Compulsive gamers not "addicts"

I'm a compulsive drug user, not an 'addict'

Sounds silly right? That's because defining words is useless, what is actually happening is the most important factor (unless you're trying to get insurance to cover it and/or a hand out)

It's an interesting article, but the implication that if you don't also take drugs then you're not an "addict" seems weak. And surely the emphasis on parental intervention would hold for kids addicted to anything, not just gaming.

I wonder what "addiction" means if not simply a habit that you'd like to stop? By this definition I'm as addicted to (say) coffee or sugar as I've ever been to anything. A big part of whether or not people call something "addiction" seems to have to do with the social acceptability of the habit.

I think the argument is that the level of addiction reflected by 4 hours of WoW a day isn't equivalent to being a heroin junkie, or playing 16 hours a day to the detriment of everything around you. 4 hours a day is only really going to kill your social life, and maybe make your grades suffer, but it's not like you are quitting your job / dropping out of school to play.