Am I Addicted To Video Games

Introduction And Clinical Characteristics

Video gaming is a billion-dollar global industry which continues to expand and display innovations around the world from one year to the next . The popularity of online gaming reflects a major cultural shift in leisure and recreation preferences for screen-based entertainment over other pastimes. Individuals of all ages play games daily for enjoyment and socialization, and some people report finding deeper personal satisfaction and meaning in their virtual experiences than in the real world. Gaming provides an endless and constantly changing play experience, often in a social context, and there are new gaming products and innovative technologies continually entering the consumer market. Many new games include features that make them more immersive, socially integrated, and monetized than those before them. However, while there can be many benefits associated with gaming, there is also growing recognition that unrestricted screen time, particularly in younger people, can lead to harm and that gaming can be highly time-consuming and addictive for some vulnerable individuals.

MARK GRIFFITHS, in, 2008

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Using Video Games As A Coping Mechanism

If you go home and play video games after a long day at work, then that would be considered a healthy coping mechanism. But if you play video games for several hours to decompress, then that is when your gaming habit becomes a problem.

If video games get in the way of you trying to address the cause of stress from your job, then that is unhealthy. If you are unable to look for another job because you spend so much time gaming, then that is a sign of video game addiction.

It is fine to use gaming as a coping mechanism to de-stress from your day. However, when you start to ignore your problems and use video games to cope with them, then that is when your gaming habit becomes a problem.

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What Is Video Game Addiction

A video game addiction is simply an addiction to playing video games. Unfortunately, this addiction is spreading at an extremely fast pace. While it may not effect the body directly as alcohol or cigarettes would, it can still devastate lives when people take their gaming habits too far.

Truth be told, I was once addicted to video games. I let it ruin many aspects of my life. I still play them, but I learned how to enjoy in moderation.

Using It As An Emotional Crutch

Gamers often use this time as an emotional crutch to help them forget about their other problems. It is fine to relax for a little while to destress, but complete avoidance is unacceptable.

When people have an addiction it has a severe calming effect on them the moment they pick up the controller as they forget the rest of their daily woes. The best way to handle this is to try something new to relieve stress and put the game away for a few days.

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Negative Effects Of Video Game Addiction

Gaming addiction is considered a psychological disorder that results in heavy psychological damage. Playing for a minimum of 10 hours a day, for some reaching for up to 15 hours of gaming is common among addicts. Normally during the day, many gaming addicts are sleep deprived. Some gamers may have agoraphobia, a phobia, or a type of anxiety disorder wherein they do not leave the house.

Gaming addicts tend to be irritable, moody, cranky, depressed, and refuse to do schoolwork or do jobs due to their games. Sometimes, our habits can turn into an addiction. When will we consider it as an addiction already? The answer is simple if it affects your academics, professional success, physical health, mental health, and our relationship to others.

Video game addicts are facing a different problem, their academics can be affected because video games are prioritized over doing school stuff. When it comes to professional success, you cannot focus properly on your work because you are always in the idea of playing a video game.

Even having a lack of sleep and not eating on time can cause some physical disorders. Mentally you are exhausted because you do not know when and how to stop. Our relationships with other people will be affected, as you do not know how to interact with the community or how to deal with other people.

What Are Some Other Types Of Behavioral Addictions And How Does Video Game Addiction Compare

Gambling disorder is the first recognized addiction to not involve alcohol or other drug use. This and other behavioral addictions really challenge the conventional thinking about what addictions are and how they form.

Experts now believe that any behavior that offers a significant reward can become an addiction. They are investigating a range of behavioral addictions like:

• Overworking

• Shopping

A part of video games that make them addictive is the way you receive the reinforcement. In a way that mirrors a slot machine, many video games offer rewards that seem inconsistent or unexpected, so when you conquer a boss, uncover a treasure, or level up, the accomplishment will send a surge of dopamine in your brain.

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What Is Addiction Anyway

There is still a major divide between the public understanding of addiction and the expert view. Its common to hear people casually call an activity addictive just because its fun. Some people continue to see addiction not as a medical condition but as a moral failure, contrary to what major public health and medical organizations have said for decades now. There are still misconceptions that addiction requires some sort of physical component for example, physical dependence that causes withdrawal or that physical dependence is conclusive proof of addiction.

Experts, however, have long moved away from these old views of addiction, if they ever held such beliefs at all. Under the expert view, addiction doesnt even require a physical dependence component.

