Video Games Addiction

Video games addiction is a current non-chemical addiction that has raised heated controversies among various scholars in multiple disciplines. Even though video games addiction has not been recognized by major bodies such as American Medical Association as a diagnosable disorder, it has become an increasing concern among different societies around the globe. Video game challenge affecting the population across all the ages but it is common for teenagers and pre-teens. The addiction caused by video games meets the criteria for the dependence syndrome as defined by World Health Organizations (WHO). WHO identifies the dependence syndrome as the psychological, cognitive and behavioral occurrence in which the use of substance takes higher priority for a given person than other behaviors that once mattered most to that specific individual (Excessive computer game playing, 2006).. Although the compulsive use of video and computer games does not involve the use of substances, the actions portrayed by the addicted video games such as giving up on hobbies, dropping out of social network and living isolated lives vividly indicate the addiction concept in the video games.

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Compulsive use of video and computer games can be compared to other substance addiction because people addicted to video games and those addicted to the use of materials portray similar behaviors. The users in both cases can become violent; they neglect work, friends, hobbies, education, social networks, and families (2009, Game addiction) Video games addiction is becoming rampant because rarely do the parents notice that their children are engaging in excessive use of their laptops and mobile phones. It is easy for a parent to see when their children start abusing drugs and when they are drugs addicts that for the video games.

The reason is that, when children begin involving excessively with video games, they may get home early, stay indoors most of the time and have a minimum time for friends. They tend to remain in their rooms most of the time hence the parent hardly notices what is going through the mind of the child. The involvement of the teenagers to the video games is due to the availability of latest graphics and the strategies of the video games that enable the children to be exposed to new ventures (Video Game Addiction ,2011). Video games usually pose a risk to the children since they are exposed to passive activities like spending time locked up. In essence, you find that the children who are involved in the video games prefer to watch video games rather than include into intense activities like playing sports or even going out with their friends.

When the children involve in the video games, the video games tend to be a compulsive behavior that make them become so enthralled to the world of fantasy that they end up neglecting their family, friends, work, and schools. Some of the children go as much as injuring themselves by hitting their hands to the walls or tables, or they can harm themselves by pulling their hair, or pinching themselves. The study shows that there are accidents that have reported by the involvement of the children in the video games. Frequent accidents like burning themselves due to too much concentration on the video games.

The study has revealed that the children who like watching and playing video games will be more exposed and lured to take reckless behavior that could lead to deviancies. The deviant behavior can include drug and substance abuse, reckless driving and indulgence in dangerous gang groups. In essence, the issue of a video game can be viewed as a robust demise that should not be overlooked. The effects might not be seen or felt at first, but the game exposes the children to crimes and other deviant activities.

Research has also examined a wide range of effects that emanate from the video games. Since video games will entail sitting in one place, the children might be exposed to nutrition disorder like obesity. The fact that the children are not involved in active leisure makes their body inactive and thus the energy is retained back in their bodies. In earlier days the issues were that the children used the internet for school work in the form of research. In these days, the children and the teenagers are involved in the video games. The addiction is too much such that even when friends have come to visit, they are always attached to their games. The use of these games makes the children lessen their behavioral issues and the physical activities that might be helpful to them.

Various ways can show that the children are involved in the video games. The signs will be either natural or psychological (Grusserp, 10). In essence, it can be seen that when there is excess time spent and devoted to being on the internet playing games instead of doing other practical activities then the child is addicted to the video game. There should not be more time to spend in the leisure activity as leisure is part of relaxation. When someone note that the children are spending more time than required on the computer playing the games, then he or she should be alert as the children are lead to addiction.

Addiction to video games causes the children to develop strange behavior and being restless when they are not online. Research has revealed that the change of behavior towards the trend is because the children have been making video games as their part of day to day life such that if they dont play the video games, they will still feel as if they lack something. Addiction is where someone gets acquainted with a particular thing such that they cannot be able to function without doing it. Addiction is an adverse effect of individual activity that it takes most of the time that have been located to something else. When this happens, the person experiences anxieties and lack of satisfaction unless the individual does the activity. Addiction to the video games causes the children to go to depression if they are not allowed to get access to the video games.

