RE/pinboard

Gamasutra: Erin Hoffman's Blog - Life, Addictive Game Mechanics, And The Truth Hiding In Bejeweled

Addiction is not about what you DO, but what you DON'T DO because of the replacement of the addictive behavior. The reason why what defines addiction for one person may not define addiction for another person, even given quantified equal stretches of time action or consumption, is because addiction is not about the action, but about the individual person. This is why merely resisting addiction of any kind is not enough. This is why -- although some activities are more broadly compelling than others -- virtually any activity can become an addiction. What addictive behavior does is reveal underlying anxiety (and often depression, which itself is nebulous) and lack of desire to perform the things we're "supposed to" be doing.