The Perfect Addiction

               Video game addiction is not recognized as an official disorder, and that is absurd because it is a perfect example of an addiction. For the purpose of the argument let us use the American Society of Addiction Medicine's definition of an addiction:

 "Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social and spiritual manifestations. This is reflected in an individual pathologically pursuing reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviours. Addiction is characterized by inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioural control, and craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviours and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death"( Definition of Addiction n.d.).

Now what exactly is a video game? Well today games vary so much, but they all have the same underlining principles. Do a task in order to receive rewards, which intern motivates the player to complete the next task. Games require large financial, emotional and time investment in order to receive the most reward recognition. The similarities between the definition of addiction and how video games work are apparent; both trigger reward, motivation, and memory areas of the brain. They intern effect the personal health and social aspect of the person’s life. Both share characteristics of cravings, diminished recognition of significant problems.

Now how could this be an addiction? What if I told you video game addiction shares characteristics with heroin addiction, which is considered one of the most addictive drugs in the world. WebMD explains that heroin gives you "a rush of good feelings and happiness." Comparable to what happens when you get rewards during video games. Then "Some users say you feel like you're in a dream." (Heroin Use, Addiction, Effects, Withdrawal, and More n.d.). The entire time you are playing video games you are in a dream state, living your life the way you want though your character. If there is no debate heroin is an addiction then so to must gaming addictions.

The only possible argument for not recognizing this as an addiction is the impact of long term health. There is a lack of information on the impact later in life because this is a relatively new disorder. Video games have only been around for a very small time relative to most other addictions. It seems redundant to wait for problem to occur before we act, especially when we can help those effected by this disease now.

Citations

Definition of Addiction. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://www.asam.org/for-the-public/definition-of-addiction

Heroin Use, Addiction, Effects, Withdrawal, and More. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/heroin-use 

Signs of Addiction Test

Currently video game addiction does not have a universally recognized list of symptoms. However there are few symptoms that seem to continually appear on experts list. Most experts point the similarities between compulsive gambling and compulsive gaming when coming up with lists of symptoms. These lists typically include

"-Significant negative impact on work performance, school achievement, and or interpersonal relationship. 

-Spending most of one's free time playing video games. 

-Frequently playing video games for six to eight hours non-stop, Loss of interest in social activities. 

-Avoidance of personal responsibilities or commitments so that gaming can continue - Often staying up very late to play video games which regularly leads to feeling very fatigued the next day"( Video Game Addiction - Signs, Problems, Risks, & Treatment - TechAddiction n.d.).  

If you or someone you love shows some of theses the symptoms please investigate more, gaming addiction, like most addiction are slipper slopes and eventually will result in serious medical harm. There some experts report more serious symptoms of addiction such as "difficulty sleeping, migraines, back and neck aches, dry eyes, or carpal tunnel syndrome." (Video Game Addiction n.d.). I have a family member who suffers from this addiction and I have noticed many of theses symptoms, but I would also add symptoms such as loss of weight from forgetting to eat, which Is an any easy symptom to notice. 

The above list of symptoms are hard to self identify so experts have created questionnaires. Dr. Kimberly Young, a psychologist and world-renowned Internet addiction expert, created a questionnaire to identify the intensity of an addiction. Rank the following on a scale of 0-5, with 5 being very often and 0 being not at all.

"___How often do you find that you stay online longer than you intended?

___How often do you neglect household chores to spend more time online?
___How often do you prefer the excitement of the Internet to intimacy with your partner?
___How often do you form new relationships with fellow online users?
___How often do others in your life complain to you about the amount of time you spend online?
___How often do your grades or schoolwork suffer because of the amount of time you spend online?
___How often do you check your e-mail before something else that you need to do?
___How often does your job performance or productivity suffers because of the Internet?
___How often do you become defensive or secretive when anyone asks you what you do online?
___How often do you block out disturbing thoughts about your life with soothing thoughts of the Internet?
___How often do you find yourself anticipating when you will go online again?
___How often do you fear that life without the Internet would be boring, empty, and joyless?
___How often do you snap, yell, or act annoyed if someone bothers you while you are online?
___How often do you lose sleep due to late-night log-ins?
___How often do you feel preoccupied with the Internet when off-line, or fantasize about being online?
___How often do you find yourself saying “just a few more minutes” when online?
___How often do you try to cut down the amount of time you spend online and fail?
___How often do you try to hide how long you’ve been online?
___How often do you choose to spend more time online over going out with others?
___How often do you feel depressed, moody, or nervous when you are off-line, which goes away once you are back online?"( A Screening Tool for Excessive Gamers n.d.).

