A person is addicted to video games if they play them compulsively or uncontrolled, causing problems in their other lives. With video games becoming more commonplace and often targeted at children, video game addiction has become a growing concern for parents.
Games include computers, consoles, arcade machines, cell phones, and advanced calculators. The social media site Facebook, for instance, can embed games.
Addiction Symptoms
The classification of video game addiction differs between individuals, but research indicates that 4% to 16% of video game players fit the standards for addiction. Thus, it’s difficult to know whether you or someone else is gaming on the heavy or average side.
Video game addictions must be considered not only in terms of the amount of time spent playing, but also in terms of what purpose it serves. Recreational playing of video games may not cause harm or indicate an addiction as part of an overall activity range.
Are you addicted to it?
Addiction to video games is controversial, as with many other behavioral addictions. Even though there is some evidence that video game overuse is an addiction, particularly among young players, long-term research and adequate evidence remain lacking.
Video games are also aggressively marketed by the industry’s own researchers, which suggests there are no adverse effects, despite cautionary messages from groups like the American Medical Association.
Effects adverse to health
The use of video games has been shown to cause the following harmful effects as well as addiction:
Children under 10 are more likely to think aggressively and behave aggressively.
The risk of light-induced seizures, muscular-skeletal disorders of the upper extremities, and an increase in metabolism are also increased.
The level of pro-social behaviour (cooperation) in social interactions has decreased.
It has been found that addicts of video games have deteriorated mental functioning and cognitive abilities compared to people who are not addicted to video games, including impaired impulse control.
Getting rid of game addiction
- The amount of time you spend playing every day should be strictly limited. It is important that teens and school-aged kids don’t spend more than two hours a day in front of a screen, and adults should limit their time sitting in front of a screen as well. Physical activity is equally important for both adults and teens. Playing too much video game is not a healthy habit for anyone, but you can set specific limits on how long you play for each day if you are struggling with this issue.
- Avoid gaming in your bedroom. It is likely that you will be tempted to keep up all night playing a computer game, console, led desk strip lights or any other gaming device you have in your room, instead of getting the sleep you need. To prevent getting caught up in late-night gaming, create a screen-free zone in your room so you won’t find yourself glued to it.
- If you want to prevent yourself from trying to access games, try apps or extensions. You can install apps or browser extensions that will limit the amount of time you will be able to play certain games on your computer or on your phone. In some apps, you can limit how long you are able to use a certain game, while in others, you will be locked out of your device altogether for a predetermined period of time.
- Keep track of your gaming limits by consulting your family and friends so as to avoid exceeding them. If you want to cut down on the amount of time you spend gaming, you need to let your family and friends know you plan to do so. The best thing that you can do for your children is to ask them to check in with you from time to time to make sure that you are not playing games when you should be doing something else.