When the children become so much involved in the video game, they will become so much preoccupied with being online. They, therefore, start fantasizing about some of the behaviors that they think are hilarious or involving the video games. There are some of the video games that include activities that show violence and people killing one another. The game will expose the children to a new field that involve imitating the fiction to their lives. They will, therefore, start indulging in activities like fighting, being isolated and less interest in the family.

Review of literature has been used to examine the effects that are caused by the addiction of the video games. When the child starts to experience weight loss due to skipping of meals, then the child is addicted to the video games (Cover p.6).Another sign includes a change of sleeping patterns. The children will experience these symptoms due to prolonged hours of watching and playing the games. It is therefore in the right framework to deduct that the involvement of the video games will create a lazy generation that will only be composed of video games zombies.

The fact that the video games have adverse effects it does not only imply that the video games are only used to result in adverse effects. When used in limited time and with supervision, a video game can be an act of passive leisure. So that this can be achieved, the online time that is spent should be limited. When the children are exposed to twenty-four hours of online access, they will be tempted to stay watching and playing. The effective way of curbing the problem is making sure that after a while they log out or are forced to turn off the computer (Study Documents Prevalence of Pathological Behavior among Young Video Gamers, 2011). The regulations should be followed to ensure that the stipulated time span is supported.

Measures like making sure the computers are out of the disposal of the children will also act as a regulative process. A lot of children involve in video games due to the availability and affordable internet. The parents and the guardian should be able to talk to their children to find out if they are aware of the internet addiction. If the children or the teenagers are not aware of their situation, they should be made aware and told of the damages the addiction can cause to their lives. With the help of their parents, they should be involved in active exercises that will help refresh their minds and enable them to find a robust activity that they can substitute to the video games. The children or the teenagers can be given a variety of choices like forming a group and playing. The winning team would be promoted by being given an opportunity to play one or two games. The act and approach towards the issue of video games will equip the teenagers with not only healthy exercises but also cure their addiction problem.

For the severe cases like when the teenagers are affected psychologically, the guardian should make plans on getting help from the specialist. The effects should not be allowed to reach unmanageable level. If the level should be attained, then therapy would be the acting strategy to minimize the adverse effect (Top 10 Alternatives to Video Games, 2011). Intense care should be taken when making sure that the teenagers get the help they deserve. All the necessary measures should be employed starting with the outpatient therapy to the application of coping mechanism. It should be observed that video game addiction is just like any other type of dependency, and it should not be out looked. Support should be given so that the child can feel that he or she have got someone to lean on.

About the addiction of video games, a study has revealed that more than 8% of children and teens have been affected by the addiction to the video games With the number rising even higher according to gender, it has been revealed that the boys are more influenced by the video games compared to the girls. The effect can be so since the boys have got fewer household chores compared to the boys. According to the review of the literature, there were underlying issues that showed that as much as the teenagers enjoy playing the video games, one child out of ten experience gaming addiction symptoms. They experience effects like excessive thinking about the game, literary planning on the next game, trying to play more and even failing to do so and becoming restless or irritable when he or she have played less. The teenagers might also steal a game or stealing money so that they can buy a game. To increase the likelihood of gaming addiction, the addicts have got the gaming systems in their bedrooms. The parents should start realizing that the gaming addiction is a vice that will degrade the activeness of the children and the teenagers.

Bibliography

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Cover, R. (2006). Gaming (Ad) diction: Discourse, identity, time and play in the production of the gamer addiction myth. Game Studies, 6(1).

Clark, N., & Scott, P. (2009). Game addiction: The experience and the effects. Jefferson, N.C.:

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Evidence for addiction and aggression? CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10(2), 290-292.

Grusser, S. M., Thalemann, R., & Griffiths, M. D. (2006). Excessive computer game playing:

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Vivo, Meghan. "New Facts about Video Game Addiction: Problem More Widespread Than Expected." Video...