Is Video Game Addiction for Real?
Posted on 26 August 2008 by cory
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Is video game addiction real? It depends on who you ask. Psychologists and sociologists are debating this question as we speak.
For many men, gaming is a pass time, a hobby. It’s a diverting way to spend a few hours, calm down, and have some fun, either alone or with friends. For some people, it’s a major part of their life. For others however, the amount of time spent gaming becomes a major issue.
Sometimes There Is A Bigger Problem
For other men, however, video games are a serious problem. There are three reported cases of men dying because they played video games for three days or more without sleeping, eating, or drinking. It should be pointed out that all of these deaths were gamers addicted not to XBOX or other consoles, but to Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games (MMORPG’s) like World of Warcraft or Everquest.
There was a medical conference on the issue in 2007. Video game addiction has not yet become an official diagnosis like alcohol or pornography addiction, but it has not been ruled out either.
How to Tell If You or Your Spouse Is Addicted
If you have four or five of the following problems, you might need to seek professional help with your gaming habits (the bold words are clinical terms for addiction behavior):
- Persistent thoughts of the activity or performance of the activity. (Preoccupation)
- Need for increased time spent on the activity to achieve satisfaction or diminished reward for the same amount of time spent on the activity. (Tolerance)
- Inability to control, stop or diminish the behavior. (Loss of control)
- Restlessness or irritability when prevented from partaking in the activity. (Withdrawal)
- Lying to friends or family about extent of involvement with activity. (Continuance despite adverse consequences)
- Committing illegal acts to sustain activity. (Continuance despite adverse consequences)
- Relying on others to finance activity. (Continuance despite adverse consequences)
What to Do About It
There is just one official treatment center for video game addiction in the USA, and a facility has been opened in Amsterdam. China has one too.
Most scientists agree that video games do not physically cause addiction like drugs or alcohol. Games are instead the means of avoiding some sort of other problem. My recommendation is that if you feel that you are having a problem with gaming then talk to someone about it. Talk to your spouse, a friend, your mother, or a therapist. Find out what it is that you are trying to avoid. Face your problem.
Remember, for most people, video gaming is simply a serious hobby like boating, stamp collecting, or others. If your gaming is causing a problem with your life however, then you need to face up to and do something.
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Tags | addiction, nintendo, playstation, video game, Video Games, wii, xbox, xbox 360
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August 26th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Using the arguments listed above, anything can qualify as an “addiction”. Yes, addiction is very real, however addiction just that – addiction. The object of addiction isn’t to blame, the person addicted is the one responsible for the addiction.
I could be addicted to my car. I think about it doing it all time, I always think about how I can improve things like my gas mileage.. to the point where I have spend days, even entire weekends, working on fixing something or improving something with my car, stopping only to eat. Etc., Etc., Etc. But that isn’t my car’s fault, that’s my fault. There are plenty of other people out there who are perfectly capable to using their car (or even improving their car) without becoming addicted. *I* am the reason for my addiction.
I don’t use argue ad absurdum to mock or ridicule anyone (especially those who are addicted to their cars), so please don’t take it that way. I only want to reiterate the point that anything can be seen as an addiction if you look at it a certain way. Drugs, nose picking, pornography, video games, driving, sex, and shopping can all have their limits in which a hobby becomes an addiction.
Roman playwright Terrence said “Moderation in all things”.
I think that as long as one does not allow gaming to take over his or her life, then it really isn’t much of a problem. However, I also think that this applies to anything. My philosophy is so long as you are not hurting anyone else, and you are, honestly, able to stop the behavior without any adverse effects, then what is the problem?
Why is it that if a guy spend an hour or two shooting a few cops or raiding a village to two on a video game, they’re “unwinding”, but if they spend a few hours watching some porn, they “have a problem”? At what point did sex become a bigger offense than murder?
Why is smoking a joint to unwind illegal, but having a few beers is socially acceptable enough to be found at a 3-year-old’s birthday party?
I digress and I apologize.
Ultimately, I think a substance or behavior is not addicting; A person is addicted to a substance/behavior. Some people can handle it, others cant. You might be able to put down the controller and not think twice about it; I might not be able to. Addiction is not specific to video games or porn, it is specific to the individual. It is up to the individual to accept their limitations and try to improve on them.
