Video Game Addiction: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Spending too much time in front of the screen playing video console or computer games takes its toll.

Addiction to video games has become one of the most worrying issues for many parents who are alarmed by the time their children spend playing this form of entertainment. alarmed by the time their children spend playing this form of entertainment. Although it is clear that the degree of dependence that can be generated with this type of entertainment is not comparable to that which appears with drug use, it is true that the obsession with this activity can have serious consequences on the quality of life of young people.

In this article we will review the characteristics of video game addiction, what makes it go from habit to a trap from which it is difficult to escape, and the methods used to intervene in this problem and break this vicious circle.

What is video game addiction?

Throughout the world, many young people have turned video games into one of their main hobbies, just as in other cases it is soccer or skating that occupy a large part of their leisure time.

In fact, what was once a pastime with bad press and socially unacceptable, has now become so normalized that there is a whole subculture that claims that video games are a way of life. that there is a whole subculture that openly claims this kind of entertainment, and there are even tournaments and championshipsThere are even tournaments and world championships focused on specific video games; this is what is known as eSports).

However, the fact that many people value very positively the daily use of this form of entertainment does not make video game addiction cease to exist.

The addiction to video games is what happens when the dependence towards video games becomes so intense that at least four hours a day are dedicated to this activity, implying the neglect of all kinds of obligations and responsibilities.

Symptoms

Among the symptoms of the addiction to the video games they emphasize the following ones.

1. Social isolation

Addiction to video games increases social isolation, which translates into loss of contact with friends and family. In turn, social isolation can be one of the causes that lead to video game addiction, since video games can be both solitary entertainment with which to spend time obtaining pleasure in return, as well as a means with which to interact indirectly with friends and family. a means with which to interact indirectly with other people (in the case of online games (in the case of online games).

2. Deterioration of academic performance

Time spent playing games results in time and effort not being invested in studying, academic performance and delays the learning of competencies and skills that are promoted through education. of the competencies and skills that are promoted through education.

3. One of video game playing as compensatory behavior.

The use of games can be a resource to channel stress and anxiety derived from other day-to-day problems, such as living in an unstructured family or suffering from mistreatment in house or bullying in the school..

4. Loss of the notion of the time

The addiction to the video games makes that one loses the control of the management of the time, so that the ability to keep track of the hours that have passed during the game worsens and one loses sight of the fact that this slows down other activities.

5. Postural Pain and diseases

Spending many hours at a time playing video games in front of the TV or computer can lead to the development of bone, joint or circulation problems. develop bone, joint or circulation problems, especially in the back, thighs and hands.especially in the back, thighs and hands.

6. Outbursts of anger in the face of limitations to play

When certain situations cause the game to end or to be hindered, this generates a level of frustration that can result in a level of frustration that can lead to outbursts of anger or even physical aggression or even physical aggression against other people, as well as hitting against parts of the building or objects.

What keeps us hooked to the screen?

It is true that most video games are designed to be used for relatively long games, or to offer the possibility of playing several games in a row with very little delay. For example, those that offer immersive experiencesexperiences, such as The elder Scrolls V: Skyrimit is possible for the game to last all afternoon, while in others, such as Hotline Miamieach game lasts from several seconds to a few minutes, although there is less than a couple of seconds of loading time between games.

On the other hand, the mechanics of most video games focus on giving rewards for progressing and overcoming for progressing and passing tests. For example, beating certain records or overcoming certain enemies allows us to access new areas to explore or game modes that we had not unlocked. This, coupled with an ascending difficulty curve (it gets harder and harder to progress, but at the same time we learn more and more about how to overcome the game's challenges) makes everything revolve around operant conditioning.

Normally we can disconnect from this habit, but in other cases the desire to receive more rewards leads us to want to play more and more of the options offered by these games, without devoting time to think about other things.

On the other hand, the addiction to video games, like many other forms of habit dependenceleads us to fall into a dynamic that traps us and, over time, worsens the prospects of getting out of that trap. This is so because as we internalize the importance of playing video games, recurring thoughts linked to that activity become more and more frequent, and everything makes us remember those games or imagine how much fun we could be having if we were in front of the screen.

Treatment of video game addiction

Beyond the psychological intervention conducted by professionals, which is the recommended option when the addiction to video games is very intense, there are other measures that can help to combat this tendency to abuse computer games or video game consoles. this tendency to abuse computer or video game console games.. The main ones are the following.

1. Preventing the purchase of more games

The fact of not being able to have access to more games for an indefinite period of time makes the number of rewards and new stimuli to choose from limited, so that playing the same game all the time is a tedious experience.

2. Inviting other hobbies

Occupying time with other activities helps to break the cycle of play, as it presents other routines and stimulating thoughts. presents other routines and stimulating thoughts..

3. Limit time

It is preferable to let the game play for a limited time than to cut off the possibility of continuing to play, since the latter produces such hostility that the situation is seen as a direct confrontation. is seen as a direct confrontation in which anything goes in order to break the rule.