Whether you play casually from time to time on your computer or smartphone, by yourself or with others online, video games are one of the most enjoyable activities out there. They are staple entertainment for many, but some out there build unhealthy addictions and play video games with severe consequences.
What to watch out for?
Current labelling for those that have an addiction to video games has it falling under the banner of a “type of internet addiction.” Yet even with more studies occurring on the subject, there’s still no proper definition of what it should be called and how to classify it. It is considered the same category as having other addictions online, such as social media. It’s currently referred to as problematic internet use or as a gaming disorder that the World Health Organization (WHO) has started to classify since 2018.
To get this type of diagnosis, according to the WHO, “the pattern needs to be severe enough to lead to significant impairment in both personal and professional areas for at least a year.” There’s also a way that the American Psychiatric Association or APA diagnoses the gaming disorder in similar ways. If they seem to exhibit withdrawal symptoms when not playing a game or see a need for playing games instead of entertainment, those are clear signs.
Other signs are losing interest in activities they used to enjoy and having no way of reducing how much they are currently playing video games to the point of playing excessively, knowing they have problems. The diagnosis continues with those that play games to escape from their problems and put their professional lives at risk or deceive people in their personal lives regarding gaming.
More data is coming out about video games and addiction. For example, Mrs. Magali Dufour, a professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal, has reviewed a report where 3% of adolescents may have a video game issue, with just over 18% at a risky point of developing it. She stated, ” Half of either scenario can easily be attributed to video games.”
The way games are developed encourages this activity.
Video game companies have been focusing on ensuring players constantly play what they produce. There are even some major corporations out there that offer up the core games for free and have even evolved to be able to play competitively on smartphones. Of course, consoles dedicated to gaming are still quite popular, but there are different ways now to access many free games as well.
Then there’s the style of the games, such as multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) contests where you compete against others in an electronic sports format or massively multiplayer online games with persistent worlds, allowing you to build up your digital community and presence.
“These worlds grow even when not playing, having players check in from time to time as their obsession grows.”
Mr. Miguel Therriault, who is a Professional Services Coordinator at Le Grand Chemin, explains it best. “Let’s look at a teen playing online with his friends. These days there’s no way to ‘pause’ a game online, so if he says he and his friends will ‘die in the game,’ it can happen and ruin their experience.”
“Video game companies have started to hire not only game designers and developers but also psychologists who focus on behavioural actions, to implement addictive elements in the game and have players produce dopamine levels rapidly.” He adds.
Then there’s the personalization that comes with these modern-style games, all done to play against the habits the gamers have developed. These can include short-time promotions to get back into a game, discounts on in-game items that can help expand the experience and entertainment of the game, and even sending out personal notifications directly to the player to make them want to come back to the game.
Some games will ” punish you for not playing,” according to Mrs. Magali Dufour, in reference to games kicking out players that stay idle for too long in a game.
What are the actual consequences of video game addiction?
How it can physically harm us
Playing too many video games or spending too much time in front of a screen means less time dedicated to physical activity. Since we’re also sitting in a similar position for hours at a time, there are definitely going to be aches and pains in the back, neck, or head. Carpal tunnel syndrome is also possible due to too much computer time.
Other issues can be dry eyes, poor sleep and hygiene and even worse nutrition.
How it can mentally harm us
Addiction to video games can result in a slew of emotional issues, from feeling anxious or irritable when not playing to having unhealthy cravings, and depression also happens when not playing games.
There’s also an isolation factor where we socialize less in person. According to Mr. Miguel Therriault. “a person will dedicate time online to compensate for handling real-life issues. This is similar to other types of substance abuse issues.” It’s cyclical. With less social interaction, there are fewer social invites, which in turn again leads to fewer chances in the future for those invites, thus regressing to the comfort of their games.
It can harm our young
This refers to those that are still developing, such as adolescents. Mr. Therriault calls this debt of time where “time is dedicated so much to gaming that coming of age activities aren’t ever properly experienced, and neither are the skills that are gained from those experiences.” These range from discovering a passion to those initial deep personal relationships such as relationships, leaving them less able to handle similar situations later in life.
It can get expensive
While most video games can be free or come at a reasonable cost, ongoing optional additional costs can also add up. Mr. Therriault explains, “In gambling, you place a bet and can lose it all at once. In video games, there are so many items to buy in a game that you can eventually spend thousands of dollars over time. This is even easier when adolescents spend without any value for money.”
