Are Video Games the Cigarette of the Modern Man?

In this day and age - Cigarettes and tobacco are getting less and less popular it seems.  CVS doesn't even sell tobacco products any longer!  There are anti-tobacco ads on TV and in the theater and all that is a good sign that people are waking up to the dangers of smoking and it is growing less and less popular to do.  However, video games seem to be rising in popularity as the average age of the American male playing video games seems to go up every year.  The games that are rated 17+ seem to attest that older and older players (or at least people interested in older rated material) are spending time and money on this hobby and it is becoming known to be quite addictive.  While there may be no physical addiction created like cigarettes there still is a psychological addiction as teenagers, 20-somethings, 30+ men and women are spending countless hours trying to beat levels and gain achievements at their new favorite past time.   So this brings me to my question :

Are Video Games the Cigarette of the Modern Man?

If so,  is this something we should be conerned about?  How bad is it that young men are spending time and money trying to level up their player rather than smoking and killing themselves physically little by little?  Well that is a complex question that has many parts to the answer.

Physically Speaking : Video Games are a better habit than Cigarettes

As far as I know no one has died of cancer from playing video games too long.  Sure you may not have much of a social life and your time in front of the console may be a bit over the healthy limit, However, as far as shortening your life - there is a clear win for video games as long as you supplement with regular exercise and a healthy diet.   Video games can be a healthy way to relieve some stress and can cause you to persevere under intense hand/eye coordination until you achieve the prize or win the game.

Mentally Speaking : Hard to Say

Cigarettes did no favors to your mental development,  but unless you are playing educational video

games it is a stretch to say that they help you grow and develop mentally.  In fact having a smoke and socializing with others on the back porch may in the long run prove to be more healthy mentally (at least socially) than grunting in triumph with a friend as you punch endless buttons and beat his character in the competition.   I'm sure there are healthy social video game avenues where people actually socialize while enjoying the video games - but I'm unaware of them in my limited video gaming at this stage in my life.  I enjoy playing games but I'm concerned what they are doing for the modern man.  

The Danger of Video Game Addiction

The danger of this new addiction in the modern man's life is that it could keep them from befriending members of the opposite sex,  could keep them from finding a trade/career and begin to suffocate them socially from others.  Pretty soon they have to beat the game rather than finish their school project, work longer hours at work,  or take time off to catch up with family and friends.  This is all related to how many hours the guy is putting in on the game - but many men today are consumed with video games to the extent that they stall in their career, and never seem to innovate and find other productive uses for their time.  When addictions are absent in a man or woman's life it allows them to focus on who they are - and what they hope to become.  Cigarettes didn't really eat into a man's time as much as video games have the potential to do.  Therein lies the danger of video games.  They have the potential to so invade the free time of the modern man that they cease to become all that God has called them to be.  Video games can be a fun diversion but they can also become so all-consuming that higher priorities are left untouched in a person's life.

In Defense of Video Games

I'm not against playing video games.  I have a few of them myself and I think in moderation they can be a great way to relieve some stress.  I just write this article because I think they are becoming too expensive and time consuming in our modern American culture.  Spending 40+ hours a week of your free time trying to beat the next big boss may be gratifying,  but when it is all said and done - what do we really have to show for it?  A new XBox achievement?  A Playstation trophy?  These are fun prizes, but I hope our culture realizes there is so much more to life than that.  For one, getting to know God and enjoying the people He has placed in our life can be far more rewarding than any XBox achievement ever could be.  Video games are great - as long as they are occasional.  Turning off the console and talking to those around you can be so much more amazing if you try it.