Video Game Addiction: Symptoms, Consequences & Advice

Burrhus Frederic Skinner introduced this theory in the early 19th century. He theorized a way to manipulate a person’s decision making.

The model states that if a person is awarded for making an action, This will condition their mind in a way that they would consider making the action again.

Most addictive games use his findings as a way to manipulate players into spending more time on it.

Not only this, In recent times it has been replaced with an even worse model. Instead of rewarding players for making an action, These video games use an RNG (Random number generator) system for scheduling rewards. Now a player has to make an action and hope to be rewarded. This is very similar to gambling, and that is why it’s a serious concern.

This reward system in many games is designed to frustrate you, so you end up buying the rewards with real money instead of gambling around. Games such as “clash of clans” make millions using this model and it’s surprising no one seems concerned about this.

Below is a video I came across which explains this theory in greater depth.

Emotional or Psychological Symptoms of Video Game Addiction

Before any physical symptoms, the emotional symptoms start taking shape and sends off first warning signals.

These are such that we almost ignore them initially. They grab our attention only when they have assumed gigantic proportions.

It is essential to make a note of them at the starting stages itself. Some of the emotional symptoms displayed are:

• The first sign often seen is a loss of interest in activities which the child or adult enjoyed earlier like playing outdoor and indoor games, indulging in hobbies, chatting with friends, going out, etc.
• The academic performance, as well as interest, take a dip.
• The individual is always thinking about the game and is eager to get back to it whenever offline.
• Feels anxious or depressed when not playing the game.
• Feels and even expresses anger and frustration when not allowed to play the game or unable to play the game. The restlessness of the person crosses the normal level. It may even manifest as aggression against the person stopping him from playing.
• Always dreaming and thinking strategies for the game even when he is studying or carrying out the duties of the job.
• The player gets wholly immersed in the game with deep feelings of euphoria. The individual even forgets about the physical environment. The same happens with his sense of time. It can be hard to keep track of time while playing these games; A distortion happens where hours seem like minutes. Gradually, the person loses all personal control when playing the game.
• Another common symptom is justifying playing and downplaying the addiction. If the family member point to his getting engrossed and almost addicted to the game. A common justification could be how they play way less than their friends.
• If the server is down or any other situational difficulty prevents the player from playing the game, he/she displays an abnormal display of frustration and anger. The same frustration and disturbed state can be noticed if the player is kept away from the game for a couple of days. It is a tall task for any player to abstain from the game even for a few days.
• Often players lie about the time they spend playing. If they realize the amount of time spent; they may feel guilt but quickly brush it aside and immerse back in the game. Even attempts to quit the game fail and the player inevitably gets back to it.

Overall, video games become the entire world of the individual, and it takes over the real world for the individual. For the player, it becomes the real world and anything taking him away for it triggers a deep and aggressive negative emotion from it.

Physical Symptoms of Video Game Addiction

Alongside the emotional symptoms, physical symptoms also surface.

This happens as a natural consequence of his soul getting wholly consumed by the game.

Few of the symptoms are:-

• The first sign is decreased personal hygiene. His room is often untidy with clothes scattered around, dishes and mugs lying around. While being engrossed in the game, the person does not eat properly or bath properly. He is eager to get back to his game.
• The person starts showing a poor and irregular eating habit. Often the person does not even realize that he/she is hungry and only eats when essential.
• The sleeping habit or pattern of the person suffers a drastic change. He finds it very difficult to sleep in the excitement of the game and tends to awake in the middle of the sleep. More often than not, he dreams of the game and thus wakes up. There is an energy jolt in the person to get back to the game.
• Because of continued play, the eyes of the person often tends to red and dry, and soon headaches and migraines may follow.
• The entire body gets sore and aching due to the sedentary lifestyle and position. Pains in the fingers, neck, back, arms, etc. are common issues.
• The overall health of the person takes a serious dip, and the person may end up looking haggard and tired.
• Abnormal weight gain or weight loss may take place. This happens as the person may forget to eat or take to compulsive eating.
• The player may start suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome. In this, the median nerve passing through the wrist gets compressed, and the person begins feeling pain, numbness or a tingling sensation in the fingers, hands, and arms.
• Various diseases like bursitis, tendinitis and other diseases due to a sedentary lifestyle and stationary position may occur.

Overall the blood flow of the body gets severely affected a numbness starts taking place. Because of it, numbness starts developing in the body and nutrients fail to reach to the various organs of the body. This gives rise to different medical conditions.

Short-Term Consequences of the Gaming Addiction

• Poor performance  The player, be it a child or adult starts shirking his work or school responsibilities, cuts himself away from peers and society and tends to stay in his room gaming. Thus, the work or academics suffer heavily. Moreover, this ceases to be a source of concern for the child or adult.
• Social isolation As already discussed, the person gets wholly focused on forming his virtual relationships. Thus, he isolates himself from his friends and family. Even if he sits with them, he wants to talk about games exclusively. In case, any person speaks against it, he takes an aggressive stance and is ready to take on a dangerous fight. This alienates the person from his friends and family.
• Financial issues Once the person becomes a victim of gaming isolation, he/she readily invest in all equipment and gadgets which would enhance his gaming experience; Gaming Keyboards, Mouse, Monitors, etc. cost a lot of money. Other financial needs take a severe dip. Initially, the problem is small but takes an ugly turn if neglected for long.
• Health problems Sitting in one position and continue playing the game gives rise to general sore and ache in the body, eating disorder, headache, sleep disruption and all other roots of health problems start taking shape which takes on a dangerous turn if continues for a long term.
• Behavioral problems As the addiction starts taking shape, you can start to notice behavioral problems. The only euphoria they experience is in the game. Thus, they refuse to socialize or mingle with the family or friends. If they are stopped from playing, you can expect a display of a wide variety of negative emotions like anger, frustration, obstinate behavior where they insist in being allowed to play to even violent behavior like verbal abuse or even a physical fight. It can often end with them justifying their behavior, defending the game or also feeling guilty about spending long hours playing.

Long-Term Consequences of the Gaming Addiction

If the short-term consequences are ignored and allowed to persist, it takes on a gigantic proportion as a long-term consequence. Few of the consequences worth throwing light on are:-

• Financial consequence A gamer usually starts getting obsessed with getting the latest gadgets that would enhance his gaming experience and give him an edge over other players. Since the equipment is often expensive, they start creating a big financial hole after an extended period. This can cause a financial crisis in the family.
• Health issues Serious diseases like carpal tunnel syndrome and all other illnesses mentioned start surfacing. Along with physical illness, mental illness also starts taking an aggressive turn. The person just cannot quit the game despite the mounting problems. He loses the sense of realm time and almost breathes every single breath in his virtual world. Various mental issues like aggression, anxiety, depression, etc. start ruling him.
• Social issues By becoming a slave to the game, the gamer starts losing on quality time with friends, families, relatives, etc. Gradually this leads to social isolation and the person starts displaying all metal issues and loneliness despite him claiming to an uncountable number of online friends.
• Combating the Addiction It is only in 2018 that video gaming addiction has been diagnosed with a mental disorder. To first treat, we have first to pay attention to the details and diagnose addiction. This is no particular hard and fast rule or testing methods which can confirm the dependence. One can play a game continuously for the whole day and is comfortable staying away from it for a couple of days to a week. Thus, it cannot be classified as an addiction. To combat the disease, the best way is to take preventive measures in the first place so that the addiction does not take place.