August 26th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Video games are addictive like chocolate. I used to play them constantly. I’ve stopped since children. I missed them at first, but think I’m better for it now.
August 26th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Some people would say that blogging can be addicting….
August 26th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
I think anything can be addictive for somebody who has an addictive personality. I personally don’t like playing video games. I get bored. I guess I’m not part of the norm in that regard.
August 26th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Anything that can be used as fulling engaging escapist behavior can be addictive. I vote ‘yes’!
Dad of Divas, you stop that!
August 26th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
You’re all right…at least as far as psychologists are concerned. Russ you make excellent points, but if all addictions were the same, there wouldn’t be a different 12 step program for so many different addictions.
There are, however, certain similarities among all addictions. It will be interesting to see how things turn out as psychologists conduct further research.
And, seriously, Korea has a video game problem.
August 29th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
My wife got me a PS3 as a gift and I’ve found just how addictive it can be. Between the graphics and online play, it makes you want to always see what’s coming next.
Like everything in life, as long as its in moderation you’ll be okay. While I bet I could play for hours on end, I usually just play for 45 minutes or so after our daughter is down and my wife is checking email, etc.
Aside from games being addictive, Dad’s need to be careful what their kids see in the games. Call of Duty 4 is not appropriate for 2yr old eyes. Plus, if you kid is in the room, play with them, it’s way more fun and fulfilling.
September 6th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
I told my wife I was going to lay off the Xbox 360 for 14 days and it has been okay. Just okay. Now though I am playing Full Tilt Poker.NET (of course). I mean no big deal. I also do word puzzles. It really hasn’t brought us closer together or anything. I say videogames are not addicitve. It is a hobby I enjoy just like my wife enjoys gardening. I don’t know anyone who has stolen or begged for money to buy a game.
September 15th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
I can honestly say my husband IS NOT addicted to video games. I just wish he wouldn’t watch the History Channel so much! I hated History in high school and I still hate it now.
October 1st, 2008 at 10:33 pm
The following words are meant to be educational, not confrontational.
Addiction is a physical thing; it is an excess of dopamine (pleasure inducing chemical) built up in the brain during certain activities, that, without those activities, becomes very difficult or impossible to recreate. Crystal Meth creates something like 1200 times the normal dopamine, and fries the receptors out because of the INTENSITY and LONGEVITY of the stimulus; thus making it difficult to recreate the same high the next time requiring more Meth, yielding even greater burnout, thus the cycle continues until at some point you’re S.O.L. and happiness becomes impossible to find any other way. Such addiction COMPLETELY CIRCUMVENTS RATIONAL THOUGHT and goes WAY BEYOND THE CONTROL of any human being to overcome alone. Bad mistake to get there to begin with *so there is blame to be had*, but once you’re addicted you’re out of control and need help. You should never EXPECT an addict to get clean of their own will, nor BLAME them for being too weak to overcome their addiction ONCE THERE (blame them all you want for starting down the road to begin with).
Gaming, I argue, creates a high level of natural dopamine in the brain, yielding a nice “high”. Alcohol and cigarettes do this for sure. I believe (but don’t know for sure) that gambling, shopping, and eating can accomplish the same thing. The PROBLEM in this case isn’t the intesity per se, but the LONGEVITY. I conjecture that long, intesnse online game epsodes such as those found on WOW, cause unnaturally high levels of dopamine. This is caused through intense visual stimulus and the “rush/reward” that players feel during intense play – the rush – followed by gaining something as a result – the reward; social gaming may create its own rush/reward response for some people. THIS IS DIFFERENT THAN THINKING ABOUT YOUR CAR.
It creates the same effect (though FAR less intense and more subtle) than say alcohol or nicotine, but for unnaturally LONG PERIODS OF TIME. This is where doapmine receptors start to burn out, and the addiction cycle begins. It also serves as a “retreat” to begin with for people who are vulnerable and “need” happiness; but eventually it has (or may have – this more conjecture on my part) the capability of become TRULY ADDICTIVE.
Assuming no permanent damage it takes on average 90 days to BREAK the ADDICTION cycle, and to let your body get back to producing and receiving dompamine normally. If you think you’re addicted (to anything) take a 90 day break.
Best of luck.
-Dr. M
November 16th, 2008 at 1:44 am
Hi Cory, I thought I should mention that On-Line Gamers Anonymous keeps a pretty good updated listing of professional services by state for anyone dealing with video game addiction and is seeking treatment for video game addiction.
