Gaming Disorder: Myth or Reality?
By Jessica Forney | Level One Editor
December 4, 2018
In June 2018, WHO (World Health Organization) classified gaming disorder as a mental health condition. Since then, there has been debate as to the whether or not video game addiction counts as a mental health problem. A survey went out to thousands of college students, and it presented this question to them:
"The World Health Organization recently declared "gaming disorder" (addiction to video games) as a mental health condition. Do you think this should be considered a mental health condition?"
Both 'yes' and 'no' are even. However, more men said 'no' than 'yes', and more women & nonbinary people said 'yes' than 'no'.
How would you answer this question?
Introduction
What is Gaming Disorder?
According to the World Health Organization, gaming disorder is, "a pattern of gaming behavior (“digital-gaming” or “video-gaming”) characterized by impaired control over 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."
Gaming disorder is essentially game addiction gone out of control. When the behavioral pattern of the gamer results in significant impairment in personal, familial, social, occupational, and educational aspects of the gamer's life, that is when the gamer can be officially diagnosed with game disorder. Also, this behavior would have had to last for at least 12 months before the gamer can be diagnosed. Severe game addiction might share similar behavioral patterns as gaming disorder; however severe game addiction lasts for less than 12 months and is short-term compared to gaming disorder.
Every year, between 3-12% of gamers are addicted to video games
Symptoms
What are the Symptoms?
Physical Symptoms:
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Nausea
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Physical illness (allergies, cold, fever)
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Restlessness
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Headache
Psychological Symptoms:
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Anxiety
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Depression
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Feeling of emptiness
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Irritable
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Insomnia
Behavioral Symptoms:
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A disruption in sleep patterns
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Fantasies & dreams about the game
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Preoccupied thoughts
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Playing games to feel better
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Urge to go back & take control of the game
Social Effects:
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Anger & verbal abuse
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Lack of motivation
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Difficulty in performing tasks
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Social isolation
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Lack of interest in work/school
Social Isolation
Nausea
Insomnia
Preoccupied Thoughts
Depression
Headache
More boys tend to be pathological gamers than girls.
Who is at Risk?
A number of factors can influence who is vulnerable to gaming disorder:
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Age: Typically, adolescents & young adults are more likely to be diagnosed, especially if they are under 18 years old. In the developing teenage brain, the centers that are responsible for impulse control and sound judgment haven’t yet developed properly.
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Gender: Typically, males are more likely to be diagnosed than females or non-binary people. The development process takes longer in males, leaving them at-risk for a greater period of time.
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Other mental disorders: People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism are more likely to be diagnosed, as they both interact with the psychological mechanisms of addiction. People with ADHD are vulnerable to the dopamine-releasing reward structures of some games, and people with autism may be prone to fixation.
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Stress: People dealing with a ton of stress are more likely to be diagnosed, because stress can fuel escapism (people try to avoid their problems in life by immersing themselves in video games). One study found that 41 percent of online gamers played to escape.
Gaming Disorder is very real.
In 2007, Daniel Petric, an Ohio teen, shot his parents after they took away his copy of Halo 3. His father survived, but his mother died. According to the judge, his gaming addiction had grown so severe that he had lost touch with reality, forgetting that, unlike in the game, death is permanent. He received 23 years in prison.
In 2010, Alexandra Tobias shook her baby to death, because the boy's crying was interrupting her game of FarmVille.
In 2014, an unemployed 22-year-old South Korean man ignored his 2-year-old son to play video games at an internet café. He only returned home approximately once every three days to feed the baby, who eventually died of starvation.
Take Action
What Can I do For Someone With Gaming Disorder?
1)
Be more engaged with the gamer in your life. Take the time to learn more about what kind of video games they play and what they enjoy about them. Be proactive instead of reactive and educate yourself on their relationship to gaming.
2)
Don't blame yourself. It’s easy as a parent to feel responsible for the situation you find your child in. It’s important to remember that games don’t come with warning labels and if you knew better you would have done better. You can’t change the past, so focus on what you can do now.
3)
Remember that confrontation isn’t the solution; empathy is. It’s easy, especially if you don’t understand gaming, to become confrontational. Gaming is where the person feels safe and that’s exactly where he or she will return after confrontation and shaming. Focus instead on having a relationship built on trust and rapport, so the person knows you’re there for them if they are ready to talk about it.
4)
Think of gaming like sugar. There’s a difference between your loved one wanting to game and their brain wanting to game, and modern games are designed to hook a gamer. Modern games are designed in a way where overexposure to them can cause structural changes to the brain. Think about gaming like you think of foods filled with sugar: If you have a lot of sugar, you will experience cravings and saying no to cravings is often very hard.
Be informed and pay attention to the gamer. Set limits on the device they are using to play the game, and be patient with their recovery.
Games are just the activity; the problem is that gaming is filling specific needs for the person you love. If you want to help them overcome their gaming addiction, identify the needs the games fulfill and how you can help them fulfill their needs in alternative ways.
5)
Sources
http://www.who.int/features/qa/gaming-disorder/en/
https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?geo=US&q=game%20disorder
http://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/EF2018_FINAL.pdf
https://www.statista.com/statistics/189582/age-of-us-video-game-players-since-2010/
http://www.techaddiction.ca/video_game_addiction_statistics.html
https://daily.jstor.org/is-video-game-addiction-a-boy-problem/
https://www.dualdiagnosis.org/problem-gaming-player-one-continue/
https://www.addiction.com/expert-blogs/13-things-to-remember-if-you-love-a-gaming-addict/
https://www.yourfamily.co.za/family-life/11-video-game-addiction-symptoms-in-kid
https://twitter.com/cadabams/status/1014503112437100544
Pulse Survey
All photos were taken by Jessica Forney and all artwork/visualizations were made by Jessica Forney
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