Updated on 4/28/21

Video games can provide a reprieve from our stressful day-to-day life. They allow us to escape into a fantastical, post-apocalyptic landscape in theFalloutseries, or slay dragons and romance warriors inElder Scrolls: Skyrim. We can play with our peers or even make new friendships in massive multiplayer online games likeFortniteandAmong Us.

Video games offer a variety of virtual experiences, all designed to glue us to the screen in awe and admiration. As the gaming industry continues to grow, we should ask ourselves about the psychological implications of gaming; what’s wrong with a little make-believe? Psychology researchers are trying to find out.

What is Video Game Addiction?

The question that researchers face is whether the anxiety around the possibilities of “video game addiction” is anything more than a fear of new technology. To qualify as an addiction, gamers play compulsively despite harmful consequences they’re experiencing. But are there any harmful consequences to video gaming? Experts are torn on the topic.

Professors and researchers Patrick Markey and Christopher Ferguson rejected the idea of video game addiction in aNYT opinion piece. Their argument is grounded in the fact that dopamine derived from video gaming is not higher than that derived from watching a funny video or eating a slice of pizza, which is not the case for drugs that are addictive. Playing a game in a virtual world is a pleasurable activity, so it’s natural that we want to play more.

The question then stands, can a seemingly endless binge of multiplayer games likeWorld of WarcraftorCall of Duty: Warzonebe classified as an addiction?

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) includesinternet gaming disorderin the DSM-5 section of disorders requiring further research. In 2016, a large study designed to determine if internet gaming disorder qualifies as a potential psychiatric diagnosis found little evidence of any harmful effects resulting from prolonged gaming. In fact, it was found thatonly up to 1% of the gaming population “might” qualify for a potential acute diagnosis of Internet gaming disorder, meaning that even that little fractionmightnot qualify for apotentialpsychiatric diagnosis. Still, for the vast majority of the studied population negative impacts were hardly discovered.

What are the signs of video game addiction?

Currently, the DSM-5’s diagnostic criteria requires meeting five of the following criteria within one year:

In the study, about three times as many gamers reported increasing their play time than games who reported that gaming put their social relationships at risk. In contrast with gambiling, the only behavioral addiction in DSM-5, the acute prevalence rate of online gaming is significantly lower. Online gaming, then, is significantly less addictive than a comparable behavioral addiction.

Do video games cause an addiction?

Potential benefits to video gaming

Increasing Concerns About Video Game Addiction

Still,the prevalence of clinical video game addiction remains low and below 1%, although studies attribute a slightly higher percentage to ‘problematic gamers’. Video game use is comparable to extensive internet use, which we see across the board and mainly with younger populations. Even if extensive/compulsive video game use does not qualify as an addiction, research shows that extended playtime can lead to some serious side effects.

What happens when you get addicted to video games?

In a 2015 study of 2,362 gamers, Ortiz de Gortari found that97% of the gamers reported having experienced game transfer phenomenon. Then in a later study she concluded thatgamers experiencing severe symptoms of game transfer phenomena are more likely to have problematic or addictive gaming habits.

Research also suggests that video games can shape our behavior. A study in 2010 concluded thatexposure to violent video games is a causal risk factor for increased aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, and aggressive affect and for decreased empathy and prosocial behavior. Children and adolescents are more likely to play video games for extended periods of time, simply because they don’t share in general adult responsibilities, and therefore they are at a higher risk of developing bad patterns of behavior from the games they play, in addition to developing compulsive gaming habits.

Video Game Addiction Treatment

So, is gaming addiction real? The answer largely depends on who you ask. The research indicates most gamers don’t need to worry about a possible dependency. However, whether or not gaming can lead to or be classified as an addiction, what we know for certain is that video games can quickly eat up your time.

If you feel like your video gaming habits are becoming compulsive, as if you are unable to put the controller down, consider reaching out for help. A common technique mental health professionals use to treat unwanted behavioral patterns iscognitive behavioral therapy. You can start treatment today with anonline therapistto help establish clear boundaries between you and the game.

Our goal at Talkspace is to provide the most up-to-date, valuable, and objective information on mental health-related topics in order to help readers make informed decisions.

Articles contain trusted third-party sources that are either directly linked to in the text or listed at the bottom to take readers directly to the source.

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