Although not yet recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as an official addiction, video game addiction can be defined as an obsession or compulsion with computer or video games that interferes with daily life. Video game addiction is not unlike other psychological addictions, such as compulsive gambling. Video game addiction is slowly growing to be a large problem, leading addicts towards terrible physical and social consequences.
But just how terrible can these consequences be? After all, aren’t drug and alcohol addictions a much more deadly and common problem? Not necessarily. On February 22, the Beijing Times reported the death of a 30 year old man who died after playing a video game at an internet café for three days straight. According to witnesses, the man ate and drank very little, and had no sleep whatsoever. He then collapsed into a coma and was pronounced dead later at a nearby clinic. A tragedy like this is not as uncommon as it sounds. There have been multiple reports of people dying from lack of sleep and nutrition due to extended sessions playing video games. Sometimes the tragedy is not the gamer who’s addicted, but their family that is affected. On March 5th, 2010, a South Korean couple was arrested for starving their 3 month year old girl due to neglect. The parents had left the child unattended while they devoted all of their free time playing an online game at an internet café. Ironically enough, the game that they were playing involved raising a virtual daughter. While often these are extreme cases, we cannot deny the power that video games can have over people’s lives.
What is it about these games that make them so addicting that they can push a person to the brink of death? A difficult question, considering there are many different types of video games. Arguably the most addicting type of video game is the Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG). An MMORPG is a type of game where large numbers of players can interact with each other in a virtual world. Often these types of games have the player take control of a character and its actions while being encouraged to interact with other players. For some, this is the hook. Because players are interacting with real people, they can form actual relationships to which they prefer over the ones they have in the “real world”. Some individuals feel more accepted among the virtual community, thus drawing them in again and again. Video game addiction may not just be a social phenomenon. In order to get gamers to keep coming back for more and more, games often utilize a “variable ratio” schedule of reinforcement. What that means in English is that a player receives a reward after a specific and random numbers of actions are carried out. Think of a slot machine. You never know how many tries it will take in order to win money. Sometimes it takes five tries, sometimes fifteen. Regardless, we keep pulling that lever until we get our reward. This is what makes these types of games so addicting.
This is not to say that if you or your child plays video games that you are destroying your lives. Like all things in life, everything should be experienced within moderation. In order to lead happy and healthy lives, we must be responsible in how we act. It is only now that we are beginning to realize that this kind of responsibility pertains to video games. Video games can be a very fun and satisfying hobby, however if abused, can lead to serious consequences. Being aware of this type of addiction can not only help stop yourself, but also a loved one from turning a great pastime into a deadly affliction.
