The Effects Of Video Game Addiction On Human Body And Mind

Whether gambling, alcohol or shopping, it is surprising to find video games being a part of this growing list. Video game addiction is a growing epidemic that is running rampant through the world, including parts of Asia. Death from video games is becoming more common and sounds like a horror story (Flanagan). Contributing to the increase are illnesses and social disorders, two well-known conditions being social anxiety and depression. By shutting themselves out from the real world, the only light being the screen of their television or computer and eyes glued to the screen, their basic needs are ignored.

In today’s culture, people who regularly play video games have been stereotypically viewed as overweight, lazy, slobs, who can’t keep a job and never leave their homes. However, a majority of the population plays video games or owns a console. These stereotypes mostly apply to PC gamers, and MMO players in particular. While most people don’t develop such severe addictions to the game, there is a group of people who suffer. These people are usually imagined as overweight men in their parent’s basements, sporting acne and greasy hair. There are most definitely people that fit this profile, however, video game addiction can claim many different people from many different walks of life. It is most definitely a serious issue, but some people don’t see the degree to which it affects everyday life. Personally, I feel that I can elaborate on the matter with a different perspective, as I have been closeup and personal to video game addiction.

The videogame addiction may seem funny or ridiculous, but in reality it is a dangerous obsession that truly exposes several needs that have yet to be addressed within the afflicted. Addiction is a damaging problem, and the impact of varying sorts of addictions, such as illegal and

Video game addiction is not yet recognized by the American Medical Association as a diagnosable disorder, but addiction has become a very real problem for many video game players. An addiction is when the person needs more and more of a substance or behavior to keep them going, and if the person does not get more, they can become irritable and miserable. Compulsive gaming meets these criteria, and there have been many studied instances where severe withdrawal symptoms in game addicts are seen when parents take away the child’s electronic gaming system. According to chapter three of the book, a study in Singapore of 3,000 middle schoolers found that the

With the improvement of visual technology over the past ten years has made playing video games almost life like. Children and adults alike spend a vast majority of time playing these games. The more they play, the more addicted they become. According to a study done by addictionrecov.org: “nearly one in 10 youth

According to Document C, “5 percent to 10 percent of...teens are gaming addicts.” This addiction has become a serious problem in recent years. With more games online, creators want to keep players online. “The games are designed to keep you at your computer as long as possible because you can’t win,” according to Liz Woolley from Online Gamers Anonymous. The games are diminishing the players motivation to do anything but play (Document C). This can also be said about internet addiction the constant flood of information and artificial communication to some people can be intoxicating. With the added risks of serious mental and social health problems gaming and extensive internet use may bring with it a new generation of antisocial

Based on Han’s study on university students, he found that there were some differences in brain activity between video game addition players and normal players. Excessive video game players’ brain activity in the anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal cortex was higher than normal players. It was meant that the different form of brain activation will distinguish the addicted player and the non-addicted player. In the study, researchers took fMRI scans of the brains of 78 teenage boys who were addicted to video games and the other 73 were in common condition. The results showed that video game addiction players had stronger connections between several different regions of the brain. It declared that excessive video gaming would lead the player response faster to some events.

International studies have shown that between seven and eleven per cent of gamers show some symptoms associated with addiction. Some teens are heavy users of online role-playing games (RPGs) such as World of Warcraft and multiplayer games such as Call of Duty in which they interact with other players in real time. These teens will often neglect schoolwork and other aspects of their daily lives when they become immersed in these games. The American Medical Association has identified “video game overuse” as ‘behaviour’.

Video Games immerse the player into a completely different world whether it is a first person shooter or a virtual reality headset. There is something attractive about getting away from the real world and experiencing something out of the ordinary. Take the short story, written by Rachel B. Glaser, “The Jon Lennin Xperience” as an example. The main character, Jason, has a younger sister who is constantly playing a virtual reality game where she is dating Kanye West. Jason eventually is sucked into a similar game where he plays as John Lennon. The game engulfs him and he becomes addicted. He spends more and more time on the system and enjoys it more than real life. Video games can be fun and relieve stress, but when played

The controversial topic of video game addiction is what I have decided to focus my multi-genre research project on. Although a multitude of people do not even know of the existence of such a problem in today's society, I can assure you that this is becoming an increasingly greater problem effecting people around the world of all ages. Through my multi-genre project, I intend on proving the uselessness and detrimental qualities of playing video games, and I am going to explore some healthy alternatives to such a problematic habit.

Although the addiction to video games is not fully recognized as a diagnosable disorder, I chose this topic because I know quite a few people that play video games on a regular basis. A few of them have had negative outcomes in either their work or personal relationships, in some cases both, as a result of playing video games daily. I personally have had a similar experience in my relationship with my significant other, although in this case he was the one playing video games and I was the one experiencing the results of it. Recently, I have read several news articles regarding parents ignoring their children and their needs as a result of playing video games. In addition, I have also recently heard of an interesting documentary produced

“You know you 're a serious World of Warcraft player when the game starts interfering with your life. You know you 're an addict when your life starts interfering with the game” (qtd. In Van Cleave iv). This anonymous quote in Ryan G. Van Cleave’s memoir, Unplugged: My Journey Into the Dark World of Video Game Addiction, perfectly describes why game addiction has become an increasing problem in this technology-based world. While it is questioned by some people, whether video game addiction is an actual disorder, one study found dopamine levels increase in a person’s brain, while playing games. Consequently, video game addiction is an actual problem and it should be treated as such because it can correlate to depression, social isolation, violence, lack of success in the education system, and even spending less time taking care of one’s personal hygiene.

Video games may alter the reward processing areas of your brain, potentially leading to addiction, and may desensitize players to violence (Mercola 2017). Desensitizing humans can affect how aggressively act towards others. Longer hours of playing video games can lead to addiction and

Research conducted by Griffiths and Meredith (2009) discussed how many individuals do not consider video game addiction to be valid. Often this is because people tend to link addiction with the abuse of

Although video games are a very popular and innovative form of entertainment, they often can also become problematic in a way similar to an addiction of gambling. This is what's known to some researchers as pathological video game use. Reasons to play video games can include stress relief and relaxation, along with attempting to develop self-esteem, competence, and social interaction. However, another common factor for gaming other than the mentioned reasons stated as such is for pure entertainment. Most studies have shown that video games can have a positive effect on many cognitive skills, but it is an issue when players become addicted. Warning signs of addiction can include immense preoccupation with a game, extensive use of the game as a way to escape reality, Feelings of restlessness, moodiness, depression, or irritability when attempting to cut down use of the Game Attention spans tend to decrease along with a proper sense of personal hygiene. This is an issue that can be triggered when certain needs do not become met. Certain responsibilities become neglected when the player becomes preoccupied.