When playing video games in a reasonable way, this is usually not a problem. Benefits for mental and physical health have even been noted by some studies. However, it can also happen that some players adopt problematic behavior and spend too much time on their favorite title, to the detriment of their personal and professional life.
Games for which it is very difficult to stop
In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) concluded that video gaming disorder is a disease. This pathology also came into force at the beginning of the year. A new study conducted by the Private Rehab Clinic, Delamere, in the United Kingdom tried to determine which games were the most addictive for gamers.
For this, the scientists selected around fifty games on Metacritic, then ranked those that mentioned the word “addictive” the most in the reviews. This method can of course be criticized and this term is not necessarily viewed negatively by all players.
Anyway, the authors were able to establish a top 20 that we list here in order: Rocket League, Littlewood, Demigod, Stardew Valley, League of Legends, Frostpunk, Path of Exile, My Time At Portia, Fortnite, PlanetSide 2, Tom Clancy Rainbow Six: Siege, Dota 2, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Fallout 3, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Call of Duty Black Ops III, Smite, The Sims 4, Rust.
Quoted by our colleagues from the site 25entertainment.ie, Martin Preston, founder and general manager of the clinic, explains the reasons that can make these titles addictive:
One of the most addictive features of games is that many of them don’t have a predefined ending, which is most common in MMORPG games. This means that the player doesn’t get to a point where they have “completed” each challenge or task, which brings the game to a natural end and allows them to move on. Instead, they’re presented with ongoing challenges and tasks to overcome that keep them coming back again and again.
As in any practice, it is therefore important to know how to set limits not to be exceeded. Do not hesitate either to speak to a specialist when you feel that you cannot get out of a certain dependence.
— – –