
Were you a gamer back in the early 1990's? If so, do you remember NEC, later to be named TTI (after Hudson and NEC merged in the U.S.A.)? They had the character from Adventure Island, Master Higgins I believe, giving public service announcements in ads that ran in Electronic Gaming Monthly and the like. He would tell gamers to take breaks every hour, get up and stretch their legs, don't play for more than a certain number of hours per day, etc.
I may have to take you up on that idea of covering the health effects of gaming. It could be a rather interesting topic to research.
I don't remember that , but it's an awesome idea. I'm one of the lucky people who lost "half my size" and I do exactly that type of thing since I am on the computer all day working and writing.