A significant moment in the existence of the virtual world was the introduction of games that took place in real time. This brought billions in profit to the developers of electronic gadgets, but was a psychological blow to the unprepared psyche of society. Someone without any problems used unusual games and then continued their usual life, while another person disappeared at the computer for days, forgetting about everything else. What is addiction to games and how to deal with it?
What is it?
Addiction to games is a form of psychological deviation. It consists in an excessive love for virtual shooters, fights, races and beyond.
In the dangerous category of entertainment, the first place is occupied by network games. No matter how strange it may sound, but even too long gameplay could lead to a tragic end. October 2005 was remembered for the fact that a minor girl died in China. The investigation found out the incredible details of the incident: the child played World of Warcraft for several days in a row, and during this time he never drank water or ate. In her honor, the developers of the game introduced a virtual funeral.
How much children and adolescents depend on the ability to play on the computer
The modern young generation spends at least 6 hours at the computer or telephone during the day! Electronic devices have a huge impact on the fragile children's psyche, and often increase their own parents. The main reason is that it is difficult not to succumb to the temptation to put a child at the computer, but to calmly do other things yourself. So many mothers and fathers enjoy the benefits of civilization, justifying themselves by the fact that it is better for the child to be at home under supervision, than somewhere on the street.
More knowledgeable parents prevent children from playing computer games. This is a harder way, but it is the most correct one - all you have to do is to optimally allocate your childās free time, determine when he will study, visit his favorite clubs and engage in hobbies of interest, and what time to relax and gain strength. A properly motivated child who knows what to take his time and what can be earned by diligence in studies will not depend on the number of hours spent at the computer.
Abandoned adolescents who lack attention from close friends, notorious or embroiled in society, and those who acutely feel a lack of anything in real life, fall into the group of children who are addicted to gaming addiction to computer games. Virtual worlds provide an opportunity to forget at least for a while about your problems, plunging into a non-existent reality.
The first signs of gambling addiction and preventive measures
A sick child begins to complain of weakness, frequent pain and dizziness. Developing addiction leaves no free time for hygiene procedures or chatting with friends. The child prefers a laptop and a phone, interrupting irregular snacks and refusing another pastime. In the presence of such symptoms, we can safely say that there is a dependence on computer games in a teenager. Do not ignore this!
In order to protect a young gamer from a similar trap, it is necessary to strictly control the time that he spends at the computer. Scientists have long proved that at least seven years old is better not to allow a child to virtual games. If such isolation is impossible for some reason, it is advisable to impose restrictions on the āInternet timeā of up to 30 minutes for younger students, and up to an hour for older classes. But in this case, in order not to spoil the relationship with the child, you need to provide him with a suitable alternative, such as a section that has long been interesting or classes on paid courses. A good substitute can be family games or chatting with friends. Feeling necessary and directing unrealized energy into a more useful direction, the child will not plunge into the world of virtual entertainment.
The development of addiction to games in adults. The essence of the problem
The gaming industry has long passed the bar for children's entertainment. The developers, trying to increase their audience, adapted some of the virtual games to the more finicky preferences of adults. Their efforts were crowned with success. Although in theory it seems impossible that the formed person will waste his time, but most of them are still hooked on the āgame needleā. And this is fraught with a lot of problems.
Why are there so many adults, sometimes even older people, among people with a gaming addiction to computer games? The reasons for this occur on the surface. Virtual existence is much simpler than real life. It is easy to realize all your desires, and any modesty and low self-esteem cannot become an obstacle. On the computer territory no regalia are needed, and therefore it is much easier to achieve a significant status and an enviable position. Therefore, an unrealized adult personality is easily influenced by virtual perspectives.
The category of potential victims of the gaming industry includes people with a minimum outlook. Most of the society is engaged in interesting activities: reading books, knitting, making wooden fakes, and so on. They have something to take their free time, so they are unlikely to pay attention to computer games. If a person could not find an occupation close to him in spirit, then it is not surprising that he begins to sit more and more time on the phone and laptop.
An equally common reason for dependence on games is a lack of communication. If a particular person does not have the usual circle of friends or family, he tries to get the missing social interaction in virtual worlds that take place in real time. Groups of players gather here to discuss gameplay details and real-life news.
Reasons for craving for games
Some factors in real life can contribute to the development of a painful craving for games. Leading positions are occupied by certain traits of a human character: an unstable psyche, an incompletely formed level of self-control, unfulfilled desires in real life, and so on.
The following are psychological issues. These include various phobias, pathological conditions of anxiety and depression. Stepping into the vastness of the virtual world, people with mental problems protect themselves from the influence of real life, realize themselves and achieve a more stable state of mind, but for a very short time.
