What is video game addiction?
Video game addiction, also called internet gaming disorder, is a condition characterized by severely reduced control over gaming habits, resulting in negative consequences in many aspects of your life, including self-care, relationships, school and work.
This condition can include gaming on the internet or any electronic device, but most people who develop significant gaming issues mainly play on the internet.
Whether internet and video gaming addiction should be classified as an addiction or mental illness is debated among researchers. Many researchers consider video game addiction a behavioral addiction similar to gambling disorder, in which the rush of winning becomes one of the main reasons for playing.
Others think this comparison to gambling is flawed because there may not be financial or material losses involved with playing video games. In addition, winning a video game may require cognitive skills and sharp reflexes, while winning at gambling is mainly a matter of chance.
Regardless of this debate, any activity or habit that becomes all-consuming and negatively impacts your daily functioning can cause significant mental, social and physical health issues. It’s important to seek medical care if you think your video game habits are taking over your life.
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Who does video game addiction affect?
Video game addiction can affect children, teens and adults, although adults are most likely to have this condition. People assigned male at birth are more likely to have video game addiction than people assigned female at birth.
How common is video game addiction?
Researchers estimate that video game addiction affects between 1.7% and 10% of the U.S. population. The estimated range is large because many researchers disagree on the diagnostic criteria for internet gaming disorder.
