If video games were narcotics, then I'd officially live in a crack house, and my roommates would be junkies. As a matter of fact, they're probably free-basing Need for Speed: Underground as we speak.

I only say this because lately I have noticed a dramatic increase in the amount of video game playing among my roommates and friends. Don't get me wrong, I love video games as much as the next person, but when it turns into a five-hour button-mashing marathon, something's got to give.

I believe there could be a couple of explanations for this newfound electronic addiction, and if you can take your hands off your joystick for a minute, I'll tell you what they are.

For starters, it could be that there are more hours in the day for playing games right now because the semester is still relatively young and coursework light. Or, it could be because people received games for Christmas and are still enamored with their new toys. Maybe it's the idea that staying inside to play Madden is a nice alternative to going out in the nose-numbing weather we've been having lately. Anyway, it's the video game developers who are really at fault for making their products so addictive. They weren't satisfied with their customers inviting friends over to play games; now they have expanded consoles to include online gaming, which makes it possible for addicts to get their interactive fix without even leaving the house.

I'll admit, I fall into this group. I think there is something magical about going online and kicking the crap out of friends and strangers alike. Just like Billy Bob Thornton said in Bad Santa, "I beat the shit out of some kids today, but it was for a purpose." That purpose being to make sure little Johnny in New York knows he's not the best Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 player. I am. I think.

But now this whole business of playing games online has taken an ugly twist. The primary suspect in this case: PartyPoker.com.

Sounds like an innocent enough site, right? Oh no, friends; just like Anna Nicole Smith, it only wants your money.

This Web site offers interactive games of poker that truly are the heroin of the video game world. They give you the option of playing with points or for real money, and for some reason, it's a hell of a lot easier to win when you're playing for fun instead of for green.

Last week, I saw no fewer than four friends in the same house at the same time playing games of Hold 'Em poker in three separate rooms. Three played for free, and one played for money while listening to Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler" on repeat. Coincidentally, the one guy who did have money on the line was by far the most vocal of the bunch, letting out more than a few exuberant "Yeah baby, pocket Queens!" But in the end, the dealer was the one with the money in his pocket. Hmmm, sounds not so different from a street pharmacist to me.

Video games really are a great invention, though. They make the impossible possible and are as entertaining as movies. The point is, if you're not careful, the games that were once used as a break from your hectic social life can become your social life. As a matter of fact, it's been a while since I played one. I think I'll go get my fix.