廃人

• Reading: はいじん
• Romaji: haijin
• Kanji breakdown: 廃 (waste/ruin) + 人 (person) → a ruined person, someone wrecked by addiction
• Pronunciation: /ha.i.dʑiɴ/

Meaning

An addict who plays games so obsessively they neglect sleep, work, and social life — a shell of their former self.

Originally a literary term meaning someone incapacitated by illness, 廃人 was adopted by the gaming community to describe extreme players who sacrifice everything for their hobby. While often used self-deprecatingly with a humorous tone, it can be genuinely critical when describing someone else. Most commonly associated with MMO and mobile game addiction.

Examples

1. あいつ完全に廃人になってるよ、毎日16時間もゲームしてる。 That guy's totally gone — he's been gaming 16 hours a day, every day.
2. ネトゲ廃人だった時期は本当に生活がやばかった。 When I was a full-blown MMO addict, my life was seriously falling apart.
3. 新作出たら廃人になる自信しかないわ。 When the new game drops, I have zero doubt I'm going full addict mode.

Usage Guide

Context: gaming communities, social media, internet forums

Tone: self-deprecating, humorous

Do Say

• 俺もう廃人だわ、3日まともに寝てない (I'm such an addict, I haven't slept properly in 3 days)
• このゲーム廃人向けすぎるコンテンツ多い (This game has way too much content geared toward hardcore addicts)

Don't Say

• 障害のある方に「廃人」は絶対に使わない (Never use 廃人 toward people with actual disabilities — extremely offensive)

Common Mistakes

• Using 廃人 literally to describe people with disabilities — in modern usage it is strictly gaming/internet slang
• Not realising it can sound genuinely insulting when directed at someone else rather than used self-deprecatingly

Origin & History

Originally a literary/medical term meaning a person rendered helpless by illness. Adopted by MMO gaming communities in the 2000s to describe players who play so excessively they lose normal function.

Cultural Context

Era: 2000s online gaming community adoption

Generation: Gamers (20s-40s)

Social background: Gaming community

Regional notes: Used nationwide in gaming communities. Common on 2ch/5ch, Twitter, and gaming forums.