We long ago moved away from thinking about addiction as a physical or physiological need for a drug, Robert West, editor in chief for the scientific journal Addiction, told me. In most cases, its not the physiological thats causing the problem, because you can quite easily get people over that through, say, supervised detoxification. Its a behavioral problem. Where the problem lies is that certain drugs and behaviors in certain people lead to such powerful motivation to engage in the behavior that its damaging or could be damaging.

Emotional Symptoms Of Video Game Addiction

Some of the emotional signs or symptoms of video game addiction include:

• Feelings of restlessness and/or irritability when unable to play
• Preoccupation with thoughts of previous online activity or anticipation of the next online session
• Lying to friends or family members regarding the amount of time spent playing
• Isolation from others in order to spend more time gaming

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These Are The Questions You Must Ask To Consider You Are Having A Video Game Addiction:

• Am I not doing well in school because I spend most of my time playing video games?
• Am I not moving forward in my life because my time is taken up by gaming?
• Is my gaming getting in the way of my sleep?
• Am I still considered a romantic partner because I do not spend enough time with my spouse?
• Am I still having a harmonious relationship with my parents and friends because I spend an excessive amount of time playing video games than with them?
• Am I still able to connect with my friends and have a social life?
• Am I doing good in life and still motivated?
• Am I professionally growing?
• Is my mental health considered healthy?
• Do I need medical assistance because of suffering eye strains, migraines, and other physical disorders due to too much playing of video games?

What Are The Symptoms Of Video Game Addiction

Symptoms of video game addiction will match many substance use disorder symptoms as well as the symptoms of other behavioral addictions. The most telling sign will be when you or your loved one spend a lot of time playing video games, even when doing so begins to harm the people and things you care about.

Addictive symptoms may begin slowly or be hard to recognize, so you must look for the warning signs. You or a loved one could have a problem if you notice symptoms of video game addiction including:

• A sense of tension right before playing

• A feeling of euphoria or high when playing

• Inability to stop playing, despite your best efforts

• A strong craving to keep playing

• Feeling sad, irritable, or empty when not playing

• A feeling that time is passing more quickly or more slowly

You could even experience something called game transfer phenomenon, which is when you see or feel elements of a game while not playing. You may see health bars above others heads or feel like you are changing weapons when walking through a supermarket.

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Video Games: Mental Benefits And Drawbacks

One of the paradoxes of video games is that many of the pros can, in certain contexts, be cons .

For example, Reiss says, âVideogames can provide a sense of accomplishment and success, but they can also be a dysfunctional substitute for meaningful accomplishment and success in necessary âreal-lifeâ activities.â

Video games challenge playersâ imagination, and that can be useful in developing flexible problem-solving abilities. Games also provide comfort, solitude, and a necessary break from the âreal world,â Reiss says.

âBut overuse or obsession may lead to dysfunctional avoidance of real-life responsibilities.â

Gaming Is Ruining My Life

Im here today because I started gaming again. On and off for the past 3 years Ive been gaming, while doing my Masters degree and working full time. Ive been doing great at work and graduated with a 3.9 GPA for my Masters degree, but I was still gaming. Id game on the weekends only because I didnt want to ruin my work week. Work means the world to me and I didnt want to ruin it. I mostly played NHL or Halo on the weekends. This was fine until Overwatch came out. Holy shit. I couldnt put the game down. It was too addicting. I needed to be great at all of the characters and every map. It was like Halo and League of Legends put into one game with the competition I loved in NHL. Oh man it was bad. Id play each night for 6 hours and was a zombie at work. I only cared about the game. After a year of this I got so angry at Overwatch because the community is full of assholes. They are bad at the game, toxic to you and your teammates, and just ruin your day. Id find myself yelling at the computer for hours and I wasnt happy anymore. This made me wish I could just relax on a video game. This made me think back to the one game that was always peaceful to me: RuneScape. So I started again, from scratch on the Old School servers. I was 13 again. I loved every second of it.

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Understanding Video Game Addiction

Over 2 billion people play video games worldwide, and the market for video games was estimated to be a $90 billion industry in America in 2020. The average gamer plays for about 6 hours every week. For most players of all ages, playing video games is a fun pastime: a way to relax, connect with friends, and enjoy a challenge. Unfortunately, for some players, a video game hobby can escalate into an addictive disorder which takes over their lives.