Add up your score, if your score is less then 50 you’re the average user, if you are between 50-79 you sometimes display addictive traits. If you score equal to or greater then 80 you are addicted to online gaming and/or the Internet.

               If you are concerned about a loved one, please follow the link and complete a survey to better understand the depth of they addiction.  

http://www.olganon.org/self_tests_on_gaming_addiction

Citations

A Screening Tool for Excessive Gamers. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://www.olganon.org/self_tests_on_gaming_addiction

Video Game Addiction. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://www.video-game-addiction.org/internet-addictions-adults.html).

Video Game Addiction - Signs, Problems, Risks, & Treatment - TechAddiction. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://www.techaddiction.ca/video-game-addiction.html

Video Game Addictions and Big Brother

Since video games were introduced the government has noticed the harmful effects they have on a nations youth and have tried to manage their availability. Since the original arcade games government have called for restrictions. The British government on 1981 almost passed a bill to ban space invaders and other video games because of their addictive properties. Mr. George Foulks, the member of parliament who brought the almost law into effect stated "I have seen reports from all over the country of young people becoming so addicted to these machines that they resort to theft, blackmail and vice to obtain money to satisfy their addiction"(Control of Space Invaders and Other Electronic Games n.d.). This bill was barely overturned by 114 to 94 vote, but that was just the beginning. 

In 2005 the Chinese introduced a law that limited gamers to 3 hours of online gaming. They claimed, "to be introducing the controls to deter people from playing for longer than three consecutive hours."(China imposes online gaming curbs 2005) However gamers found a way to get around theses restrictions. In 2006 the government made a revision to the system. Currently users have "to enter their ID card numbers. After three hours, players under 18 are prompted to stop and 'do suitable physical exercise.' If they continue, the software slashes by half any points earned in the game. All points are wiped out if players stay on more than five hours" (China Limits Teenage Internet Gaming n.d.). This is an extreme measure, but they have a large portion of the population who is at risk of addiction. 

In North America there has been no bills or laws been put in the works to compare this growing problem. However in the United States, the Federal Communications Commission has strong opinion on the harmful effects of gaming addiction. Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate was quoted in December of 2008 saying, “one of the top reasons for collage drop-outs in the U.S. is online gaming addiction”(Taylor Tate 2008). It seems irrational to think that the government can recognize video game addiction as the major reason for collage drop-outs, yet they have done nothing to monitor it.

Citations

Control of Space Invaders and Other Electronic Games. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1981/may/20/control-of-space-invaders-and-other

China imposes online gaming curbs (2005). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4183340.stm

China Limits Teenage Internet Gaming. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://www.3-rx.com/ab/more/china-limits-teenage-internet-gaming/

Taylor Tate, D. (2008, December 5). STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER DEBORAH TAYLOR TATE AT PRACTICING LAW INSTITUTE ON TELECOM POLICY AND REGULATION DECEMBER 5, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2016, from https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-287221A1.pdf

Evolution of Video Games and Addiction

Video games started to become a huge trend around the 1970’s, and quickly expanded to all parts of the world, and with it came addiction. The first ever video game console was made in 1967 and was called “the brown box”, it was the first video console to work on a standard television (Video Game Consoles, 2012).

In 1986, the Sega Master System was released and the system quickly spread all over the video game market. This system included many never before seen gaming accessories such as light guns and 3D glasses, which were revolutionary and continue to appear with video game systems to this day. These accessories added entirely new dimensions to gaming, increasing the risk of addiction further (Video Game Consoles, 2012).

In 1989, Nintendo rose to the top of the video game market by introducing a portable video gaming system called the Gameboy, which featured a black and white LCD screen. This console became a massive seller for Nintendo, and in 1998, they released the Gameboy with a colour screen, which continued to dominate the gaming market (Video Game Consoles, 2012). This console allowed users to bring their video games with them anywhere they went for the first time, making addiction even more prominent

In 1991, the Playstation home console was released by electronics giant Sony. The Playstation quickly became a video gaming sensation in Japan, and Sony became a strong competitor with Nintendo, the leader at this time (Video Game Consoles, 2012).

In 1996, Nintendo needed to reclaim their reputation as the leaders of the video game industry, so they introduced the Nintendo 64 home console. This console immediately became one of the most popular gaming consoles, and was a strong rival to Sony’s Playstation. The system’s popularity was partly based on the games launched this system, which were Super Mario and Pilotwings (Video Game Consoles, 2012).  Mario is extraordinarily popular to this very day, and remains one of the most well-known video games of all time. The Mario series was very addictive, and the old games are still played by many to this day.

