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I used to be a pack-a-day smoker and I couldn't go very long without a cigarette. Whenever I had a spare moment, I would light up and if I didn't, the craving would soon be gnawing at me and sometimes, I would even wake up in the middle of the night and head outside for one. I hated the idea of being a smoker. Unfortunately, I liked smoking.

What I noticed though was that I could go long periods of time without a cigarette or evening thinking of having one, as long as I was doing one thing - *gaming.* At least for me, the reward center was more addicted to sitting in front of the screen, than smoking - *one of the most addictive habits there is. 

I suspect that in many ways, gaming isn't much healthier, though you might not have to worry cancer quite as much. However, I do think that the impacts it might have on our lives could be more profound, especially if the addiction to gaming replaces the will to pick up other skills that are important to us, as well as replaces activities that increase our wellbeing. I know lots of happy gamers - I don't know many who are truly happy that game *a lot.*

![IMG_20210827_171637.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/23xA1ffvx3E3DLVsRBr8KyMJ1r8cMtypURavS2NFST4369nSrfC7X6ciogGoGsMxp5yaT.jpg)

I have an ongoing discussion with a friend of mine about the effects of gaming and he seems to think that I am all negative on it, which I am not. However, I err on the side of caution in this regard, as it is one of those insidious pastimes that can increasingly eat up our time, offering diminishing returns. I am doubly cautious with gaming for children, as the long-term effects on them as individuals and society in general is still to be seen, but again, I expect a lot of negative consequences on their lives.

Games are *obviously* gamified, but just like social media, the level of gamification has increased rapidly and has become far more professional, as behavioral psychologists are employed to assist in creating attention grab and stickiness in ways that weren't there before. The entire design of games these days are centered around increasing time spent playing, but they do not of course care that all games, media and other experiences are doing the same, meaning that the amount of attention being drawn by entertainment with little real return is growing, while the things that are known to improve our experience, like social activity and skilled work are decreasing. 

My friend and I were speaking of this yesterday and he was wondering how and why he has changed, going from being able to play for long periods of time when younger, to a couple hours being enough. While increased responsibility might account for some of this (such as being a parent), I don't think it is the major reason. 

What I think is that as we age, our hierarchy of what we find rewarding changes, meaning that in order to get the dopamine hit for pleasure, we find different ways to find the same kinds of feelings, get the same kind of return. 

I asked a question about his feelings of reward in regards to for example, pulling off some difficult move (he places some racing games) on the track and how long the feeling last. As he is also into crypto, I then asked, what about if you buy a token and then it goes up 20%? Which feeling lasts longer and which is more memorable - lastly, which does he prefer feeling?

I think the last one is important, because it is true that while we age we generally gain some responsibilities, but it is also true that the reward they bring us is generally greater and has more impact on our lives, as well as the feeling can be tied to us more personally. Not only this, there is also a greater sense of loss associated with not getting that reward, with some disappointments sticking with us for life. For example, I am glad I was there for my daughter's first steps, but it pains me that due to Covid restrictions, even after a year, I still haven't been able to watch her in her dance class. Missing these things carry a loss. 

Life is a game. 

I was saying to my friend how all things are gamified in some way, if we are going to get down to the nuts and bolts of it and trading is one of the "purest" forms of the game, preying on our attention by demanding skin in the game to even get started. Skin in the game is what makes those first baby steps so important - skin in the game is what makes us spend so much of our time around our investments of various kinds too. 

Even in respect to when I was gaming at my peak, I spend more time on crypto related stuff in a week and, it consumes far more of my attention and thought, because unlike a game, I tend to think about it, even when I am not on it. Turn the game off and my attention is free to do other things - crypto is 24/7 - *literally.*

But, it is a different kind of addiction because the stakes are far higher and the wins and losses have a more direct impact on our daily experience. Most games and the way we play them, don't have that much potential to improve our lives, yet can have a high chance of degrading our lives if we spend too much time doing it. Investing however still has the potential to be negative if we let it consume us, but the upside potential for improvement is always present and very likely. Yes, there is still the potential for loss, but that is why spending time understanding and dealing with risk is also dictated.

Dopamine activates us and we want the hit, no matter how it comes. However, what we do to get it has a massive influence on our outcomes in life. As we age, we are still addicted to the desire for dopamine, but perhaps as we mature, we find different ways to get the high. Gaming is a very easy way to get that feedback, but might not be enough to sustain us as adults, unless there is additional rewards brought into the mix. 

Just have a look at Hive and Splinterlands as an example. Kids might be happy scoring points and climbing leaderboards, Splinterlands players need more - they need monetary value on top and they can get it. They will forego "game quality" (blockchain games face challenges in various ways) for the more life affecting rewards. Same on Hive, where on other platforms people are happy getting hearts and thumbs, on Hive they can forego some polish, but get a far more rewarding experience.

What is interesting to note here is, I mention the "quality" of the games or platforms, but for most people, the *quality of experience* playing these games and being on Hive is higher than elsewhere, precisely because of the gamification mechanisms through tokenization in play. The community acts differently, people interact differently, players take things more seriously and near everyone has the sense that what they are doing each day, has the chance to improve their lives. 

Most gamers don't play a game to improve their wellbeing, they play it to pass the time. Working toward a better life provides purpose and the sense that one is on a path with purpose, brings a steady stream of dopamine to the table. Everything we do is for the rewards - that is why we have reward systems built into our human code.

We can play a game to improve our lives, or play a game to avoid life. The game I play is working toward a better world.

*At least that is what the addict tells me.* 


Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]

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