Physical and Psychological Health Impact of Video Game Addiction

Video games can be a great way to spend your free time and have a little fun, but like most things, should be done in moderation. As of late, there have been numerous studies on the health impact of video game addiction and the verdict is that it can lead to any number of physical health issues. These physical health issues include migraines, carpel tunnel syndrome, backaches, eating irregularities, and sleep disturbances (“Video Game Addiction”, n.d).

The most common physical health issues related to video game addiction are tension, headaches, and chronic migraines. The usual triggers include ear-splitting noise from firing weapons, vehicle crashes and loud music, vibrating sounds that ‘roll’ through your body, flashing lights from visual on-screen images, body tension and stiffness from sitting with terrible posture for hours, and unhealthy nutrition habits that often accompany the gaming ‘lifestyle’ such as salty and sugary snacks and dehydration from not wanting to take the time to get fresh water.

Video game addiction also affects a person’s mind through stress, aggressive behaviour, and depression. Stress from video games is usually caused by the innate need to achieve certain goals within the game and not reaching those goals. Additionally, the realization of time wasted whilst playing the game causes added stress on a video game addicts mind. Aggression most commonly arises when the addicted person is interrupted while playing.

Depression seems to sneak up on many video game addicts as they begin to feel that their video game life is substantially more fulfilling than their actual life. Some individuals may create on-line personas or "Avatars" where he/she are able to alter his/her identities and pretend to be someone other than himself or herself. Those at highest risk for creation of a secret life are those who suffer from low self-esteem, feelings of inadequacy, and fear of disapproval. Such negative self-concepts lead to clinical problems of depression and anxiety (Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery, n.d). Unfortunately, depression can go unnoticed by others for a long time and it is difficult to battle.  Matthew Cenzon, of SymptonFind.com said, “Making matters worse, their only means of finding comfort is through the very thing causing their depression, creating a vicious cycle that can only be broken when they take back control of their lives” (“10 Dangers of Video Game Addiction”, 2012). 

               These psychological and physical behaviours can wreak havoc on a video game addict’s personal relationships and overall health, which is why this disease is a serious matter.

Citations

Cenzon, M. (2012, January 4th). 10 Dangers of Video Gaming Addiction At SymptomFind.com.

          Retrieved February 19, 2016, from http://www.symptomfind.com/health/video-game-addiction/

Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery. (n.d.). What is Video-game addiction?. Retrieved February 19, 2016, from http://www.addictionrecov.org/Addictions/?AID=45

Video Game Addiction. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2016, from

          http://www.video-game-addiction.org/physical-consequences.html