I cleared Civilization IV off of my computer last week so I could get some sleep. Like so many others before me, I had spent one night too many playing the classic turn-based strategy game longer than I had intended. Its system of constant interlocking tiny rewards kept a steady stream of dopamine flowing as I fiddled with medieval technology or tried to swing Catherine the Great to my side—and then suddenly the sun was shining and the birds were singing and I had to face a new day with nothing more than a triple shot between me and unconsciousness.

So yes, Mr. Viral Marketing Website, I do have a problem. The cycle starts again on 9/21.

The Stranger Testing Department is Rob Lightner and Paul Hughes.