Gaming Addiction

What Should you Know about Gaming Addiction?

Did you know that gaming addiction is now classified as a disease by the world health organisation? Video game disorder or game addiction is real as it affects 67% of Australians of all ages. The International Classification of Diseases and Health-Related Problems (ICDHRP) classified game disorder as a disease that will be adopted in 2022. With this, you can easily identify the gaming addiction in your friend or loved one.

For a free consultation about video games addiction treatment in Perth, reach out to Energetics Institute!

What is Gaming Addiction

According to the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) and the world health organization, video game addictions are defined as the pattern of digital or video gaming that is characterised by impaired control over gaming. A person with game disorder gives priority to gaming over activities that can result in social and educational impairment and drastic changes in other aspects of life.

However, there have been studies that suggest gaming addictions affect only a small fraction of digital and video gamers including young people. It is important to be aware of the symptoms of such a condition for you to seek treatment on time and achieve a favourable treatment result.

What are the Symptoms of Gaming Addiction

why are video games addictive? In most cases, it could be hard to identify video game addiction symptoms as it may look like someone is just passionate about his/her hobby – video games. Here are a few signs of game disorder that you should watch out for:

• Excessive playing games (including online games)
• Feeling frustrated and disappointed if you can’t play
• Spending too much time playing to make you feel good about yourself
• You do not want to quit playing nor play less.
• Change of habit due to gaming
• Feeling distracted at work, school, or home due to gaming
• You play to ease your mood and feelings
• Lying about how much you spend time playing
• Mental health-related issues

There is nothing wrong with someone who likes to play video games, however, if your loved one is exhibiting these signs and symptoms of game addiction, convince them to see a therapist NOW. Prolong addiction entails a long treatment process and mild addiction can be easier to cure.

What Causes Video Game Addiction

According to the world health organisation, the cause of game addiction is unknown. However, experts believe that when you are playing video games it increases dopamine in your brain. While the dopamine level increases, the gaming impulse increases, as well. It is the action of playing that satisfies a game addict. It is also believed that people with personality disorders and disabilities are more prone to game addiction.

Video games and online games are designed for you to get challenged and hooked to them. Video game designers spent a lot of time conceptualizing how they can create addictive digital or video games as it is their way of generating money.

Types of Gaming Addiction Help

There are different types of gaming addiction help such as medication and therapy. Combined medication and therapy is the most effective game addiction help. However, you should be aware of the side effects and be able to handle them well.

Additionally, you should also know that recovery from a video games addiction is not easy. Remember that your first aim is to overcome the urge of wanting to play a game. You should also learn to recognise the game addiction symptoms, understand your condition, and aim for a full recovery.

Self-assessment is an effective way of diagnosing yourself for game addiction. If you think that you or your loved ones are exhibiting the symptoms of game addiction, encourage them or yourself to minimise playtime or seek medical help for gaming addiction treatment so your overall mental health will improve.