Identifying Gaming Addiction Symptoms
Gaming is a major industry that’s worth hundreds of billions of dollars. It’s worth more than the music and movie industries put together. There are millions of people around the world who play video games, not just on consoles or PCs but also on their mobile phones. There’s nothing inherently wrong with gaming.
But there are people for whom playing video games becomes excessive, and it becomes their main priority. This can be understandable if playing video games is their job, but some people who aren’t professional gamers may display gaming addiction symptoms.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Video Game Addiction
A video game addiction, or internet gaming disorder, is a behavioural health condition wherein a person becomes addicted to gaming. Some of the signs and symptoms of problematic gaming behaviour include:
Preoccupation with Gaming
People who have this disorder will invariably prioritise video gaming over other aspects of their lives, including their health, relationships, and responsibilities. They may also become preoccupied with gaming to the point that they think about it for most of their waking hours.
Loss of Interest in Daily Activities
People who are addicted to video games may lose interest in anything other than gaming. Their other hobbies will fall by the wayside, and they may ignore friends and family unless those individuals are gaming with them. For them, their time playing video games may be the only time that matters.
Escapism
For people who play video games, gaming may be a form of escapism. They may have something in their life that they want to avoid, so they turn to video games as a means of distracting themselves from whatever it is they want to avoid.
Failed Attempts to Control Gaming
Another symptom of video game addiction may be an inability to stop. Some people who struggle with gaming may try to limit how much time they spend gaming, but these efforts often fail because a hallmark of addiction is a loss of control over compulsions.
Neglect of Responsibilities
Another symptom is that people who engage in excessive gaming may neglect their responsibilities. They may skip school or work so they can spend more time playing games.
Relationship Difficulties
Another indicator is that someone may develop relationship troubles due to gaming. This is because they spend their time gaming instead of seeing friends and family. This can cause people to grow apart.
Withdrawal Symptoms
The signs of addiction include developing anxiety, irritability, restlessness, and sleep difficulties when not able to play. In this regard, it is not dissimilar to going through withdrawal during substance detox.
Is Gaming Addiction Real and Why Do People Play Excessively?
Yes, gaming addiction is very real. There are many people all throughout the world who have lost control over their gaming. Part of the reason why gaming is so addictive is the interactive nature of it. Many story-driven games have compelling narratives that many players can’t help but be taken in. On a related note, side quests and in-game achievements can also be addictive.
Doing well in a game, such as completing a level or finishing a mission, can trigger a release of dopamine in the brain. Video games are also designed to be addictive, with compulsion loops specifically designed into the game, as this keeps players playing for longer hours.
There’s also a social aspect to gaming, especially with online gaming. For a lot of people, other gamers may be their only friends, so gaming is the only opportunity that they have to socialise. Because of this, they may become dependent on video game use to have any form of social life.
As with any form of addiction, the behavioural tendencies that can lead to addiction can be passed down genetically.
How Many Hours of Gaming Becomes an Addiction?
The amount of time spent gaming is an important part of determining whether or not someone has become addicted to video games. It’s not uncommon for people to spend a few hours playing games. However, a person who has a video game addiction will typically spend more than 30 hours a week gaming, with some spending upwards of 8 hours a day playing games.
Effects of Video Game Addiction
Video game addiction is not without its consequences. Some of the effects of gaming addiction include:
Poor Physical Fitness
While there are some games that require heavy physical movement, most games will require nothing more than pressing buttons on a controller or a keyboard. As such, gaming is very sedentary, and many food products that are marketed towards gamers are heavily processed and full of fats, carbs, and sugars. This can lead to poor health outcomes such as muscle atrophy.
Sitting for long hours at a time can also lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. Many can also develop chronic headaches as a result of excess gaming.
Visual Problems
Staring at a screen for multiple hours a day with no breaks can cause heavy eye strain. Over time, this can lead to long-term visual problems. While there are some ways to mitigate this, such as blue light glasses, they are not perfect, and long-term video game addiction will still cause a person to develop visual problems.
Mental Health Problems
Gaming can also cause some mental health problems. These can include issues with impulsivity, depression, anxiety, inability to focus, and low self-esteem.
How Common is Video Game Addiction?
Game addiction is fairly common. While exact numbers can be hard to come by, some estimates put the number of people affected by gaming addiction to be around 3.05% of all gamers worldwide. As there are an estimated 2 billion gamers around the world, this would translate to a little over 60 million people.
Treating Gaming Addiction
Gaming addiction is a treatable condition. It will require various therapeutic modalities to help develop coping skills to manage cravings. People who want to treat gaming addiction may also go to individual therapy to understand the underlying causes of their addiction. They may also join support groups to find a supportive community.
Unplug from Addiction to Video Games and Take Control of Your Life
Video games can be fun to play, and there’s nothing wrong with playing them. However, it can become a problem when gaming becomes the dominant force in a person’s life. When a person has a gaming addiction, their games become the focal point of their existence, and this isn’t healthy. At Orchid, we can help people overcome behavioural addictions and live life on their terms. Contact us to learn more.