Video game addiction is very real and it’s taking its toll on children who are video game addicts, adult gamers as well as spouses who think of themselves as “gaming widows” due to the time their spouse is spending playing video games. And that doesn’t even take into account the video game ratings and the negative results of violent video games on society in general.
February 27th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
My husband isn’t addicted to video-game, but we both work and also have a 3yr old that is in preschool until 3:30 everyday. When we all got home, he immediately placed his chair in front of the family room tv (the room we all go to to wind down) and played Call of Duty on Wii. My daughter interrupted him twice and he pushed her away, blamed me for the interruptions, told me that I “sicked” our daughter on him to bother him. None of this is true. I was just sitting on the couch witnessing him push her. I then reminded him that he had been gone the last 2 nights (he’s a drummer and had gigs) and had not seen his daughter- and it’s only fair that he pay attention to her until she goes to bed, then he can play his games all he wants. He turned the whole argument around on me, making me the blame of our kid’s behavior. Our kid saw the whole argument and later told me that her feelings were hurt. What do i do?
June 17th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Thanks for this article. Video gaming, when it becomes addictive, is meeting several needs for the individual. Its important to help the person explore two things, 1) what do they get out of spending so much time gaming? and 2)what are you hiding from and avoiding by spending so much time gaming?
I’ve worked with clients who hide from reality. I’ve worked with clients who have left their spouse because they were playing 6-8 hours daily.
February 26th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
Hi,
Responding to Russ, when he says “Using the arguments listed above, anything can qualify as an ‘addiction’… The object of addiction isn’t to blame, the person addicted is the one responsible for the addiction.”, I have to disagree.
I have a website that summarizes information on love addiction http://www.facingloveaddiction.com and one of the big points in my research is the finding that love / sex addiction has many potential roots – none of which you could blame the addicted person for, be it early childhood sexual traumata or a failed relationship or unhealthy infatuation during early adolescence.
Just my two cents…
love and addiction – facing love addiction
March 21st, 2010 at 7:36 pm
my husband play video game all nite from the time he wakes up till about 20 hrs later when he goes to sleep. if i dont deliver his food to his lap he would die of starvation he spend no time with me or his four kids. and when we try to spend time to gether he doesnt enjoy because he is so worried about play more games. in a way i feel like he is cheating on me cuz his xbox is his first love.
August 19th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
In the USA playing poker for cash is illegal but there is no harm in playing the free poker games. If you are playing on a site where you are dealing with real money then it can cause a lot of trouble for sure. In that situation offline betting is much easier to get away with if it’s illegal in your country! lol
February 21st, 2011 at 6:24 pm
My son is 17, and we started him on educational games as a 4 year old. Nothing bad – “Reader Rabbit, Lego Chess” – helped him learn, right? But… later on…he got a PS-2, some kid-oriented role-play games, then a game-cube, then an X-box….
Now he plays hours of games like Call of Duty Black-Ops or Oblivion with his friends on weekends.. and on school nights if he has a chance.
Even though he also swims 23 hours a week and gets straight -As in AP/honors classes ….but when he plays, or just after-wards, he can hardly stop, and becomes rude and argumentative. I feel he is pathetically addicted…but he is a great kid otherwise… and am not sure what to do next….
I don’t want him failing in college because of video games….
I’ve told him he can’t take his boxes or SW to school next year when he graduates… no way will I be sacrificing to put him into school to let him sit in a dorm room playing games when a typical college campus has so much going on….let alone risk bad grades at the cost of college today..
Read this carefully – take heed – video games are cool and amusing, but the online RPGs are very addictive.
Do you want to see your children (mostly sons, given the game content) become avid readers? hands on capable? Good husbands and Fathers? Find the time. Avoid the games.
Read “Samantha’s” posting 2 above mine. Look out for the RPGs – they are the starting point. Find the time to play games, go ride bikes, go to a park – throw balls – and avoid my fate.
What your kids learn at home, they will take to college.
Some may still pick up the problem later on when on their own, but starting them early and letting them get serious in Jr and Sr High School is dooming them to high risk issues while in college and later on! Letting them watch you play these games tells them it is all right for them later on. Join the PTA in your local school. Start reading. Exercise. Anything but video games.
You have been warned.
Good luck!