Really not sure how to answer to this, I mean, I get your point, I used to play videogames for ~4 hours each day and I keep playing but I'm so busy currently I can't really tell you how much by week. I don't really "miss it".

I really think there are many variables on this that's difficult to point an specific culprit, and of course shitty mechanics of any kind that manipulate you to use them more so they gain more money are one important, but isn't the definitive in my opinion. And I understand that "enjoying things with people" = happiness, but is not always the case, when you are an introverted person or you daily interact with a lot of people, this become so natural that you don't really care.

Let me put an example; Instagram, the "social" app by excellence. I personally know a lot of people who daily uses Instagram, they usually upload photos of themselves, they look fine, you ask them and they are alright, but what is really Instagram doing to them? A lot of damage, the exactly same or even worse than any videogame can do to you, because they scroll there comparing themselves with others, and how perfect their perfect life's are. Same example with Shitter, or Tiktok.

So, I don't really think gaming is the specific culprit, I think there are a lot of them, and we can't really do much to that people because they are the ones who are damaging themselves, they hate themselves when they look that random on Instagram with their dream house, and they keep scrolling, and keep doing it for hours. The same with games, the kind of gamer who screams and shout when loose a online game, is the one exactly that know in the beginning that it's probably that this would happen, same with drugs, and all that stuff.

I fucking hate social media, but I think they serve a purpose at some point to the people who know how to use it, like the communities that help people or animals in need.

I don't want to blame the victims, and I don't, I fucking hate social media (not Lemmy), but I think this isn't the same case like people with depression because bad things happen to them daily (example bullying or harassment) but people that actively know they are damaging themselves with fake excuses ("I won't leave Instagram because all my friends are there"), and they can do better, but they don't leave that loop, even though they can whatever they can.