In 2000, Sony launched the Playstation 2, the follow up to their first console. This became Sony’s most successful video game console, and hundreds of games were developed on this system (Video Game Consoles, 2012). The huge selection of games made the console extremely accessible, and video game addiction increased.

In 2001, Nintendo had another huge successful launch with their Nintendo Gamecube. This was the first ever system to use optical discs, and with a large selection of games, the Nintendo Gamecube took over the gaming industry once again (Video Game Consoles, 2012).

In 2001, the same year as Nintendo’s Gamecube, Microsoft released the Xbox home system and immediately became a top competitor in the video game console market (Video Game Consoles, 2012).

In 2005, Playstation launched the Playstation portable, similar to the Gameboy but, a lot more advanced. With a huge selection of top games to choose from and good graphics, it took over the portable video gaming market (Video Game Consoles, 2012).

In 2005, the Xbox 360 home console was released and made Microsoft the leading competitor with Sony in the video game market (Video Game Consoles, 2012).  The Xbox 360 had a massive selection of game titles and online connectivity, bringing on a new level of addiction to video games with the addition of a community network.

In 2006, the Nintendo Wii came out, and was an interactive gaming system (Video Game Consoles, 2012). Nintendo created a unique system that involves motion control with your gaming, and this system put Nintendo back as a top competitor, but it added new levels of addiction with the addition of motion control.

In 2006, Playstation also came out with its new Playstation, called the Playstation 3 with real looking graphics and a huge variety of online video games. It became one of the most bought systems alongside the Xbox 360, and offered free online connectivity making online addiction even more accessible to users (Video Game Consoles, 2012).

In the present day, both Sony and Microsoft remain leaders in the video game industry, with the Xbox One and the Playstation 4 on their way to becoming the most purchased systems in the history of gaming (Their, 2015). Video gaming has continually grown in users, never slowing down as companies continue to release innovative products. With this innovation, comes greater addiction, and with the introduction of virtual reality gaming to the consumer market in the coming future, it is expected that video game addiction will only continue to grow.

Citations

Thier, D. (2015, May 06). PS4 Could Very Well Become The Best-Selling Console In History. Retrieved February 20, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2015/05/06/ps4-could-very-well-become-the-best-selling-console-in-history/#457647ed2153

Video Game Consoles: Past, Present, and Future. (2012, February 10). Retrieved February 20, 2016, from https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/video-game-consoles-past-present-and-future--2

Ways To Avoid Video Game Addiction

Video game addiction in the long term could be very damaging to your physical health and personal life. When a person is addicted to video games, it is very extremely difficult to stop, but there are ways to avoid becoming addicted to video games.

The first step to avoiding video game addiction is accepting that you do have a problem, and accepting responsibility for your decisions. After this, you need to identify the impact of the addiction, and how deeply are you entangled in this addiction? Questions like how many hours are you spending a day playing video games should be asked to identify the severity? Avoid blaming others for your issues, this is an addiction that you have developed yourself, and blaming others will only make it more difficult to overcome; self-acceptance is a healthy decision. Staying positive is also very important; if you put yourself down and think negatively, you will never overcome this addiction. Setting limits will help you avoid addiction. Keep track of the hours you play to get a better understanding of the amount of time you are spending online. Knowing the amount of time you spend gaming will give you a better picture of the severity of your addiction, because many who are addicted don’t realize how many hours they are playing. A support system is an important part of overcoming any addiction. Ask your friends or family to monitor your gaming habits, and to speak up and intervene if you are playing past your limits. When you can’t keep track of your of addictions, it’s alright to depend on others for help. Healthy activates are an excellent alternative to overcoming video game addiction. Use activities like working out, running, reading, learning, or sports to distract yourself from video games and to make yourself healthier. In more recent years, video game addiction has become a more understood addiction, and there are now rehabilitation programs and prevention programs that people can use to defeat their addictions to video games.

Citations

How to Avoid Video Game Addiction. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Video-Game-Addiction

Media Coverage of Video Game Addiction

               The media has covered video game addiction for a while now. In fact, in 1993, there was an article in “Wired” magazine called, “The Dragon Ate My Homework” in which Howard Rheingold wrote, “David spends twelve hours a day as Lotsu, a swashbuckling explorer in a subterranean world of dungeons and elves. He should be in class, but he has succumbed to the latest fad sweeping college campuses: total immersion in multi-user fantasy games” (“The Dragon Ate My Homework”, March, 1993). This article is interesting in that it is possibly one of the first documented, yet non-explicit, articles alluding to a possible addiction to video games.