A less common reason for this addiction is virtual rewards. Many games have a built-in reward system for certain actions, which attracts people to continue the game process. Getting the next reward and waiting for the next one causes a certain reaction in the human body that increases the concentration of dopamine (the so-called pleasure hormone) in the blood. The body gets used to the pleasant sensations, and in the future requires a repeat dose. A similar reaction occurs in novice addicts who regularly use specific drugs.
There are more commonplace possibilities for developing addiction to games - inability to manage oneās time or an overly strong passion for the Internet.
Developmental stages
Experts have identified certain points that can hint to people around that they are obsessed with addiction to computer games. What to do with it varies from what stage the patient is in. Let's consider them in more detail:
- initial - a person periodically plays computer games, but does not attach much importance to it, and after the completion of the next cycle he quickly forgets about them, doing other things;
- enthusiasm - the ability to play on the computer becomes a mandatory daily activity; if for some reason it is not possible to reach it, then time for other necessary things is cut off so that there is a chance to plunge into the next game;
- peak of dependence - the patient plays at the slightest opportunity, neglecting the desire to eat or satisfy other basic needs; he devotes a minimum of time to sleep, does not pay attention to hygiene at all, and when trying to remove the distracting factor, he aggressively throws himself, protecting the electronic gadget;
- fading of attachment - a person gradually moves away from his painful hobby, recalling real affairs; this is a very precarious position, and with the slightest irritant, the patient can come back: a new version of the game, problems in the family, and so on.
The transition from the third to fourth steps may take several days or a couple of decades. During this period of time, a person can cause irreparable harm to himself.
Game addiction signs
There is still no specific opinion on whether such obscurity should be considered a disease or not. But the psychiatrists who are in the association of ARA do not deny the negative consequences resulting from excessive enthusiasm for virtual games. This is a minimal dream, dismissal from work, lack of personal hygiene and so on. Therefore, the treatment of addiction to games remains a pressing issue.
ARA created a special list of conditions for diagnosing a personās condition. If a patient who has been examined by them has at least some of the symptoms indicated in him, then he is unconditionally recognized as a gamer:
- The patientās thoughts are fully occupied with games. Even doing other things, he constantly waits for a free minute to play.
- The obsessed constantly delves into a feeling of aggression, anxiety or longing if he is distracted from the gameplay or there is no way to play for a long time.
- A potential gamer regularly increases the time spent at the computer, and plans to purchase a more powerful gadget.
- Even under the influence of craving for the game, a person understands that less time should be spent at the computer, but he is not able to overcome himself.
- The patient gradually forgets about other interests and close surroundings, spending more and more time playing games.
- The gamer cannot give up his dependence, even when the quality of life begins to suffer: irregular sleep, job loss, impending financial bankruptcy, conflicts within the family, and so on.
- A sick person does not tell the truth about the amount of time spent at the computer, deceiving in a smaller direction.
- With the help of the game, the patient tries to forget at least for a while about current problems and his tormenting feelings.
- The patient plays, knowing that he will soon lose his job, will not see people close to his heart, and so on.
Scientific evidence for the existence of such traction
A curious experiment has been documented. Specialists of the Charite educational institution gathered a training group of 20 people who for some time were shown electronic pictures of their favorite virtual entertainment. They reacted in the same way as alcoholics or drug addicts with experience at the sight of their favorite dose.
Nottingham Trent University has in its arsenal a similar study with a wider audience of 7,000 people. 12% of people met all the requirements of gamers, 19% of them, concurrently users of the social network Facebook, found signs of a strong craving for games.
But along with fans of this theory, there are its opponents. Some scholars think that the criteria by which people obsessed with the computer world are looking for overstate the prevalence of this addiction. As evidence, they cite the fact that the symptoms of gambling obsession are very much like drug addicts or ludomania, but certainly not people who are passionately passionate about computer games. That is, we can conclude that we are talking about a disease.
Although addiction to games is not recognized as an independent disease, dozens of doctors confirm the fact that excessive enthusiasm for the virtual world can be dangerous for any person. At a young age, it can develop into mental or physical inferiority, endow with unnecessary complexes, and deprive older adults of their personal lives, put an end to their careers and endow the formed nature with unnecessary aggressiveness. Therefore, his further recovery depends on the close circle of the potential gamer, and in more severe cases, the help of specialists is recommended.
