Is Video Game Addiction a Legitimate Concern? | Masonic Gamer

Although not an official diagnosis there have been numerous studies on the subject that boast as many as 15% of all children and teens are affected. Doctors have even made the comparison to heroin when describing the power of the addiction. It?s essentially defined as the excessive and unhealthy amount of computer gaming. Ignoring friends, family, food and even rest, addicted users devote their time to gaming which often results in isolation and obsession.

We?ve all heard the most recent story of an 18-year-old Korean man who entered an internet caf? in Southern Taiwan and died due to a 40 hour marathon of Diablo III. After entering the caf? at noon the man booked a private room and played for almost two straight days without stopping to so much as eat. After being found by an employee the man later collapsed and was pronounced dead. This isn?t the first story of its kind, a simple Google search will provide you with a slew of marathon gaming related deaths.

Doctor?s groups have lobbied to the AMA (American Medical Association) in an effort to have the disorder included in the American Psychiatric Associations metal illness manual. Unfortunately game makers aren?t exactly thrilled at the idea that their product can be the cause of a psychiatric disorder and some mental health experts even scoff at the idea of labelling what they refer to as a habit, a formal addiction.

So why are games addictive, and who?s right in this battle?

Some types of games are more addictive than others. Most research points to MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft and FPS? such as Call of Duty are more addictive than say racing games. The reason for this is that most addictive games fail to include a definitive ending point where players can say ?I?m done, I beat it.? Games like World of Warcraft require players to play for extended periods of time in order to achieve rewards, doing daily quests, farming materials or raid content for instance. It?s called ?variable ratio schedule? which produces a steady rate of response comparable to slot machines. It creates an experience where the player never really knows when they?ll be rewarded; it could be 1 attempt or 50, but the player does know that if they play long enough the reward will come. As such, these types of games don?t reward short term play and reward those who dedicate significant time (months and years) to the experience.

These games also offer a leveling system that requires minimal effort in beginning stages to level-up that slowly evolves to require longer gaming sessions in order to progress. They also usually require other human players to advance which creates a sense of obligation and dedication to those you play with. This translates to more time played in an effort to increase your characters strength, unlock more guns or the like. The natural succession to these effects is the player dedicating time equivalent to that of a full-time job, to their game of choice.

Anyone who plays games is theoretically at risk of developing an addiction but certain groups are viewed as more likely to develop the disorder, which include:

• Males
• People with pre-existing psychological disorders (depression or anxiety)
• Individuals with an unstructured amount of free time (Teens who participate in no activities outside of school)
• Those with higher levels of neuroticism
• Children with poor social skills

Regardless of how some may view the ?non-existent? rewards these gamers obtain in the virtual world, consequences of an addiction can be very real. Spending the majority of free time gaming, players tend to spend less time interacting with others outside of the game. Face-to-face contact becomes foreign and even terrifying and players tend to desire isolation. Children and teens addicted to games very often experience falling grades. Completing homework, studying for exams and effort in academics become far less priority than that of completing in-game tasks. Adults and teens alike may spend copious amounts of money new games, expansion packs, micro-transactions and more. Much like falling grades in children, the desire to play overpowers the will to work and job performance can suffer resulting in discipline or even termination. Those addicted can experience depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, anger and guilt for their addiction.

Video game addiction is a real issue that should be recognized as a legitimate disorder. In an age where new generations are becoming increasingly influenced by technology and using it in everyday life, parents need to make a greater effort in moderating their children?s use of technology, including video games. For most, video games create fun distraction and fulfill a desire we all have to step out of the real world for a while, but can be a volatile distraction for some. Thankfully there are many options for treatment available if you feel as though a loved one may have a problem in relation to their playing habits.

What do you think, is this a real issue or are we being too sensitive?

Source: http://masonicgamer.com/is-video-game-addiction-a-legitimate-concern/

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