Do you think playing video games a lot is comparable to excessive sugar consumption or sedentarism in terms of harm?

Yes. Video games fulfill the need to succeed by fighting for good, building useful things, accomplishing objectives, building relationships, etc without actually doing those things, and wasting a great deal of your time (4+ hours per day recommended by this study!) doing so. The same way sugary crap tastes delicious but just wastes calories that could otherwise go to nutritious food.

We're all giving our lives up to something. Do you really want to give your life away to hollow fake accomplishment?

Most hobbies are fake accomplishments, some things are just about joy. It's always about moderation

Isn't everything a fake accomplishment? If I like baking cakes does it mean I accomplished something by doing so? And conversely if I'm a runner does it mean it's fake because I'll never beat the world record?

When you say that, the example that pops into my mind is Stardew Valley. It's very satisfying as an escape because it provides periodic rewards while abstracting away nearly all potential sources of frustration. I'd be a little concerned about spending too much time immersed in that in a way that wouldn't bother me so much about other hobbies.

Yes, back when I played WoW excessively I almost lost my job. Losing your job is pretty high in terms of things that bring you harm, both mental and physical harm.

Yes, it's an artificial dopamine release like any other.

> "people who play video games for extended periods of time report being happier."

My experience is the opposite. Little gaming makes me happy; more than a couple hours of gaming nauseates me.