Video games are addictive and harmful. At least, that’s what certain people claim – people who haven’t touched a game since Tetris came out. Is there any truth to it though, could the older generation be on to something? The short answer is ‘yes.’
While Minecraft isn’t likely to cause you to become a violent criminal, video game addiction is real. The World Health Organization even recognises it.
You might think you’re fine though. After all, you only play a few games of League of Legends every day. The truth is, many video game addicts don’t realize they have an issue. Don’t panic though; there’s some good news.
According to multiple studies, the number of people addicted to video games is as low as 0.5 percent and as high as 3 percent. As you can see, the changes of you being diagnosed with the problem are slim. If you’re concerned that you might be playing a little more than normal though, then read on!
Many parents will claim that because their kid is sat in front of the PC all day, that must mean they’re addicted. However, if you point out that they’re sat in front of the TV watching Modern Family for hours on end, they’ll hit you with “That’s different.”
It is, in fact, not different. However, there are certain elements that make video games more addictive than TV, which we’ll look at later.
We don’t mean to give the impression that your parents are crazy either – if you spend hours playing video games every day, and have five or more of the symptoms on this list, please get help.
This doesn’t mean that you should panic for being at work and thinking about those tricky LoL promo matches. Day-dreaming about raid bosses is fine, so long as you don’t annoy your actual boss.
A lack of self-care could be down to depression or some other mental issues. However, if you prefer to watch your Sims bathe over bathing yourself, you might be a video game addict.
This doesn’t mean occasionally telling your significant other that you’ll only be “five more minutes” when really you’ll be ten. Now, let’s give an example of how an addict might behave;
You’ve told your partner that you’ll treat them to a date night on Friday. How sweet of you. However, this means nothing if they end up eating warmed up pasta while you rage at kids on the internet. Are you the kind of person to regularly tell your mum that you only play for 5 hours a day? If so, you could have a video game addiction.
If you’re lying, it might be because you feel ashamed, and that might be because you game too much. Of course, it’s possible that you’re a compulsive liar, but only if you lie about other stuff too.
This is quite a big one. If simply not playing games makes you angry, you could be an addict. We don’t mean the kind of irritation you feel when your mum turns the router off mind you – however if you can’t stand the thought of doing anything else, we recommend you seek help.
There’s nothing wrong with escaping into a video game after a long day at work, but it can become a crutch. Some of us use video games to help make ourselves feel less helpless, or anxious – this works in the same way an alcoholic might use booze to feel better.
No game should come before your family or friends. Have you had anyone leave/threaten to leave you due to how much you play video games? It doesn’t have to be a relationship with a person either. If you’ve lost a job due to gaming, that is also a red flag.
Do you no longer care for walks in the park? Do you no longer enjoy painting? If the only hobby left to you is video games, it might be time to drop it.
Video game addicts often spend hours upon end looked in their rooms. While it’s true that they might have online friends that they chat with, difficulties can arise when they’re forced into real-life interactions.
Aside from the side effects that come with not interacting with people for ages, there’s more to be worried about. As mentioned, video game addicts are often angered easily. That’s not a great trait to have when trying to make friends.
If you’re aware that you game too much but can’t bring yourself to stop, you might be an addict.
Do you make excuses as to why you should keep gaming? Such as;
“This is the only way I can talk to my friends.”
“If I play less I’ll get bad at the game.”
“It’s already late; I’ll play a few more games today and cut back tomorrow.”
You might notice that this is similar to what someone who’s suffering from a different kind of addiction might say.
There’s a ton of reasons why someone might be addicted to video games, and you can probably think of a couple. We’re going to focus on the parts of games that draw people in the most – and we might give a few examples of the worst offenders.
Making people feel accomplished is a great way to get them to stick around, that’s no surprise. A good example of this is Pokemon Go. Back in 2016, a couple from the US was arrested for child neglect.
They left their 2 year old home alone while they went off to catch all the Pokemon they could. When the police found the child, he was outside, covered in dirt, and crying. Pokemon has been blamed for a surprising amount of other issues over the years, which you can learn about here.
This desire for a sense of achievement is definitely one of the main draws, and it doesn’t stop there. In fact, it actually spills over into our second reason people become addicted to gaming.
Most people want to be the best, and plenty of games use that to their advantage. Take League of Legends, for instance. It’s a great game, but who doesn’t want to be Diamond?
It’s a constant battle to gain the top spot. You’ve got friends who want to be the best too, and if you don’t play for a while, they’re going to fly past you. All that effort, for something that doesn’t actually exist.
This can also be seen in plenty of other games too, from Call of Duty to Hearthstone!
World of Warcraft is one of the big ones for this. Many players joined years ago, and the friends they’ve made along the way keeps them going back. Even if a lot of those friends have since left, there’s always a bit of nostalgia.
I know plenty of people who’ve spent time wandering through Stormwind, remembering the good ole days. Getting stuck in the past isn’t good though, and it might very well ruin the future.
All of the above points combine to offer a very appealing form of entertainment – the effects of which are increased if the person has a difficult home life or some other need for escapism.
If you have five or more of the nine symptoms of video game addiction, then please seek help.
Accepting you have an issue is the first step. A great second step would be talking to your GP. They will likely recommend you receive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. (CBT) Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of that, it’s not scary!
CBT is a form of mental health counselling that teaches you how to replace thoughts about gaming, guiding you toward a healthier path. If you don’t want therapy, there are a few tips you can try that might help;
Remember, being a gaming enthusiast is not the same as being an addict. A tiny percentage of the population is addicted to video games, and unless you fit five or more of the symptoms, you’re perfectly fine!
