I think we need to keep in mind that the comparison between video games and "spiritual opium" was not made by a neutral source or a scientist but by the state run media of the PRC which advances the agenda of the government of the PRC. Considering that the PRC is currently trying to both increase birthrates and prevent their entertainment companies from getting too powerful, the reason for the attention to video games in this context seems to be based on that rather than an actual concern for the health of anybody.

It really annoys me when boomer generation males like Donald Trump put the blame on video games for all the world problems.

Last I checked, video games did not cause World War 1 or 2, Crusades, Spanish Inquisition, Cold War or any other millions of wars fought by humans before the invention of video games.

No video games are not the modern opium.

Before Trump it was others, bible thumping christians saying heavy metal was bad, that D&D was of the devil, that Mortal Kombat would encourage violence death and destruction, and of this and that blah blah.

Video games are their own problem in a way. I've heard before people buying hundreds of dollars in games, when they should have been paying rent; Ignoring newborn babies instead to play games, and of course with gambling involved there's the addiction in lootbox/gambling mechanics.

Could games start wars? i doubt it. Though game can start crime waves if everyone is buying games and not paying for anything, and then there's no money so they start stealing because they were stupid with time/money management, sure there's that.

But video games are a very different and new addiction type. If there's a choice between addicted to an MMO and pouring money into lootboxes or drinking or doing heavy drugs, i wouldn't say any of them are better than the other except the MMO one you're high on dopamine and not an external substance. Beyond that you don't get anything out of it in the end. If the games are ones you can sell later or own and actually show off that's a little bit better.

Many people will always want an escape because stress problems or terrible circumstances. That won't change.

Not just communists, Nietzsche said that Europe had two great drugs: alcohol and Christianity. And he was right as always of course.

And I think we all agree here that between alcohol, Christianity and video games, Christianity is best - since it's the one which brings salvation and eternal life.

It's not Christianity that brings salvation, it's Jesus. Christianity does all in its power so you wouldn't get (to) the salvation.

In that regard Christianity is nothing special. Just like Buddhism tries to turn it's followers into good and obedient buddhists instead of them becoming the enlightened Buddha. The same way Christianity tries to turn it's followers into good and obedient chritians instead of them becoming the saved Christ. Like in islame if you try to become more similar with the Mohammed they want to stone you to death or chop off your head.

The goal of every religion and cult is to turn it's followers into slaves. Wether it's christianity, (anti)fascism or (femi)nazism, it's all the same. While they promise you enlightenment and salvation, that's not what they are actually selling you.

I'm sure in gaming too often we have witnessed end product that didn't live up to it's pre-release media hype. Now you might say that it's not exactly the best analogy and you are right. Religion is like a game that tries to turn the main protagonist, you the player, into an npc. Maybe that illustrates it bit better what's going on. So don't be fooled by it. You only live once...

Interestingly, books at the very least have been blamed for being addictive and harmful in the past. When romantic novels first became widespread, there was a huge panic because many women spent excessive amounts of time reading them, which in turn caused concern about them abandoning / neglecting their children.

When authors first started writing novels with a first-person narrative, there was also a widespread panic about this type of writing leading to readers being unable to differentiate between reality and fiction and subsequently turning into violent criminals and vigilantes.

Napoleon Bonaparte also said that every person who reads the Marquis De Sade's novel "Justine", which he considers "the most abominable book ever engendered by the most depraved imagination", will inevitably be permanently corrupted beyond any chance of recovery.

Yes, that's important to consider as well. If people started to see the pattern of these dubious claims popping up only when other agendas are involved, it would lessen the fuss.

There is no neutral sources or scientists.
You are going into to serious analysis into something which was just some friendly trolling from my part.

But if you are interested into my deeper opinion, gaming is indeed a drug, but in both meanings of that word. It can be escapist opiate used to escape from pain or suffering of everyday life; or it can be a cure or spice to invigorate your life. It is usage that defines it, not its nature.

Wouldn't opium (in the sense of "the opium of the people") be the opposite of that, something to prevent the masses from engaging in political conflicts and challenging someone's authority, make sure they are not causing any problems? In that regard I'm quite surprised the specific authorities in the article would be critical of the idea instead of embracing it. ;P

I might not have heard this before, that's interesting and hilarious if true. Can you provide sources where one could read more about it?

wauw..... a bit of true information ..... you must be off ....

It does like validate how much nonsense is sprouted here and there, more there then here of course.....

I would like to add that books have been a reason to go to war, call it fanatics or addiction, both conditions seem to hold some kind of shared root.
The whole addicts don't go to war comment is also a bit biased. Neglect can go a long way. Think of how many stories are out there telling us of mini wars fought in many homes across the world.
And i don't even want to get started about those so called motor gangs that are terrorizing some american city atm, like what's happening there and? are addicts to blame?

Going by the old statement "Religion is opium for the people", video games can certainly be seen as another form of "opium".

Religion, video games, sports, and opium, all these things (and probably some more) fulfill the same purpose:
they distract and make their users dull to the really important issues in live.

We could also call them a modern equivalent of "bread and circuses".

"keep 'em entertained, and they won't revolt."

It was a narrative during the height of what is known as the "novel-reading panic" in England during the 1700's. Since i've learned about it in school, i cannot recall a specific source, but my guess is that there is plenty of material on the subject in books about literature history if you look the term "novel-reading panic" up.

From that perspective maybe Chinese government should want its citizen to play more games and not less. Or it could be the end of CCP.

The Chinese government has chosen to use what it has always used in its country's millennia old past: outright repression.
There's really no need to offer "bread and circuses", if you have the will and the means to use outright repression instead.