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January 23 2016


Is There Such A Thing As Gaming Addiction?

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You may have considered the questions "Is there such thing like a video game addiction?" for either yourself or aging parents. They have been playing for several hours and seem more interested in the overall game than in what is going on in real life or their school studies.

The fast response is to this kind of question is "yes a person can become hooked on video games". Although that is the quick answer, it does not explain many of the issues underlying the concerns of video game addiction. Some researchers happen to be labeling such behavior it as being "Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD)". Even though some researchers have a name for your phenomena, they do not have definitive data supporting the 'Internet Addiction Disorder' being a diagnosis. The research community is still debating the issue. The psychology field often views the behavior as connected with depressive or panic attacks, while downplaying the addiction aspect. Addiction experts go through the addictive behavior pattern and recognize whatever they see. The body of research that exists that relates to games has evolved using the criteria for gambling addictions. The 2 behaviors often share much in keeping.

Addiction experts realize that a person can become addicted to many behaviors. Some behaviors have a very higher addictive potential as opposed to runners. Any behavior that can rapidly change our mood and state of mind has a potential for addiction. Since gaming often includes repetitive behavior routines to the degree that other areas of a persons life are suffering, it shares much that resembles other addictions.

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One of many factors that makes games addictive is the action. Many video games have fast action. When action occurs quickly, it functions to reward anybody playing the game. Comparable to gambling addictions anybody is stimulated by the action occurring and desires more. Despite every one of the activity occurring on screen, the real action is in their head. The person playing devises different options to create more action. Despite all the activity observed on the control pad, the adventure going on in their head is even faster plus more intensive. There is massive planning and problem-solving going on in their head. Those wanting the adventure are actually seeking stimulation of the parts of their brain involved in their game play. Each and every time the brain is stimulated, new brain cell connections are established. Those new connections are actually rewiring their brain and how it processes information. The harder action and play, the harder new neural connections are produced. The person playing the recording games is literally rewiring their brain.

If you could hook up a dog scan of a person's brain while they are playing video games, it would become very apparent what elements of the brain are being stimulated. Your dog scan would also show the extent of the stimulation. The amount of brain chemicals hitting theaters is staggering. The addictionology experts who view 'video game addiction' using this perspective often see little improvements on the brain activity of heavy game users with that regarding gambling addicts.

Since neurotransmitters are more powerful than street drugs, the climate change can be very dramatic. On many occasions, the problem for the video gamer is more often linked to depressed moods or anxiety, instead of the game play itself. It is suspected that the video gamers are using their play to 'self-medicate' or avoid unpleasant emotional mood states. If you watch a video game addict, you will note the mood altering areas of video games. The release from the neurotransmitters creates a visible mood change, and alter in their thinking. Similar to a person can become dependence on a street drug, they certainly so with their own self-produced chemicals. You will also see the drug/addiction seeking behaviors at the same time. Instead of "jonesing" for street drugs, they actively seek out video games for their fix. It's not by accident that people refer to World of Warcraft as "World of War Crack".

Unlike street drugs, drug screen won't provide indications of if someone is addicted to video games. The addition of each of the lights, sounds and vibrations enhance the level of stimulation. With the improvements in 3-D technology, the level of stimulation provided by games has expanded. Many gamers seek a complete sensory experience. Greater potential sources of stimulation the higher. This desire for total sensory experience is part of what motivates vibrating controllers, three-dimensional effects and stereophonic sound. They wish to 'feel' the experience in as many ways as they can. Instead of the lack of stimulation as present in sensory deprivation tanks, these are seeking stimulation in the opposite end in the sensory spectrum.

The issues arise when the volume of play becomes destructive. Once the person neglects hygiene, daily activities, sleep, eating as well as other self-care, they are well en route to addiction. Since game titles are more acceptable stimulation than gambling or drugs, many addictive personalities often turn to this activity to hide or mask their addictions. As an alternative to overcoming their previous addiction, they have transferred it to a new object. If you watch serious game players you will see the many mood altering experiences each goes through when playing their games.

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