Why are video games so addicting?

I love playing video games. I mostly play sports games such as Madden and NBA2k. Most of my other friends enjoy playing first person shooter games such as Call of Duty and Halo. Video games take up so much of my time and I always feel guilty after I finish playing them. This causes me to wonder, why are video games so addicting? 

Video game designers are always trying to make video games more appealing in order to get gamers to spend more time playing them. According to the article "What Makes a Video Game Addictive" on http://www.video-game-addiction.org, there are several hooks that video game designers use to make games more addictive. These several hooks are:

The High Score

Having a "high score" in a game can keep a gamer hooked on the game as they attempt to beat it. Some games that have a "high score" are Pacman and Flappy Bird

Beating the Game

This hook is found in almost every game. Gamers are constantly always trying to "beat" the game which causes them to stay hooked onto the game until they do so.

Role-Playing

Role-playing games allow gamers to create their own characters and embark on unique journeys. This causes gamers to be emotionally attached to these characters making it harder to stop playing.

Discovery

This hook that video game makers use are usually involved in role-playing games. In games such as Runescape or World of Warcraft, gamers embark on a journey and discover new lands and worlds. The excitement of discovering these lands and worlds is extremely appealing to gamers.

Relationships

This hook that video game makers use is usually found in online games. The relationships that users make in these games causes users to come back to playing these games in an attempt to further build on these relationships.

Although video games can cause gamers to play for countless hours on end and lose touch from reality, they are not all bad. Some video games such as Wiifit are designed to help lose weight and get exercise. Video games can also teach important lessons that can be applied to reality as well.