Video Game Addiction: Do we need a Video Gamers Anonymous? Essay

Video Game Addiction: Do we need a Video Gamers Anonymous? Super Mario Brothers, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Street Fighter are familiar names to nearly all of us. They are all best selling games of major video game consoles. Over 9.8 billion dollars were spent on video games in the United States during 2001 alone, and video game consoles are present in 36 million homes in the United States (1). With the increasing amount of time that people are spending on video games, one is left to wonder if it is possible to become addicted to video games. Do we need a Video Gamers Anonymous? Addiction has been defined as "A primary, chronic disease, characterized by impaired control over the use of a psychoactive substance and/or behavior. Clinically, the manifestations occur along biological, psychological, sociological and spiritual dimensions (2)." While there is currently no category for video game addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3), which is the manual utilized to diagnose psychological disorders, video game addicts are often described by clinicians in the field as displaying many symptoms characteristic of other addictions. These behaviors include failure to stop playing games, difficulties in work or school, telling lies to loved ones, decreased attention to personal hygiene, decreased attention to family and friends, and disturbances in the sleep cycle (4). Withdrawal symptoms can even include behaviors as severe as shaking (5). All addictions can be dangerous and harmful to the addicted person and others around him; however, video game addiction can be particularly detrimental to children. Video games are becoming increasingly popular with children of young ages, which in turn may raise... ...//www.selfhelpmagazine.com/articles/internet/cybaddict.html 4)When games stop being fun, http://msnbc.msn.com/news/737966.asp?0si=- 5)Video games: Cause for concern?, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1036088.stm 6)Video games: Research, ratings, and recommendations, Contains many references for empirical studies http://ericeece.org/pubs/digests/1998/cesar98.html 7)Video games addiction, http://www.theparentreport.com/resources/ages/preteen/kids_culture/130.html 8)Are video games really so bad?, http://www.time.com/time/asia/asia/magazine/1999/990510/video3.html 9)Questions Answered, http://www.missouri.edu/~kingjw/feb15q.html 10)Positron Emission Tomography , http://exn.ca/environment/ 11)The Biochemistry of Human Addiction, Discusses the role of dopamine in addiction http://www.er.doe.gov/feature_articles_2001/June/Decades/94.html