When video games came on the market I began to see problems gradually develop.

I believe that Pong came out In 1972. You could get your own game in 1975. I believe my first relationship problem that was the result of addiction to Pong was sometime in 1976. At that time I could never have imagined how video game addiction has developed into the way it is now.

How to define video game

addiction?

The gamer experiences a persistent recurrent pathological compulsion and obsession to play video games in spite of any negative consequences. The addiction can range from mild to severe. The addicted gamer has significantly limited control over the habit, and that can result in personal, family, social, educational and occupational problems.

Unfortunate consequences may include problematic personal relationships, problematic professional activities, career problems, disruption of relationships, poor hygiene, and even health-related issues. Clearly, being obsessed with video games is bad. The addiction is categorized as an Internet Gaming Disorder and may be looked at as a growing threat to Public Health.

There are no age limits to this problem. Adults are just as vulnerable as children and teenagers. Depending on the source, it has been estimated that anywhere between 2 and 10% of our population is addicted to these games. It is estimated that 90 percent of younger people play these games and about 15 percent of them are addicted.

The gamer’s family may be an important factor in developing and maintaining the addiction. For example, if the gamer’s parent is also a gamer, who spends a lot of time gaming or playing games on his or her phone, their child or teenager may assume that they can do the same thing. Parents need to remember that they model for their children how to act and what to do. It is reasonable to expect that the child will imitate the parent.

What other impacts may be the result of being a gaming addict?

It is not unusual for children and teenagers who spend a lot of time playing games to miss classes, get low grades, have sleep problems, have low self-esteem, or even develop emotional problems. Mental health problems such as anxiety and depression are not unusual among people who depend on video games. When playing online games the gamer may create a specific personality that he or she uses in those games. That may ultimately result in confusion or blurring between the game and reality.

The chemical in the brain that video games trigger is dopamine. The parts of the brain typically affected are the prefrontal cortex, the ventral striatum, and the dorsal striatum, among other areas. As the dopamine level increases it is associated with the sensation of pleasure and/or euphoria. You feel good, pleasurable, and rewarded. That then increases your desire for more. This is the very same chemical that is triggered in the brains of drug addicts such as heroin addicts. This may be happening in your child’s brain. Video game addiction is a true addiction.

The winning and success in video games can be delightful, pleasurable, and give the gamer a sense that something has really been accomplished. Unfortunately, the gamer may find it much easier to accomplish things in the gaming world, than not be attracted to trying to accomplish things in the real world. Consequently, the gamer may not be so interested in involvement in the real world.

If gamers do not see their addiction as a problem they may strongly resist changing or limiting their habit. They may go through a type of withdrawal if they can’t play. When the gamer simply sees a gaming platform or a controller, that can trigger a craving that is very difficult to resist. That surge of dopamine may overpower them. The gamer may think about the games even when they are doing something else.

They may spend more of their money and time playing video games than they ever meant to spend when they first began to play those games. Some gamers may choose to spend their money on video games rather than on clothes, food, or paying bills.

There are those people who will use the games to avoid dealing with real life or stressful situations. They may use the relief and sense of pleasure that they derive from the games like a drug to make themselves feel better and improve their mood. Basic Psychology says that anything that makes you feel good you will continue to do at the same rate or increase the time and frequency of doing whatever it is that has pleased you.

In the end, the more you do it, the more you will do it. When the gamer is asked to pause or stop playing a game they may get defensive, argumentative, or even combative. If you tend to continually lose sleep because you are playing video games, that can lead to some serious physical as well as psychological problems.

Eventually, the gamer gets absorbed by the addiction and no longer is interested in interacting with or associating with the people around him. He may be quite satisfied having what he would call ‘friends’ on the internet. This would include fellow gamers whom he may never meet in reality. As his real social connections are reduced, the ability to fit in or to belong somewhere in real social life diminishes.

If the gamer is excessively preoccupied with playing video games, lies about how much he games has less interest in any other activities, is socially withdrawn, is psychologically withdrawn, uses games to avoid reality, continues to play excessively in spite of any negative consequences, would rather play games than eat or sleep, or is neglecting hygiene, there is a problem that probably needs to be addressed.

When things get out of hand consulting a psychologist or other mental health provider who is familiar with addiction is probably a good choice. You might also check out gamingaddictionsanonymous.org.

— Joseph Switras provides clinical psychological services at United Health District in Fairmont to people age 5 and up.