In recent years, the smartphone has surpassed the computer and the console as the most common gaming device. Video games are now available on apps and social media. Furthermore, massively multiplayer online role-playing games continue to be immensely popular. Every day, games like League of Legends, World of Warcraft, Fortnite, Final Fantasy, and The Elder Scrolls Online draw millions of players into their virtual worlds. About 160 million Americans play MMORPGs and other internet-based games every day.

Like all good things, videos games are best in moderation. Adults and children alike can develop unhealthy, obsessive relationships with video games that they love.

Is There A Test Or Self

The most effective self-assessment that can be done is to examine the above list of symptoms associated with video game addiction. If you find that you or someone you care about exhibits any of these warnings signs, it may be a good time to cut back on the amount of time spent gaming. If you are unsure whether these symptoms apply to you, we can help. Call our toll-free number at to discuss your possible symptoms or to learn about treatment options.

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Problematic Use Of Screen Media

In addition to the content of media and the contexts in which they use screen media, how children use screen media is related to their behavioral health. For example, a childs screen media use becomes problematic when he or she excessively uses screen media and the useinterferes with the childs functioning. Most research on problematic media use has focused on video game addiction, also known as pathological gaming and Internet gaming disorder . The American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition has listed IGD as a potential mental health diagnosis in Section III . There are nine symptoms of IGD, including withdrawal when unable to game, tolerance , preoccupation with games, unsuccessful attempts to control game play, loss of interest in activities that the child previously found enjoyable, continued use despite psychosocial consequences of use, deceiving others about amount of gaming, gaming to relieve negative effect, and losing a significant relationship or educational/career opportunities due to gaming . Although not an official diagnosis in the DSM-5, the International Classification of Diseases has included gaming disorder in its most recent edition . Research is ongoing to further understand IGD to inform whether this condition will be an official diagnosis in the next edition of the DSM.

Scott J. Moeller, … Rita Z. Goldstein, in, 2016

Am I Addicted To Video Games Gaming

The question, Am I addicted to video games and gaming? isnt always easy to answer. First, gaming disorder and the concept of video game addiction are still new, so researchers, mental health professionals, and gamers themselves are trying to figure things out. Also, as with any addiction, when youre immersed in gaming, it can be difficult to tell if you have a problem. Use this questionnaire as a tool to help you answer the question, Am I addicted to video games and gaming?

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Am I Addicted To Video Games

To find out if you or someone you know could be addicted to video games, we have to look at what it means to be addicted to something as well as how it is perceived. We need to look at how addiction is perceived because video games are not usually thought of as an addictive thing. We will also look at how video games can be addicting and why. Video game addiction is often overlooked as it is seen as a destresser or something to do with free time.

There has been a steady increase in people playing video games, and we can see it slowly being introduced to mainstream media as the internet becomes more accessible. As video games become more popular, they seem to become a new obsession for the younger generations as it becomes popular to own a gaming console. Some of the big-name video games include Minecraft, Fortnite, Call of Duty, and Assassins Creed. These games are prevalent across all ages and have been seen as a new form of pop culture as they have been seen on all forms of media.

Are There Different Types Of Video Game Addictions

There are two major types of video games and therefore two major types of video game addictions. Standard video games are generally designed to be played by a single player and involve a clear goal or mission, such as rescuing a princess. The addiction in these games is often related to completing that mission or beating a high score or preset standard.

The other type of video game addiction is associated with online multiplayer games. These games are played online with other people and are especially addictive because they generally have no ending. Gamers with this type of addiction enjoy creating and temporarily becoming an online character. They often build relationships with other online players as an escape from reality. For some, this community may be the place where they feel theyre the most accepted.

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Is Video Game Addiction Real

There is no such thing as âvideo game addiction,â but the American Psychiatric Associationâs Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the official standard for psychiatric diagnoses, does list âInternet Gaming Disorderâ as a real condition.

The APA defines addiction as âa brain disease that is manifested by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequences.â

But this definition, Grammar says, âdoesnât allow for a behavior to be an addiction.â

âFor someone to be diagnosed with an addiction of any kind, there must be tolerance and withdrawal, which only a very, very small percentage of gamers ever experience,â he adds.

Under these terms, gaming isnât an addiction, but that doesnât mean it canât be problematic. It is perhaps more accurate to say people can become âobsessedâ with video games.

âAn obsession is a behavior we become attached to for psychological reasons,â Reiss tells Inverse, âso attached, that we begin automatically seeking and taking part in the behavior without considering the consequences.â

While some gamers can really long to play a game they love, if it is unavailable, they donât experience withdrawal symptoms as a result.