answer:
explanation:
video game addiction is a real mental health condition affecting millions of people around the world.
the world health organization recognizes it as “gaming disorder” in their international classification of diseases (icd-11) as “a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour, which may be online or offline, manifested by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.”
although billions of people play video games, the majority of them do not have an addiction to gaming, and the world health organization estimates the number of people with an addiction is 3-4%. the difference between a healthy fun gaming hobby and an addiction is the negative impact the activity is having in your life.
typically a gaming addict will have a level of severity resulting in “significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning,” and the pattern of gaming behavior is “normally evident over a period of at least 12 months in order for a diagnosis to be assigned, although the required duration may be shortened if all diagnostic requirements are met and symptoms are severe.”
what causes video game addiction?
video games are designed to be addictive using state-of-the-art behavioral psychology to keep you hooked. games are immersive experiences that provide you with a high amount of dopamine, and overexposure to this level of stimulation can cause structural changes to your brain 1 .
you begin to live in a world where you expect instant gratification. games are so immersive that it’s easy to play for hours and hours without even noticing that a minute has gone by. they allow you to escape and see measurable progress. they are social and create an environment where you feel safe and in control.
game developers also deploy manipulative game design features such as in-app purchases, microtransactions, and loot boxes that some governments have declared illegal – because they are a form of gambling. video game addiction exists because game companies are billion-dollar industries and the more people they have hooked on games, the more money they make.
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