In the example above, somebody might sit down and play, while at the same time they’re boiling some water. So long as nothing in the game demands their entire consciousness, they’ll probably be able to remember to check up on their cooking.

The opposite is true. If you’re boiling water inside of a game, or if you’re selling a 3000g BOE purple, or if you’re planning a new talent spec, or if you’re waiting for some crazy mob to spawn, that can just as easily command a portion of your consciousness while you go about your everyday life. And some of those goals are crazy. That alone would be enough to command a lot of attention, who doesn’t want to slay a dragon or fifty? There’s more to it, though. Besides the chemicals in addiction, you don’t have to do much physically in a game. It’s kind of like experience lite. Heft a ton of ore? Click click. Construct a space freighter. Click type type click. Slay an ancient beast. Click click type click type type click.

The way that our brain perceives images, text, and game experience. The chemicals that our body releases at different intervals. The way that this begins to affect our bodies in the long term - it’s all tied together.

Everything affects the brain permanently, although that affect varies. Every body is different, and gamers have all negotiated various games differently. The affect can be large, small, or anything in between.

You’ll like the chapter =P

But what do we call it when people cannot lose that focus from the game and it affects their real world? Can the the focus of the game as you described meld into their real world, even when not in front of the computer? I believe it can and does affect the brain permanently.