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