Many people love to wind down at the end of the day with their favorite video games. In fact, the gaming industry is booming, with billions of players worldwide. However, if you’re an avid gamer, you may be wondering how much is too much. Sometimes, there can be a fine line between playing for fun and actual addiction.
Video Game Addiction
The short answer is simple. Too much gaming can definitely lead to addiction. A 2019 study in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse found that “up to 23 percent of people who play video games report symptoms of addiction.” But can games actually constitute addiction in a clinical sense?
According to a 2017 study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, a game can be considered an “intoxicant.” The journal points to growing neurological evidence that suggests “games may act like traditional substances of abuse, with compelling similarities between the effects of drugs and of video games on the minds of users.”
Why Do People Become Addicted to Video Games?
Video games can provide a fantasy unlike anything else. More than television, movies, or even theme parks, video games can make you feel like you’re in a completely different world.
According to Frontiers in Psychology, there seems to be “converging findings that highlight the common brain activities” between video game disorders and substance abuse. Similar parts of the brain are activated in both, notably its craving and dopamine reward centers. Other research, like the 2019 study, have found links between video game addiction and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, and even obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Dangers of Gaming Addiction
Any addictive behavior can make a person feel trapped. When it comes to video games, individuals may feel the need to play in order to feel happy or stress-free.
Video game addiction can also pose health dangers and sometimes violence. Every so often, there will be a report about a newborn suffering at the hands of a parent’s gaming addiction. Other times, it’s the children who attack their parents for taking their games away.
Video game addiction can also lead users to neglect their hygiene and personal health. If you feel like you’re putting important self-care on the back burner, it may be time to seek treatment.
Treatment
At The Guest House, we welcome anyone with process addictions. In process addictions, an individual will become addicted to the feeling they get when performing a certain action like gambling or playing video games.
Our beautiful 52-acre estate will provide a comforting experience as you learn to enjoy the pleasures of life without needing to play video games. We offer a wide variety of therapies and programs to help you relax during your stay, including massage, music and art therapy, meditation, yoga, and other spiritual healing modalities.
No matter what you’re going through, we will help you get to the root of it. Our mission is to help you re-discover the joys in life without feeling bound by your addiction.
Video games are played by billions of people worldwide. Growing research has shown that many individuals can actually become addicted to gaming. At The Guest House, our mission is to help you get to the root of your addiction. Our beautiful 52-acre estate can be your own personal escape as you re-discover the simple joys in life without needing to play video games. We offer a wide variety of modalities, including traditional therapies and Eastern spiritual practices. For more information, call us today at (855) 483-7800.