The other day I was playing my new obsession Spelunky and, of course, died while trying to complete the dreaded ice caves. It was late and I really needed to go to bed. Instead of turning off the game -- or even thinking about turning off the game -- I immediately hit "Quick Restart" and started playing again.
This seemingly simple moment was almost revelatory for me. What amazed me most about this instant was not that I restarted the game, but that I don't even remember doing it. I have no sense memory of even pushing the button to restart the level. The time between dying and retrying -- while over in the blink of an eye -- was a complete blur.
My body was so addicted to the game that my brain didn't even consider stopping. I was, and still am, physically addicted to Spelunky.
I think I might have a problem.
I adore videogames, so it is easy for me to say I am addicted to them. But when I usually say this, I don't think I ever really mean "addicted" in the clinical sense of the word. I just mean I love playing certain games and think about them a lot when I am not playing them.
The Legend of Zelda, Super Metroid, Uncharted 2, Portal, Final Fantasy VI, Contra III. I love all of these games, but I don't think my body has even been physically addicted to them. I have been able to stop playing when I was ready to stop playing. I never hit a save point in Final Fantasy VI after planning to quit and then just kept going in fear that I would get the shakes if I stopped.
But there have been certain games over the years that have put me in some kind of hypnotic trance, taking control of my body and truly making it almost impossible to stop playing.
In addition to Spelunky, this has happened with older titles like Tetris Attack and Uniracers, to more recent games such as Pinball FX2 and Shatter. (My God, I love Shatter.)
These games are not just fun, they are physical addictions. When I start, I have a lot of trouble stopping. Physical trouble. The common "Just one more game!" turns into a legitimately scary "You must play just one more game!" (In my head, this is also in a super intimidating robot voice.)
Nothing bad has come of this (yet?) -- all these addictions are mostly harmless -- but I would be lying if I told you there haven't been some pretty crazy moments. Moments when I can almost hear my mind saying to my body: "Um, shit is getting serious. You really have to stop playing after this next round. I am not kidding."
But these moments usually result in me not stopping after the next round. These moments result in me staying up all night and eventually having to slowly put down the controller as the newly risen sun starts to creep through my window -- the only sound a whispered "Dag!" as I slowly tiptoe away as if trying to hide my shame from some invisible person judging me from across the room.
I am not a doctor, but all of this sounds like an honest-to-God addiction. Which, honestly, I am okay with. It's only a handful of games, and I have a fun time playing them. Where's the harm in that? ... says the heroin addict.
Now it's your turn. What is the most addictive videogame you have ever played? Is there a specific game (or games) that you can't physically put down?
Is there a specific game (or games) that you can't physically ... oh man, I already typed that. Sorry.
I was thinking about Spelunky.
Contest:
4:00 PM on 08.02.2012 | 
Luckily I'm now able to control it and can play a reasonable amount of time. God knows what will happen October 9th when the reboot comes out.
Anyway, I'm off to play some X-COM.
But Mirror's Edge is pretty awesome.
Goddamn "Efficient leveling" Lost so much sleep trying to make the most perfect character possible.
I used to get full on baked when I was like 16 and do nothing but play taxi missions with KJAH playing for hours and hours at a time.
"You wanna fight? Go buy yourself a gun. You want knowledge? Get yourself a Scientisssst."
Cannot wait for that shit to hit the PSN.
Once I got the Master System version, with the extra levels and gear...holy shit, you couldn't tear me away from that stuff.
I distinctly remember sitting getting back to my dorm from class around 4:30pm with some Burger King for dinner. The next thing I remember is being absolutely baffled as to why my alarm clock was going off. It was 10:00am the next day and time for class.
The best part is my roommate had stayed up the entire time watching me play as well.
KOTOR must be another game that I played a lot
How much do I love it? A simple example:
� I have 2 other Steam friends who own it and play co-op with me.
� When I finish a lengthy(4+ hours) co-op session with one friend, I begin another with the other friend.
� When the 2nd lengthy session ends, I play a 3rd lengthy session, in singleplayer.
I think I have a problem. I haven't played ANY game that much since, like, ever. OR, it could just be that the game is THAT DAMNED ADDICTIVE/GOOD.
TL;DR: Buy Orcs Must Die! 2!
Kirby Air Ride, more specifically City Trail mode with friends.
Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, Chao Garden. That is all.
All iterations of Smash Bros with friends.
All iterations of Animal Crossing.
All iterations of Mario Party with siblings, Except for 8...*cringes*
I've grown up and learned to play games in moderation so even though there are some games I play more frequently than others, it's not addiction-level frequent. That's why all of my most played games are from past generations.
It's essentially interactive music videos of some of my favorite J-Pop Vocaloid songs. That and the various different costumes adds replay value.
I was obsessed with this game after I beat it. I spent my middle school years reading the old Odyssey of Hyrule page every day, reading rumors and secrets and glitches, playing the game with Gameshark codes doing all kinds of crazy shit. Remember all those silly rumors about how the Triforce was an obtainable item in the game? Yeah, I ate up all of that. I know the game like the back of my hand because I made that my mission.
2nd place probably goes to THPS2.
I remeber waiting for my girlfriend to fall asleep and trying to sneak out without her noticing to go and log some more hours to that game.
Getting Grand Marshall status was a freaking obsession.
Then I took a break from gaming and got addicted to:
Fallout: New Vegas, SMT series, MW2 and Blops, Spelunky (original), Action Fist, UFO, Tekken 5, SF4, BoI and Unepic. Sorry to any I left out.
Super Meat Boy (XBLA) and Spelunky (XBLA) currently come in a close second and third.
Years ago it was definitely Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (GBA). Put over 300 hours into that before getting burnt out.
I just beat challenge 10, "The Purist" by the skin of my teeth. I haven't felt this proud of my gaming skillzz since I got Golden God in Super Meat Boy.
Anyone who knows what all that means knows it's damn impressive.
Recent addictions: Fallout 3, Saint's Row 2, Torchlight.
Almost every day after school I'd come home and spend a few hours beating Super Mario World. Pretty much the exact same way each time, too. :D