I'm not a gamer, but I lived with one as a roommate for fourteen years. Dear Lord, if they're all as worthless and disconnected as he was, the entire group could be thrown away with and no useful part of society would be lost. This knuclehead whined on September 11th that his cartoons had been pre-empted by the news coverage. He was 26 at the time.
I was working at the time the planes crashed. I remember being angry because I needed fuel to continue working and every idiot in the world was "OMG we have to get gas! The world is ending!" and every filling station had massive lines. Really Im not sure what these people think they are going to achieve by having a full tank in the case of a world melt down anyway.
Perhaps Im simply more detached then some but I had no more emotional reaction to 911 then with any other catastrophe. Sure it was in America but hundreds of thousands of people in the world die each year to horrific situations brought on by others. Yes it is a shame and I wish no one had to experience these events but why I should be expected to feel more for a human because they reside in the same county as I had over anyone else leaves me baffled. Some Americans became very emotional for these people who they had no attachment to other then being citizens of the same country. I do not understand them.
Back on topic - Video gaming is just like most other activity, moderation is the key. People over indulge in gaming sure but these same people would probably find something else to bury themselves into if video games were not available. Would drinking beer and watching a football game with your pals be any more productive?