Do you have a child that spends a lot of time playing video games? Have you ever been concerned that your child spends too much time playing video games? If so, your child could soon be diagnosed with Video Game Addiction, a condition defined as a psychological addiction that is problematic, compulsive use of video games that results in significant impairment to an individual’s ability to function in various life domains over a prolonged period of time. Currently, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) does not recognize Video Game Addiction as an official disorder, but does include “Internet Gaming Disorder” in a section called “Conditions for Further Study,”suggesting that more research be completed before it can be formally classified as a disorder. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized “Gaming Disorder” in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), illustrating the ongoing debate and research within the mental health community about how to classify and understand video game addiction.
Understanding video game addiction
While there might not be consensus (yet) when it comes to formally classifying video game addiction, there is general agreement amongst experts that excessive video gaming can lead to serious mental health problems. The American Psychological Association (APA), the main professional organization of psychologists in the United States, offers the following nine guidelines when assessing the degree and extent that your child may be vulnerable to video game addiction and the proposed Internet Gaming Disorder:
- Pre-occupation. Do you spend a lot of time thinking about games even when you are not playing, or planning when you can play next?
- Withdrawal. Do you feel restless, irritable, anxious or sad when attempting to cut down or stop gaming, or when you are unable to play?
- Tolerance. Do you feel the need to play for increasing amounts of time, play more exciting games, or use more powerful equipment to get the same amount of excitement you used to get?
- Reduce/stop. Do you feel that you should play less, but feel challenged to cut back on the amount of time you spend playing games?
- Give up other activities. Do you lose interest in or reduce participation in other recreational and social activities due to gaming?
- Continue despite problems. Do you continue to play games even though you are aware of negative consequences, such as not getting enough sleep, being late to school/work, spending too much money, having arguments with others, or neglecting important duties?
- Deceive/cover up. Do you lie to family, friends or others about how much you game, or try to keep your family or friends from knowing how much you game?
- Escape adverse moods. Do you game to escape from or forget about personal problems, or to relieve uncomfortable feelings such as guilt, anxiety, helplessness or depression?
- Risk/lose relationships/opportunities. Do you risk or lose significant relationships, or job, educational or career opportunities because of gaming?
As with all mental health disorders, there are no blood tests or EKG measurements that will reveal whether you are addicted to video games or not, but you can match your habits and related gaming consequences against the list above to see how you stack up — and if there’s a budding problem that needs your attention.
Issues relating to kids specifically
Video game addiction is a problem for people of all ages and walks of life, but perhaps most difficult for kids. We are just a few years removed from the pandemic, and many kids today are still struggling when it comes to socializing with friends, building up self-esteem and confidence, and finding the motivation to go out and do new things. Gaming, something that can be done alone and for hours on end, might provide fun and stress relief from having to interact with others — but it is also those very precise things (lack of interacting with others) that sits at the heart of the argument to officially include video game addiction to the DSM. When kids live chunks of their days in isolation, they lose out of real human interactions that include communicating, problem-solving, using creative energies, and and countless additional life skills! For parents, it is important to not only have regular conversations about the dangers of video game addiction, but to also use caution when creating super-comfy “gaming spaces” at home for your kids that include gaming chairs, mini refrigerators, and other things that incentive your child to play more video games.
Final thoughts
Regardless of whether we recognize video game addiction as an “official” formal mental illness, we do have general agreement among mental health experts when it comes to the impact excessive video gaming can have on mental health. The question in this moment centers around the amount of time that one plays video games daily, and how that decision impacts other activities that are missed as a result? For kids, many important human development milestones could be missed with excessive gaming, including clubs and activities, sports, and formal dances to name a few. It is for these reasons that parents stay observant to the amount of time their kids play video games, and the impact gaming has on their mental health.
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