[sdiepend]

There are people that spend most of their available hours playing video games against other players to get the most kills, wins, ... but of course we call them esports athletes.

For some people it's a job that generates income for others it's an addiction that impairs proper functioning.

[cabaalis]

This seems to be the point of the issue.

What I heard on the radio was "do you lose your job, lose your wife/family, yet continue to play?"

So what about the case where playing the game IS your job (which is a growing field?) What about the case where your wife/family is playing it with you?

I'm not denying there might be some underlying destructive problem, but to my layman ears it sounds more like something someone is interested in that contradicts what another believes to be "properly functional."

[mrguyorama]

It should be: "do you lose your job, lose your wife/family, BECAUSE YOU continue to play?"

IE, instead of helping your wife do important things, you play a game. Instead of going to bed so you can wake up for work, you play another round, and as a result of not getting enough sleep, your performance suffers. Addiction is basically a mis-prioritization of resources due to abuse of brain chemistry. Worse, it is typically a feedback loop: "She left me, now I am sad, but the game activates my dopamine response, providing some semblance of happiness"