In 2008, CBC’s national news magazine program “The Fifth Estate”, aired an hour long special on video game addiction called “Top Gun”. The synopsis is as follows: “Brandon’s disappearance and death revealed to parents a darker aspect to their children’s gaming: addiction. And as gamers are drawn into an alternate world their need to play is fuelled by dreams of international glory and the chance to win thousands of dollars on the professional gaming circuit” (“Top Gun”, March, 2009). This was one of the first times a major news outlet reported about video games and addiction.

               This year, Samantha Bresnahan and William Worley, from CNN news wrote an article about video game addiction. The eye opening quote from that article that caught everyone’s attention was, “the problem goes beyond the games themselves: "I want other kids to realize that the problems they are facing aren't because of what's going on around them, but also due to the fact that they stay inside and won't speak to anyone about them. Sitting inside and staring at a screen won't make it disappear." (“When Video Games Become and Addiction”, January 2016). This is an intriguing quote because it really hits the nail on the head. When people become addicted their instinct is to think it is the environment they live in that has given them this problem, when in actuality the problem is internal.

It is good news that there is a substantial amount of media coverage on video game addiction. With new technology and games being developed daily, this issue is only going to keep on growing if something isn’t done to prevent addiction.

Citations

Rheingold, H. (1993, March 1). The Dragon Ate My Homework. Wired Magazine.

Top Gun | CBC News: The fifth estate. (2009, March 6). Retrieved February 20, 2016, from    

      http://web.archive.org/web/20130702203354/http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/2008-2009/top_gun/

 

Bresnahan, S., & Worley, W. (2016, January 6). When video games become an addiction. Retrieved February 20, 2016,      

       from http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/06/health/video-games-addiction-gentile-feat/

Causes of Video Game Addiction

Video game addiction is becoming more and more prominent in our ever-changing tech savvy society. Game developers don’t make it easy either, with state of the art graphics, campaign modes, unbelievable realism, and online interactive gameplay, games are harder than ever to stop playing. Donna St. George of The Washington Post stated, “In what is described as the first nationally representative study in the United States on the subject, researcher Douglas Gentile of Iowa State University found that 8.5 percent of American youths ages 8 to 18 who play video games show multiple signs of behavioural addiction.” (“8.5 Percent of Youths Addicted to Video Games, Study Finds”, April, 2009). This fact is astounding, especially when you consider that 8.5% of the United States population in 2009 is roughly 25,969 985 people (U.S. Population, 2009, 2008).

So what causes a video game addiction? Well the truth is, that it’s different for every person and people play video games for different reasons. Someone may blow of some steam when they play first person shooter games, while in others it may build up anger. For some, they may want to escape reality and play something akin to “World of Warcraft”. N.L. from the Economist wrote, “One risk factor is found in players who are trying to "escape" through fantasy immersion or role-play. Indeed, their game use may be a symptom of some other underlying problem, say social phobia or depression. Playing can then generate a vicious cycle that is hard to treat if the game is a way of self-medicating. For example, a child who is unpopular in school, or being bullied, may be important and powerful in a video game. Real life may struggle to compete” (“What Makes Video Games Addictive?” February, 2014).

Video games can offer a way out of a life that, to the addicted individual, seems boring or perhaps is bad. It can give a person a sense of control and confidence.

Another, reason people can get addicted to video games is as a result of stress and other frustrations. In the scholarly article, “Adolescent Online Gaming Addiction”, Daria J. Kuss and Dr. Mark D. Griffiths proclaim that, “The consistent blocking out and passive coping with stressful experiences is a strategy that may be successful in the short-term. However, viewed from a long-term perspective, this dysfunctional coping style may limit the adolescents’ potential to have fundamental experiences that are necessary for developing a protective way to cope” (“Adolescent Online Gaming Addiction”, November 2012).

The bottom line is that, video game addictions arise as a result of psychological factors and if the addiction is not monitored or treated, can lead to worse consequences later in life.

Citations

George, D. S. (2009, April 20). 8.5 Percent of U.S. Youths Addicted to Video Games, Study Finds. Retrieved February 20, 2016, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/04/19/AR2009041902350.html

L.N. (2014, February 18). What makes video games addictive? Retrieved February 20, 2016, from http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2014/02/electronic-entertainment

Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D., Dr. (2012). Adolescent Online Gaming Addiction. 30, 1-3. Retrieved from http://sheu.org.uk/sites/sheu.org.uk/files/imagepicker/1/eh301dk.pdf

U.S. Population, 2009: 305 Million and Counting. (2008, December 31). Retrieved February 20, 2016, from http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2008/12/31/us-population-2009-305-million-and-counting