Video Game Addiction Essay Example for Free

Video Game Addiction Essay In recent years there has been a great increase of children spending too much time playing video games rather than spending time reading books or school related curricular activities. As a result, because children are being introduced to video games at such a young age, they are becoming addicted, resulting in poor academic performance and also affecting their social skills. Video game addiction has been categorized ad an â€Å"addiction† since it’s similar to other addictive behaviors, demonstrating that it can last for years and not solely a symptom of comorbid disorders. Electronic gaming has exploded in popularity and for some children has become their primary recreational activity (Olsen, et al. , 2007). As new technology and new video consoles are released, both children and adults are attracted and end up buying these new consoles. Tech savvy adults like to have the latest technology which leads to the purchase of the products and their children are exposed which leads to an addiction. Studies have shown that, (Weinstein 2010) in different countries have used different scales to assess prevalence of computer game addiction. There have been a whole host of case studies in the medical literature reporting some of the adverse effects of playing video games (21, 22). These have included auditory hallucinations (23), enuresis (24), encoprisis (25), wrist pain (26), neck pain (27), elbow pain (27), tenosynovitis- also called â€Å"nintendinitis† (28–31), hand-arm vibration syn- drome (32), repetitive strain injuries (33), and peripheral neuropathy (34) (Weinstein 2010)Video game addiction has been categorized as (Douglas, et al. , 2011) pathological video game use, commonly called video game â€Å"addiction†. It is considered â€Å"pathological† because of its similarities to â€Å"gambling† addiction, since it’s begins as entertainment, but then progresses to an addiction. Players lose sense of time and control and find playing fun and rewarding, but then becomes dysfunctional because it affects the child’s social growth and their school curricular activities as well as outdoor interest. Users may play compulsively, isolating themselves from other forms of social contact, and focus almost entirely on in-game achievements rather than broader life events (Weinstein 2010). Parents and families are also affected because they find themselves dealing with the child’s addiction that it makes it difficult to monitor the children 24/7. However there are major concerns among parents and Doctors that spending too much time playing video games may eventually put a stress on the child’s social engagement other peers and rather prefer isolation to continue playing these videos games. Others suggest that consumer should be informed about the potential addiction risks that can be attributed to playing video games (Van Rooij, et al. , 2009). Warning messages about [overuse of video games] risks have never appeared before [ such as those found] on leisure products such as bicycles, swings, soccer balls, and guitars, making these specific warning messages very atypical and unusual (Van Rooij, et al. , 2009). However now there are Centers that can be found in different countries including the US that specialized in these types of addiction to assist the children and their families overcome this pathological addiction. According to findings that after children were treated at this Centers and after treatment the gaming hours did reduce a fair amount, with significant progress.