Back in 1991 there was a Microsoft video game called “Gorillas” that featured two angry apes tossing explosive bananas at each other while standing above a city skyline.
Today, the 800-pound gorilla in the room is addiction to video games. As a parent, you already know if gaming is causing problems for your child and your family. And the gorilla that nobody wants to acknowledge is far more menacing than the pair of pixilated primates in that 18-year-old strategy game.
Technological advances in computer gaming have grown by leaps and bounds in the nearly two decades since “Gorillas” arrived on the scene, and so have the number of players addicted to computer gaming.
The video games of today are so much more complex – and captivating – than those of decades past, and they range from massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) to simple games like the Mario Bros. series that have stood the test of time. One of the most popular of these multiplayer megagames is “World of Warcraft,” an extremely addictive game that is sometimes called “World of Warcrack” because it draws gamers to it like a street corner drug dealer. Blizzard, the creator of “WoW” claims there are 8 million Warcraft players worldwide – and 3.5 million of those gamers are in China.
Research by Iowa State University and the National Institute on Media and the Family shows that one out of every 12 gamers between the ages of 8 and 18 show signs of being addicted to video games. That adds up to about 3 million youngsters in the United States alone.
And this computer game compulsion isn’t limited to our shores. Video game addiction treatment centers are springing up around the world, including China, South Korea, The Netherlands and Canada.
In China, the government has set up several video game addiction clinics, and attendance isn’t always voluntary. Most of the gamers are forced to attend by their parents or the government, and the treatment is often less than subtle. Along with the traditional psychiatric counseling, the government-run program also includes potent antidepressant drugs that are more common in mental institutions and even the tried-and-true electrical shock treatment. Some of the clinics are situated on military bases with metal bars on the doors and windows. They take their addictions seriously in China.
Here in America, there are a handful of rehab centers that specialize in inpatient treatment for compulsive video gaming, which falls into the category of process addiction. One of those is Morningside Recovery in Newport Beach, California, which operates under the belief that process addictions such as video gaming can be as debilitating as drug or alcohol addiction. In fact, excessive use of video games may have some or all of the symptoms of drug addiction or other psychological addictions.
Some of the psychological symptoms of video game addiction include:
— A sense of well-being or a dopamine “rush” while playing video games.
— An inability or reluctance to stop the activity.
— Carving out more hours of the day to devote to gaming.
— Dropping out of activities such as clubs and sports.
— Worsening grades at school and not keeping up with homework assignments.
— Ignoring or neglecting family, friends and employers in order to sit at the computer.
— Feeling irritated, impatient or depressed when forced away from the computer game.
— Lying to your family, teachers or employers about your video game activities.
— Escalating problems at school or work.
At Morningside, video game addiction is confronted in an inpatient environment with activities that include counseling, individual and group meetings, cognitive therapy or psychotherapy, and medications when indicated for those with co-occurring disorders.
The best addiction treatment programs provide a combination of therapies, and for many youngsters, it can be a long-term process, perhaps with many attempts at abstinence. That’s because nearly all of those addicted to gaming believe they can stop on their own. In addition, long-term video gaming results in changes in the brain function that persist long after the gamer stops playing.
Through cognitive behavioral therapy, video game addicts learn to accept, identify and correct their behaviors. These therapies offer strategies for coping with the craving to go online and play games. They teach them how to avoid video gaming and prevent relapse. Because video gamers can’t completely avoid computers, they have to learn how to use them responsibly. And that means no video games.
It’s like treating alcoholism. You can’t just switch to beer only. Or drinking just on the weekend. Like other addictions, abstinence is the best relapse prevention plan. In the case of video addicts, that means staying away from online gaming. For goodness sakes, go outside and play.
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