Put down that Call of Duty for a second, will ya? Video game addiction is on the move, and it is now recognized by the World Health Organization as an official disorder.
According to the WHO, gaming disorder is “a pattern of gaming behavior characterized by impaired control of gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.”
I’ve never been addicted to games, but I am guilty of binge playing in the past.
I remember gaming marathons back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, when I spent entire weekends with friends playing role-playing Nintendo games such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior. I was always on a conquest to level up with more HP and magic spells and to defeat enemies to gain enough gold to buy a sweet sword or set of armor. In my drinking days, I even downloaded the original Final Fantasy on my Nintendo Wii and played through the whole game while drinking massive amounts of beer. I finally beat it.
But I never stayed up all night. I never cancelled plans to play. There was always a sense of control over my gaming. (Unlike with my drinking.)
Ever since World of Warcraft came out in 2004, the culture of gaming has reached new levels of obsession, as gamers set aside all aspects of life, including sleep, to keep playing and playing. There was even a form of currency exchanging hands as players in places like China spent hours playing the game so gamers in the U.S. and elsewhere could actually buy gold for use within World of Warcraft.
Now there’s gaming rehab. According to an article on WebMD, a rehabilitation center in Amsterdam has created a special program for video game addicts. The article likens video game addiction to gambling addiction in that it affects brain chemistry and dopamine levels.
Kimberly Young, doctor of psychology and clinical director of the , explains the severity of video game addiction as well as the consequences of depriving an addict of games. “They become angry, violent, or depressed,” she tells WebMD. “If [parents] take away the computer, their child sits in the corner and cries, refuses to eat, sleep, or do anything.”
According to the Center for Internet Addiction, some warning signs for video game disorder include playing for increasing amounts of time, thinking about gaming during other activities, gaming to escape real-life problems, anxiety or depression, lying to friends and family to conceal gaming, and feeling irritable when trying to cut down on gaming.
Psychotherapy is a means of treatment. Another resource is Online Gamers Anonymous, founded in 2002, a community of game addicts and those in gaming recovery. Its forums are filled with information helpful to anyone who thinks they may be overdoing it with games. Like AA, OAG is a 12-step program.
I know it’s tempting to play that Super Mario Odyssey over and over and over again, but be careful. Don’t let video games rule your life.
