Please Press Start

No one intends to get addicted. At least that's what they say. The manufacturer says that it is an unintended consequence over which they have no control. They encourage prospective gamers to “play the game responsibly”. They even include the phone number for an addiction resource group with every game they sell. It has done little to stem the epidemic.

Since its release, there have been over two hundred deaths reported. Many more are suspected. Each case is similar. The victim’s skin has a sickly pallor. Most die of starvation, so engrossed in the game that they forget to eat. They are found clutching their controllers, hands hardened into claws due to rigor mortis. Medics report that they have to break fingers to remove the device.

I know all of this. I understand the arguments against playing and I rehash them all as I sit holding the game in my hands. Still, I open the case and insert the disc. The screen goes blank and then three words appear on the screen:

Please Press Start.