Every few nights, if we’re not exhausted from pandemic life and simultaneous working and parenting, my husband and I play The Witcher together. Yes, the old version. It honestly brings us joy right now.
Most of us enjoy playing games, but a few of us will take it too far or even develop a gaming addiction. So onlinecasino.com decided to make a model of what a hard-core gamer might look like in the year 2040. I don’t know why—as a visual cautionary tale? Can we just make it to 2040?
The model is based on research from organizations like the NHS, National Geographic, and the World Health Organization. But also, I just want to say this is not how evolution works.
The model’s name is Michael, and he has a lot of problems from playing video games. Let’s check them out.
Michael will have an indent in his skill from the pressure of headphones. He will also have dark circles under his eyes (who doesn’t), hair ears from a lack of air circulation, a hunched back, eczema, rounded shoulders, “Playstation thumb,” “Nintendo arthritis,” varicose veins, and swollen ankles. They basically made this dude look like he lives in the darkest recesses of a cave.
Honestly, I feel like this is all really weird coming from a Casino website. The goal of a casino is to trap you in their windowless lair and pump you full of oxygen and booze so you can sit for hours at a table or a slot machine and essentially give them all of your money—not to tell you about the dangers of gaming too much.
But gaming addiction is real, and just like any other addiction, it’s harmful to you and your loved ones. According to the World Health Organization, “gaming disorder” is distinguished by “impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.”
So, while you’re probably not going to wind up looking like Michael, you might alienate your family, lose focus on daily activities, and start lashing out at anyone who wants to interrupt your gaming. Gaming is supposed to be fun, not run your life. And if it’s keeping you sane right now, play on.