Cases gaming addiction

In addition to these basic motives, the development of gaming addiction may be caused by other, superficial motives, such as:. Gaming addiction becomes permanent due to the opportunity to succeed, as well as pleasant sensations on the background of excitement in the game. When the addiction is formed, the person continues to play to win back and return all his material losses as well as to avoid problems.

In some societies, active game promotion resulted in the culture of disregard for people who do not support the way of life of players. The formation of game and fatalistic way of thinking in people is also promoted by the broadcasting of numerous game shows on television, radio and on the Internet. The economic factor of involvement in the game is the manipulation of public perception in order to strengthen attraction to gaming in all community members.

I agree that there are many people addicted to gaming, but we all need to find the limit, use games to relax yourself not to only play them. Qsljic did not rate this post. Reply Report user If you want have fun with gaming, you need to have control over it and not get consumed by it. Heromanguy12 did not rate this post. Reply Report user For me games are just an escape from reality.

Rex did not rate this post. Reply Report user They sure can help! Reply Report user At the bright side, playing video games do have benefits beside from relieving stress. Clork did not rate this post. Reply Report user Video games can be great at stress reliving and they indeed have other benefits like improving your reflexes for example.

Reply Report user Instincts as well! Aerobous did not rate this post. It is argued that only by understanding the appeal of Internet gaming, its context, and neurobiologic correlates can the phenomenon of Internet gaming addiction be understood comprehensively.

The aim of this review is to provide an insight into current perspectives on Internet gaming addiction using a holistic approach, taking into consideration the mass appeal of online games, the context of Internet gaming addiction, and associated neuroimaging findings, as well as the current diagnostic framework adopted by the American Psychiatric Association.

Moreover, the cultural context is significant because it embeds the gamer in a community with shared beliefs and practices, endowing their gaming with particular meaning.

The cited neuroimaging studies indicate that Internet gaming addiction shares similarities with other addictions, including substance dependence, at the molecular, neurocircuitry, and behavioral levels. The findings provide support for the current perspective of understanding Internet gaming addiction from a disease framework.

The benefits of an Internet gaming addiction diagnosis include reliability across research, destigmatization of individuals, development of efficacious treatments, and the creation of an incentive for public health care and insurance providers. The holistic approach adopted here not only highlights empirical research that evidences neurobiologic correlates of Internet gaming addiction and the establishment of a preliminary diagnosis, but also emphasizes the necessity of an indepth understanding of the meaning, context, and practices associated with gaming.

Internet gaming is a booming market. In real-time MMO strategy games, players organize teams, develop their skills, and play for status in the game. The game tailors to most age groups, both sexes, and various player interests and preferences, 6 making it an MMORPG success story par excellence.

Online games such as World of Warcraft satisfy various gaming motivations. Each of these factors is composed of a number of subcomponents as particularized by the gamers. Second, the social factor is composed of socializing, including chatting and making new friends in the game, forming new relationships, and working in a team. Moreover, it denotes a complex interaction between real and virtual social networks, further blurring the boundaries between these networks, making MMORPGs inherently social spaces.

The variety of gaming motivations satisfied by MMOR-PGs indicates that these types of games are particularly versatile because they can be tailored to individual players with different game preferences.

This mass appeal may have contributed to findings from research which indicate that online games, and specifically MMORPGs, are more addictive than any other types of both offline and online games 15 because they reward players on partial reinforcement schedules, leading to maintenance of play. In recent years, research about Internet gaming addiction has increased both in quantity as well as in quality. Research on gaming addiction dates back to , when the first report emerged suggesting that video gaming addiction is a problem for students.

The early studies suffered from a lack of standardized psychometric instruments used for assessing gaming addiction. Following on from that, further studies were carried out in the s, initially assessing gaming addiction based on the criteria for pathologic gambling as stipulated in the third and fourth editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders DSM. The studies on Internet gaming addiction in the new millennium reported prevalence estimates which vary significantly and range from 0.

