As I curiously walked into my brother’s room to hear why he’s screaming “Look to your left!” and “Damn, I missed the checkpoint”, I noticed his tense body leaning forward and his eyes staring straight at the big screen. His hands are white, the controller cracking under his tense fingers, and his face twitches every time the enemy takes a shot. These are the sights that one should see on the streets of Baghdad, Aleppo or Gaza. His fear, stress and anxiety mirror that of a combat war zone where the slightest second of hesitation could be the difference between life and death. But we were not in some dusty, desert street, there was no terrorists up ahead clad in explosives and the world wasn’t going to end if he failed to press the big, red button which stopped a bomb from detonating. It was hard to believe that my brother, who spent so much time worrying about which girls (if any) liked him, suddenly had the military prowess to defeat an indefatigable terror group.

He was so focused on the virtual mission in front of him that he didn’t realize I was standing in his room. He didn’t realize the fact that he had skipped breakfast that morning and had missed our Mom calling him down for lunch. If he remained glued to the television, not eating, sleeping or exercising then the once handsome young man I affectionately refer to as ‘my baby brother’ will evolve (or devolve) into a near gelatinous, 23 year old, blob. It was only by slapping him lightly on the back of the head, thus breaking the connection between the video game and brother’s cerebral cortex, was I able to convince him that saving the world could wait and instead it was time to enjoy some of Mom’s delicious chicken schnitzel. Truly torn between the real world and the virtual he eventually conceded that every soldier needed sustenance.

Welcome to the world of Xbox 360. A world in which the small can become big, the weak can become strong and the feeble can become mighty. There are games for every person no matter your chosen genre. You can save the world in a military shooter, slam balls with the LA Kings, dance like no one is watching and play karaoke without fear of mockery. There would even be a barn building simulator if the Amish decided to give up their pious lifestyle for modern conveniences. This was the world that my brother had got caught up in.

According to the Entertainment Software Association Statistics of 2014, 58% of Americans play video games. In 2013 consumers spent a total of 6.1 billion dollars on this type of entertainment.

Xbox is one of the top selling console game systems in history and has a widely diverse consumer base. Several different age groups, genders, and ethnicities play Xbox 360. Yet despite the fact that the average age for gamers is 30 we often still consider gaming to be ‘childish’. We rate games as if they were geared towards children, berate the players for ‘still living in their mother’s basements’ and chastise gaming as if it were a waste of time and money. However every generation has their ‘games’ and whilst Pong may not be as graphically intensive or character driven as Call of Duty it was still a seminal part of my parent’s lives.  As a child I too would spent countless hours playing video games. My fingers would get sore from pressing into the controller too hard. I would receive from my parents the same health warnings and lectures that I was giving my brother and, like my brother, I would shrug it off and prefer to spend time navigating the pixel perfected landscapes of Liberty City or the dungeons of a fictitious castle. . My taste in games was, in a word, eclectic.; Grand Theft Auto Vice City, SSX Tricky and Crash Bandicoot were routinely played in my house and when I had completed one game and found myself staring at a blank screen I would simply pop in another and be transported to a new world with more quests, missions and people who truly needed my help.. Over the years this routine died down and I now no longer have an interest in playing video games. However, my two older brothers who are very mature, intelligent, and driven to grow are still able to play until their eyes get sore or their hunger overwhelms them.

So what is the appeal and the addictive factor of video games? Are most games addictive or is it primarily just a small bunch?