When the developers of Pong, the first commercially successful video game, finished creating their digital masterpiece in 1972, they could have never imagined the impact that video games would eventually have on American culture. Video games have become so ingrained into our daily lives, regardless if its on console, computer, or handheld devices. In fact, an estimated 155 million people in the United States play video games on a regular basis (Campbell). However, as video games became more visually complex and included more detail oriented content, regular users of games started to play longer hours, forming deeper connections with their virtual characters. This type of behavior exhibited by gamers began to raise a lot of parental red-flags, as the time spent interacting within the virtual game world rose drastically among children and teens. Eventually, gamers were becoming overly enthralled within the virtual world they were traversing and were labeled as video game addicts.
Pong (1972)
According to a report from Mental & Physical Health, "video game addiction can be defined as excessive and compulsive use of computer of video games that result in social and/or emotional problems; despite these problems the gamer is unable to control this excessive use." (Pallesen). Currently, in the United States alone studies have revealed that roughly 3 million people are addicted to playing video games on a regular basis (McElroy). As video games have become more complex in their featured content and graphical display, it really comes as no surprise that some gamers are exhibiting compulsively addictive behavior stemming from the games they play. Certain video games categories like MMORPG's, such as World of Warcraft, rely on gamers to play long hours in order to complete menial tasks, such as building a virtual house. However, due to the compulsive behavior exhibited by the gamers, they feel the need to grind it out, no matter how menial the task is in their fantastical world. As a result of gamers addictive behavior, they neglect family, friends, work, and school; just as any other addiction works.
Just try & drag them away...
Of course, not all gamers can be categorized as video game addicts. Many gamers only interact with their gaming platforms for several hours a week and sometimes they don't even use it for gaming, but streaming and other applications being offered, as well. Instead, addictive behavior is most often displayed in the more "hardcore" gamer. Hardcore gamers, typically prefer games that offer them a sense of complexity and depth to the story, which helps to completely transport them into a virtual world of fantasy. Most often times, hardcore gamers are playing games for hours at time in order to combat their real world issues, like low self-esteem or extreme loneliness. In this sense, hardcore gamers use video games as a platform to escape from their issues, which is considered to be a trait of other addictions like gambling. As a result of displaying traits similar to other addictive behaviors, hardcore gamers are the most in danger of developing strong addictions to the games they play.
the prototypical Hardcore Gamer
Although video game addiction hasn't been officially recognized as a psychological disorder by the American Medical Association, I personally believe that millions of Americans suffer from video game addiction in our current virtually-obsessed culture. Many children, teens, and even adult gamers form deep dependencies on video games. Partly due to the fact that it affords gamers the ability to escape from reality into a world of virtual reality. As a result, these types of more hardcore gamers will feel the need to grind and grind on certain missions or tasks until the early hours of the morning everyday. However, as with all type of entertainment, especially virtual entertainment, the amount of time one spends playing video games needs to be balanced with other non-virtual activities. If more hardcore gamers were to balance their intake of gaming, hopefully we can start to see a reduction in gamers exhibiting addictive-like behaviors. And eventually, start to feel more comfortable being involved in the real world versus a realm of fantasy.
References:
Video Game Addiction. (n.d.) Retrieved November 27, 2015, from http://www.video-game-addiction.org
Campbell, C. (2015, April 14). Here's How Many People Are Playing Games in America. Retrieved November 27, 2015, from http://www.polygon.com/2015/4/14/8415611/gaming-stats-2015
McElroy, G. (2009, April 20). 8.5 Percent on U.S. Youth Addicted to Video Games, Study Finds. Retrieved November 27, 2015, from http://edgadget.com
Pallesen, S., Meen Lorvik, I., Hellandsjo Bu, E., & Molde, H. (2015). An Exploratory Story Investigating the Effects of a Treatment Manual for Video Game Addiction. Psychological Reports, 117(2), 490-495. dos:10.2466/02.PRO.11c14z9
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