Video Game Addiction

Playing is a fundamental element for the healthy development of the person: through playing, the child learns rules and indispensable roles in the processes of identification and socialization. Today the game is, more and more often, constituted by the videogame, which represents an irresistible and immediate opportunity to respond to the “playful need” both in adults and in children and teenagers.

If we think of traditional games and modern virtual games, we can identify some substantial differences:

• Traditional games favor socialization, while video games are more “experienced” in solitude (or in the illusion of a long-distance relationship)
• Traditional games stimulate identification with real people even if they play different roles, while in video games, the risk is to identify with virtual characters, often endowed with magical powers or immortality, which in the most severe cases can lead to the emulation of actions dangerous
• Traditional games represent a link between generations, as they are often handed down from parent to child, on the contrary, virtual games usually have the effect of “separating” the generations
• Violent or openly aggressive actions rarely develop with traditional games, while in video games; this type of action is widely spread and appreciated.

In light of these fundamental differences, it is not difficult to imagine the psychological and physical problems that addiction to video games can lead to. Among the main consequences can be:

• School and work difficulties, such as insufficient attention, concentration, learning difficulties, etc.
• Impairment of social relationships through isolation quarrels over grabbing video games, relationships focused on virtual communication, in the case of role-playing games.
• Health impairment (e.g., overweight due to sedentary lifestyle)
• Sleep, eating, or mood disorders
• Psychic problems of a dissociative nature reduce the faculty of criticism or detachment from reality: spending many hours in front of a video game can cause a fracture between the real and virtual world and, especially in adolescence, compromise. Healthy development of identity.
• Financial difficulty: Video game addiction can often have similar effects as a gambling addiction. People tend to spend ever-increasing amounts on video games, especially with the rise of microtransactions. For example, a gamer that was addicted to Path of Exile, a fantasy RPG, spent upwards of a hundred thousand dollars on the path of exile currency, which does not have any real-life value usable in the game.

Like any addiction, video game addiction also involves phenomena of tolerance (the person is forced to gradually increase the “doses” of time spent playing to obtain the desired level of excitement) and abstinence (the person manifests psycho-physical symptoms such as restlessness, agitation, difficulty concentrating, sleep and mood disorders, obsessive thoughts related to video games, when unable to play). Furthermore, there may be a tendency to engage in “illegal” actions (e.g., bullying) or lie to get money for video games. 

How do you identify a person addicted to video games? Here are the main signs of recognition:

• He spends a lot of time in front of video games (or would devote it if he were not prevented)
• Tends to fall asleep at school, at work, or while doing other activities
• Neglects activities, such as study and work, and other interests such as sports, friendships, hobbies
• He prefers to be in front of the video game rather than spending time with friends
• Shows a withdrawal from other social activities
• Play secretly
• He tends to be apathetic or short-tempered when unable to play
• Gets angry when interrupted while playing or when prevented from playing
• Tends to have game-focused thoughts and fantasies, even when engaging in other activities
• He tries to always to get new video games, or insists on buying them
• If he can afford it, he spends considerable sums of money on video games
• Has alterations or abnormalities inhabits (nutrition, personal hygiene, physiological functions, sleep)
• Have physical symptoms, such as headache, back pain, neck pain, red eyes, visual disturbances, carpal tunnel syndrome.

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