How many hours of video games is too much?

So lately I’ve been on a video gaming binge. I play before class, after class, when I’m supposed to be doing homework, etc. Once I get hooked on a good game I will play it for literally HOURS. During Kingdom Hearts I played it for probably 8-10 hours at a time. During L.A. Noire and Resident Evil 5 I played for 15-17 hours at a time. Yeah, that is pretty overboard. And is it healthy? Of course not! But I get stuck on those binges and I can’t quit. Surprisingly I’m not failing school. I still have a good balance of school, personal life, and video games. But it still isn’t a good excuse to play video games for hours on end. So how many hours are too many?

A 2008 study shows that the average child 8-12 years of age plays 13 hours of video games a per week. Teens 13-18 years old play 14 hours per week. Another study shows that the average gamer plays 18 hours per week. I am playing almost that much in a DAY. An article in the Huffington Post says that an hour a day is the key to success. To me that is crazy to think of because I can’t get much done in a video game in an hour. But it is true that a person should only play that long.