The opinion of experts about gaming addiction
Psychologist Christopher Ferguson believes that virtual entertainment does not affect the quality of life of its participants. Therefore, the phenomenon of addiction to computer games does not need treatment. And all experiments showing overestimated indicators are based on controversial criteria. Gerald Block, a psychiatric doctor, has a different opinion. He puts gambling addiction on a par with the craving for sex products. Therapist Steve Pope supports him, stating that a couple of hours of play is similar in effect to inhaling a small path of cocaine. The negative consequences of such a hobby do not lend themselves to common sense: a sick person gradually refuses all ties with his close circle, does not eat or interrupts with casual snacks, forgets to study, becomes more aggressive, and so on. But his opinion was harshly criticized, accusing him of bias without any significant reason.
Psychologist Ivanov M. S. has his own thoughts on this subject. He warns against participating in role-playing games, as they are based on attracting new people, gradually entering them during the game process, and as a result of the disappearance of their own personality, as a person begins to associate himself with a virtual hero. The main reasons for the popularity of such games are full involvement in the process of virtual life with barely noticeable signs of excitement. Without the help of professional psychologists, such gamers will have a hard time, as their personal lives begin to crumble, they gradually gnaw at dissatisfaction with themselves and longing for unfulfilled desires, social exclusion from society, and so on.
Ivanov, too, was able to consider certain patterns in the development of gambling addiction. He highlighted four main points:
- easy enthusiasm - a habit of regular gameplay;
- strong affection - a person increasingly depends on the time spent at the computer;
- maximum dependence - the patient neglects the basic basic needs in favor of computer games;
- a small attachment - love for the virtual world is gradually declining, and a sick person begins to return to normal life.
Ivanov believes that he has found the main bait, due to the presence of which more and more new players fall into the addiction trap. This is an opportunity to get away from reality, and live a different, more desirable life, associating yourself with virtual heroes.
The personal neurologist of the Baroness, Susan Greenfield, has a similar opinion on this subject. She claims that virtual entertainment leads to mental retardation, as the nervous system is regularly overexcited. The gamer gets used to a regular inflated state, the body begins to depend on such reactions, which can lead to the appearance of dementia. Proving her theory, she recalls the many modern trolls that have filled Facebook, representing a good example of the mental degradation of the younger generation. But they criticized her, and still do not take them seriously.
Douglas Diental became interested in this moment and did a little research. He was assisted by the American Academy of Pediatricians, who tested almost 3 thousand children in detail. The results of this study were disappointing: one out of ten children regularly was in pathological states of anxiety and depression, their interaction with society decreased, and school performance suffered. In search of the cause of each particular case, the doctor constantly came across the presence of dependence on the childās favorite virtual game. That is, the situation could go to the limit if it were not to intervene. After treatment for addiction to games, the child himself returned to normal life.
Disease or not?
None of the official documents contain information on the recognition of gambling addiction as a real disease. Even the international classification of diseases does not accept such a name. But such attempts have been made repeatedly.
Since 2007, the American Medical Association has been investigating the symptoms of gambling addiction. After all the experiments and analyzes, the doctors decided that addiction is not an independent disease. For a more specific solution to the issue, additional analyzes are needed, but the results obtained at the moment do not give significant reasons to consider gambling a psychological disease. Although many experts believe that this is necessary.
To date, there is debate about whether to recognize this phenomenon as a separate disease and whether to think about how to treat addiction to games, or not to waste time, but to begin to eliminate depression and attention deficit disorder, which lead to such consequences.
How in other countries they are trying to deal with the problem
Despite the controversial opinion about gambling addiction, in many countries there are special institutions that help cure or carry out special prevention in the presence of the first symptoms.
Broadway Lodge, an English rehabilitation center, has opened a new, highly specialized department that works only with gamers. Their clients are of different ages, from young children to the elderly. The Korean Ministry of Culture supported this trend by announcing the launch of the Nighttime Shutdown program to combat the phenomenon of gambling addiction. Its action is based on the control of the time spent by gamers of different levels at their computers. If the hacker is under 19 years old, they will block access to all games for 6 hours a day. Other users who abuse gaming processes are gradually losing internet speed, making it impossible to continue participating in them at least until the end of the current day.
In 2007, a children's rehabilitation camp was built in China. Its employees collected young gamers from all over the country, and a psychologist worked with them for 10 days. An equally popular way of fighting is the introduction of a control program in many games that negatively affects the virtual character if the game lasts longer than three hours. The Vietnamese Ministry plans to introduce special restrictions - Internet providers and owners of gaming establishments should not allow players to perform virtual actions from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Representatives of the ministry reassure society, convincing that all actions are aimed at improving the moral image of the young generation. The society was encouraged that soon you would not have to think about dependence on games and what to do if such a disaster affected family members.