“Lost in Angry Birds Space” writes to advice columnist Captain Awkward to find out what she should do about a husband and father who won’t stop gaming and won’t listen to his family’s pleas to spend time with them.
Dealing with a person who games too much can be tough. Some experts call it addiction, but others dispute the idea that gaming too much can be officially classified as an addiction.
Regardless of whether game addiction is a legitimate diagnosis, there is a problem when family life is affected by the amount of time a person is spending in front of the computer or console. Missing dinner? Becoming irritable when away from gaming for too long? Refusing to talk about the problem? It doesn’t matter whether you call it an addiction or not, these behaviors need to be addressed. More importantly, the root of these behaviors needs to be addressed: in this case, it sounds like the writer’s husband may be suffering from depression and using gaming as a coping mechanism.
Captain Awkward has some interesting advice, including the possibility of “Lost in Angry Birds Space” attending an Al-Anon meeting. Her husband is not an alcoholic, but because he is exhibiting addictive behavior and she is suffering for it, she might find the anonymity and camaraderie of AA meetings helpful.
If you’re in the same boat as Angry Birds (or you’re concerned about how much time you spend gaming), be sure to check out the comments—Captain Awkward’s readers often pose interesting and helpful suggestions, as well as offering their own experiences for comparison.
(Source: Captain Awkward)
