How to Overcome Video Games Addiction

No matter how much we may joke about people being addicted to video games, some people actually are addicted.  Video game addiction is a real and while games are not the underlying cause of the addiction, they become the equivalent of a drug and perpetuate that addiction.  Video game addiction is similar to any other addiction in that if a person, young or old, male or female, is predisposed to addictive behavior--such as having a parent who exhibits addictive behavior--they are more likely to become an addict themselves. 

Don’t think that because the gamer’s drug of choice is pixels and points that the problem is any less severe than alcoholism or drug addiction.  There have been documented cases of people losing their jobs, their families, and even committing suicide because they have divorced themselves from the real world and spent far too much time in the digital realm.



Why are games addictive? 

As I said above, the games themselves aren’t addictive, though developers do try and make their games as interesting as possible.  In the end though, they are just a product and any manufacturer is going to want to make their product attractive to the consumer.  That’s why marketers employ fuzzy little teddy bears to sell fabric softener and happy-faced clowns to sell cheeseburgers.  However, it has been shown that while playing video games, the human body responds in much the same way it would as if the situations were real.  The excitement level is raised, heart rates increase, galvanic skin response is heightened, and the dopamine levels in the brain shoot through the roof.  Dopamine is a mood regulated drug that the body produces naturally and is associated with feelings of satiation and pleasure.  High dopamine levels are also associated with diseases such as eating disorders and excessive thrill-seeking.

In essence, the more a potential addict plays, the more they immerse themselves in a digital world, the more irresistible their dopamine “high” becomes.  When they are pulled from the game, they experience a crash and all of the classic symptoms that are associated with it:  headaches, irritability, mood swings.

While addiction can occur while using any sort of digital media, the most prevalent cases or those that involve online games such as MMOs and RPGs like World of Warcraft.  This is because the extra added level of emersion produces a greater “high” and allows the player to more easily “escape from reality” into a digital realm.  Also, it’s easier for players to fool themselves into believing that there game interactions are healthy simply because they involve real people on the other end of the firewire cable.


How to diagnose gaming addiction?

Because gaming addiction is really just addiction with games substituted for drugs, alcohol, or food, the symptoms are much the same and include:
1)    Continual thoughts about the game even when going about everyday life (this is a big indicator as it mirrors an alcoholic’s obsession with finding their next drink.)
2)    Missing real life activities such as school, work, and social obligations to pursue gaming activities.
3)    Using games for extended periods of time (more than 3-5 hours per day or more than 3-4 days per week.)
4)    Spending real money on in-game items (made popular by World of Warcraft and the hordes of weapon and magical item vendors on Ebay.)
5)    Referring to or replacing real life people with online or digital counterparts (ever hear a story of someone marrying their WoW fiancée in the real world?


Healing Gaming Addiction

Now that you know the symptoms of gaming addiction, how do you go about the healing process?

The most effective models come from existing “twelve-step” type programs.

The most important aspect of these methods is to break the relation between the game and the dopamine induced “high” or good feelings that one gets from playing the game.  To do that, you have to do two things:  cut the usage of the medium drastically (maybe even altogether) and replace the activity with one that’s healthy and well-adjusted.

Some folks, even former gaming addicts, advocate quitting cold turkey.  Delete the game from your hard drive, erase your player data, and destroy your online gaming account.  While some players may choose to try and wean themselves off a certain game, it may be hard to do with the temptation laying at their finger tips.  Even temporarily suspending usage (either voluntarily by just not participating in gaming activities or giving someone else possession of your gaming machine) may help in the weaning process.

Cultivating another hobby can also be very helpful in this endeavor.  However, it’s important not to substitute one addiction for another.  Don’t simple switch from WoW to another MMO.  That is actually backtracking.  Try finding activities that are “force” social interaction or provide real value such as artwork, crafts, volunteerism, or sports.  That may not be as hard as you think—a key to most online games is social interaction.  That interaction only turns sour when divorced from reality.  So getting a gaming addict to get out and make new friends may seem impossible at first, but they may actually enjoy the experience once the ball is rolling.

However, if the hobby you choose perpetuates the anti-social behavior, choose another one.  Don’t send a FPS addict to play paintball and expect them to be cured, unless they’re also joining their paintball buddies off the field of combat.

Another thing that’s helpful is avoiding people who perpetuate the bad habits.  Gamers form tightly knit communities around themselves and having a person trying to overcome addiction while all of their friends are talking about what they did in WoW last night or how they reached level 32 by grinding that dungeon five times in a row will not help!  It may be beneficial for the gamer addict to spend time away from their friends or even substitute new friends completely.

It may also be beneficial to seek professional help.  Mental health services for video game addicts are not yet mainstream within the human services fields.  However, there are a growing number of health professionals that recognize the reality of it.  It may be difficult to find resources at first but the first place you should try is perhaps your family doctor.  They will at least be able to point you in the right direction.

The most important part in breaking the cycle of addiction is recognizing the problem.  If you or anyone you know is exhibiting the symptoms mentioned above, don’t take the situation lightly.  Gaming addiction is real, it is hurtful, and can even be deadly.

The second most important step is never giving up.  If you can’t break the habits yourself or with the help of friends, seek professional help.  If it doesn’t work the first time, try again.  Addiction may be caused by a mental predisposition and many addicts find themselves struggling with their issue for their entire life.  That doesn’t mean the problem cannot be overcome and it doesn’t mean that a former addict can’t live a healthy and prosperous life. 

Video games can be a load of fun but the key is to enjoy them in moderation.  If you start to feel they are taking over your life or the life of a loved one, get educated and take back control of that life—put video games in their place.