Let's face it, real life can be a bit drab from time to time. When the going gets tough, the temptation to jump from the bleakness of the real world into the fantasy planet of video games becomes that ever more tempting. There's also the added benefit of being able to play your favorite games alongside your friends now!
But some video games seem to pull you away from the fun of playing alongside your friends, sucking you into a vortex of addiction that will leave you glued to your chair instead of heading out with your friends. This list addresses the top ten most addictive video games and why they cause you to lose your social life. Warn your friends before they buy any of these - they may not see you again for a very long time.
10. 'Angry Birds'
Release Date: December 11, 2009
Titles: Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons, Angry Birds Space, Angry Birds Go!, Angry Birds Epic, Angry Birds Friends, Angry Birds POP!, Angry Birds Fight!, Angry Birds 2, Angry Birds VR, Angry Birds Ace Fighter, Angry Birds Blast!, Angry Birds Evolution
Developer: Rovio Entertainment
Platforms: iOS, Android, Playstation, XBox, PC plus Nintendo
Angry Birds was a revolutionary game for a number of reasons. It was (and still is) one of the most successful mobile games ever created and even had a movie created based on it. But most people will remember it for it's addictive nature. People would spend hours trying to beat those pesky pigs and all around you would be the sound of birds flying out of a giant slingshot.
Your morning commute would consist of people glued to their phones trying to knock down those ever elusive towers, with their blood pressure levels rising by the minute. But, despite the frustration, they would always return to the game. It was a case of them versus the game, and more than usually the game won.
9. 'Counter Strike'
Release Date: November 8, 2000
Titles: Counter Strike: Condition Zero, Counter-Strike: Source, Counter Strike: Global Offensive
Developer: Valve Corporation
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 3, Xbox, Xbox 360
The PC master race argument was strong when Counter Strike was released. Players flocked in their millions to compete against each other over the internet. based off a beloved Half Life mod, the combat was fast, furious, and ultra-competitive.
The game was coming off the back of one of the most successful first person shooters of all time, so the hype was already at an elevated level even before its release. The team death-match madness enthralled players and kept them glued to their screens for days on end. The quick matches and great gameplay left its users wanting to play game after game for hours on end.
A whole list of mods were added as well, just in case you needed another reason to play it even more. Many different iterations of the game have been released over time, the most recent Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which is still being played to this day. How's that for addicting?
8. 'Tetris'
Release Date: June 6, 1984
Developers: Sega, Philips, Ubisoft
Platforms: Arcade, Atari, Gameboy, iOS, Android, Nintendo, Playstation, XBox
Tetris is still to this day the highest selling video game of all time. Its success and addictiveness stems from its simplicity. Guide the colored blocks into the free and open spaces. Simple enough right? Wrong. This game was so much more challenging than it seemed.
What made it challenging and replay-able was how the game was never the same no matter how many times you played it. Blocks would change shape and color and so would your tactics. You were forever on your toes and unaware of what will be falling towards you next. It was addictive because you felt the constant need to beat your previous score, or to best your friends and gloat away to them. It has withstood the test of time and is still widely played to this day. It is still as feverishly addictive and the drive is still there to get that top score.
7. 'League Of Legends'
Release Date: October 27, 2009
Developer: Riot Games
Platforms: PC, Mac
League Of Legends is one of those rare titles that started as a whisper and grew into a roar. The popularity of the game has skyrocketed since its release and it has now grown into becoming one of the most widely played games in the world. Why? Its tactical based team gameplay is highly addictive.
Search anywhere on the internet and we can guarantee you will find somebody streaming this game from somewhere in the world. The popularity and ferver over the game has swelled so much that there are now tournaments of the game being held in huge arenas (see above) between rival teams competing for millions of dollars.
It is one of the only games that has ever reached this level of pure fan faire. The online competition to be the best player or team keeps intensifying, meaning the amount of hours its players put in will only keep increasing.
6. 'Sid Meier's Civilization'
Release Date: September, 1991
Developers: MPS Labs
Titles: Civilization II, Civilization III, Civilization IV, Civilization V, Civilization VI
Platforms: DOS, Windows, Amiga, Macintosh, Atari ST, Sega Saturn, Super NES, PlayStation, N-Gage, OSX
The point and click nature of Sid Meier's Civilization is simple enough, but once you have penetrated the surface of the game and delve into the mechanics, it opens up a whole new can of worms and leads to some very addictive gameplay.
