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ALBANY, GA -- Online gaming is becoming a popular activity for both men and women. According to one gaming association, 20 million gamers have spent nearly 17 billion hours on Xbox Live.

One gamer FOX 31 spoke with says he’s been participating in online gaming for about three years; Kyle Pride says the competition and talking with people worldwide draws him to it. While he enjoys occasionally talking with people online while playing games, Pride says some use it as their sole way to socialize.

"Some people are kind of shy and whatever, they don't like just going to the mall and just talking with people so they go online, and that's a way for them to talk to people. Some people take it too far but, hey, everyone has their own personality," says Pride, who says he mainly plays military games online.

According to a study by Divorce Online, it’s addicting enough to even end marriages. Their study reports men paying more attention to their video games than their spouse was the cause of 15 percent of divorces in 2011, up ten percent from 2010.

Experts say to avoid becoming addicted to online games, take breaks, manage how much you play and find another activity you enjoy doing just as much.

According to a gaming association, Halo 3 was the most popular Xbox online game and World of Warcraft for was the most popular for PC in 2010.