One addictive aspect of gaming that the author doesn't mention is how immersive and perhaps addicting a good gaming scene can be. There are people that live and breathe competitive sports, with most people following a few teams, and it strikes me that videogames have way more addictive potential. First of all, the barriers to entry don't include winning a genetic lottery and/or having high level coaching from a young age, so there's a democratized element. More importantly, with e-sports, you can watch insanely high level play (often with engaging/entertaining personalities) 24/7 for free on your phone, without any of the annoying content protection and walls of most sports. I suspect I would have given up on Street Fighter a while ago without the burgeoning streaming scene keeping me hooked and Reddit offering a lively venue for discussion/learning.

So in a sense, it's not "just a game" like grinding away at an RPG or whatever in the 90's in my parent's basement was - at times it can feel just as social as experiences I've had in music scenes.