The whole game was turn based, which is where the addiction lied. You wouldn't be able to know what your enemies did until you clicked to play the next turn. Once you clicked, you'd have to decide what you wanted to do in retaliation to your enemies movements, then you'd have to click again to see how they react. You can see where this is going.
No game was ever the same, and every turn brought a new surprise so you just felt the urge to click away always rose. Before you knew it, 5:00 AM dawned and you realised you had work in a couple of hours.
5. 'DOTA 2'
Release Date: July 9, 2013
Developer: Valve Corporation
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
No two games of DOTA 2 are the same... ever. DOTA is difficult to master, but that is where the fun and addiction lies. With each game being unique, it becomes even more difficult to master the game.
But this is not one of those challenges that leaves you raging at your keyboard; it's actually rather enjoyable. Every game becomes a learning curve and encourages you to try again (and again) to hone your skills. Your objectives and controls are simple. You take charge of one hero and you have the opportunity to farm, buy items, gank, push and destroy bases, simple enough really.
DOTA's community is ever growing and the game is expanding at a rapid pace. This, partnered with the endless urge to build your hero up and master the skills of DOTA make the game incredibly addictive.
4. 'The Sims'
Release Date: February 4, 2000
Titles: The Sims, The Sims 2, The Sims 3, The Sims 4
Developer: Maxis (200006, 2012), The Sims Studio (2006)
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, Playstation, Nintendo, Xbox
The Sims has been a solid part of gaming libraries for over a decade now. The life simulator has always been an addictive title and with each expansion and new edition, the compulsive playability only increases.
It's always fun to play out someone else's life and not your own. You can do any wacky activity and get away with it. Your sim could host a string of lovers and manage a business whilst at the same time be abducted by aliens whilst stargazing and become impregnated.
The ultimate goal was to keep your sim happy and progress through its life, but who did that? The fun lay in the crazy situations you could create for your characters. With each new sim, the situations became more and more bizarre. There is a reason why so many people own The Sims and it will always be a very popular and insanely addictive video game.
3. 'Minecraft'
Release Date: October 7, 2011
Developers: Mojang, 4J Studios
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Raspberry Pi, Universal Windows Platform, Wii U, Apple TV
Minecraft has to be considered one of the greatest video game success stories of all time. It was created on a startlingly low budget but has grown into one of the highest grossing games of all time. It's even grown beyond the computer game world, appearing on television skits, having a whole library of books created around it, and a series of toys made.
It's a very simple game in essence. You farm core materials and create buildings. There seems to be no end to your creative allowance. The universe expands across miles of open terrain which is just begging to be built on. Once you begin playing you can literally do anything. The addiction lies with creating bigger and better buildings than anyone else. People have farmed years of play into creating the best cities out there and you can see why. The results are simply spectacular and show that the dedication is key. Bye bye social life, hello Minecraft.
2. 'Football Manager'
Release Date: November 5, 2004
Developer: Sports Interactive
Platforms: PC, Mac Linux
Here is the dark horse of the addiction list. Football Manager has long been a title that has sucked the life out of many European football fans for years, but with the ever-growing popularity of football / soccer in the United States and China, the game has grown once again in popularity.
More and more people are being drawn to the world of football management and are discovering just how much time this game can suck out of you. It has the same addictive nature that Sid Meier's Civilization possesses, "One more turn wont hurt," then before you know it you have been up all night trying to perfect your team and win the league.
Would this matter? Not at all.
1. 'World Of Warcraft'
Release Date: November 23, 2004
Titles: The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Litch King, Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria, Warlords of Draenor, Legion
Developers: Blizzard Entertainment
Platforms: PC, Mac
How could we not include World Of Warcraft on this list. This game has gone down in history as one of the most addictive games ever created. It's number of users has grown beyond belief and its lure has been ever expanding. Even South Park made a episode mocking its addictiveness, although it slightly poked fun at its hardcore player base.
World Of Warcraft's gameplay is simple enough. You start at level one and complete quests to move your way up through the level system. This aspect alone is incredibly addictive, you always feel the need to advance to the next level before stopping. One more quest won't hurt right? Well one quest becomes two, two become three and so on...
The sheer amount of people who still play the game show just how loved the game has become. Everybody knows someone who has played World Of Warcraft at some point in their lives, and you can see why!
Are there any games you believe to be even more addictive than these? Let us know in the comments!