In most studies, self-reports have been used, which puts the reliability and validity of the potential diagnosis in question. In South-East Asian countries, the negative impacts of Internet gaming addiction have led governments and health care providers to take the problem seriously and to develop a series of initiatives to curb and alleviate the problem. In addition to this, there is good reason to think that the lower acceptance of excessive gaming in a culture, the more distress not less gamers experience in engaging in the activity, potentially fuelling problem perception.

Therefore, a lack of acceptance of excessive gaming and thus stigmatization of the behavior might contribute to higher rates of addiction and problematic play in some way. Following growing concern, specialized treatment centers and programs have been established in Europe including the outpatient clinic for behavioral addictions in Mainz, Germany, and the Capio Nightingale Hospital in London, UK and the US including the inpatient centers RESTART Internet Addiction Recovery Program in Seattle and the recently opened digital detoxification and recovery center in Pennsylvania , reflecting the growing need for professional help.

The concerns appear to be grounded as a growing number of studies indicate that Internet gaming addiction is associated with various negative consequences. These included problems with sleeping, 41 , 47 seizures, 49 and psychosomatic challenges. Internet gaming addiction is a behavioral problem that has been classified and explained in numerous ways. According to Griffiths, 13 biopsychosocial processes lead to the development of addictions, such as Internet gaming addiction, which include the following components.

First, the behavior is salient the individual is preoccupied with gaming. Second, the individual uses the behavior in order to modify their mood ie, gaming is used to escape reality or create the feeling of euphoria. Third, tolerance develops the individual needs increasingly more time to feel the same effect. Fourth, withdrawal symptoms occur upon discontinuation of the behavior the individual feels anxious, depressed, and irritable if they are prevented from playing.

Fifth, interpersonal and intra-personal conflict develops as a consequence of the behavior the individual has problems with their relationship, job, and hobbies, and lack of success in abstinence. Finally, upon discontinuation of the behavior, the individual experiences relapse they reinitiate gaming. Although the core criteria appear to be established, the etiology of Internet gaming addiction has yet to be studied in detail.

Research 15 indicates that a number of risk factors are associated with Internet gaming addiction. These risk factors include certain personality traits, gaming motivations, and structural game characteristics. The personality traits most commonly associated with Internet addiction include neuroticism, 37 , 50 aggression and hostility, 43 , 50 — 52 and sensation-seeking.

In addition to this, the following gaming motivations were found to be most commonly associated with gaming addiction: coping with daily stressors and escapism, 5 , 16 , 44 , 54 — 57 online relationships, 16 , 51 , 57 — 59 and mastery, control, recognition, completion, excitement, and challenge.

The motivational differences to play games between dependent and nondependent as well as MMORPG and other gamers appear to be useful clinical information because these motivations can be specifically targeted in treatment sessions. For instance, elements of exposure therapy may be used for the socially fearful in order to decrease discomfort and reintroduce clients to real-life social environments. Also, alternative pastime activities that are perceived as satisfying can be encouraged specifically in group therapy sessions.

Encouraging engagement in group sports might satisfy both the need to engage in competitive and satisfying activities and the need to interact with peers in real life.

Prevention campaigns could target school-aged children, teachers, and parents in education settings. They could be based on the principles of providing information and a discussion platform concerning Internet and gaming use and possible negative consequences via psychoeducation, with the ultimate goal of encouraging healthy media use.

Success could be determined over the long term using triangulation of data and reports obtained from the targeted populations. Most reviews to date have primarily focused on specific aspects of Internet gaming addiction, including methods used to assess gaming addiction, 65 , 66 structural characteristics, 60 and treatment. An evaluation of the findings will be presented in the overall discussion. Research on gaming addiction has paid little attention to the context of online gaming.

However, a few studies have now shed some light on the embedding of Internet gaming addiction in the context of the individual, 71 the game and gaming environment, 6 , 72 and the broader framework of culture. Dave did not perceive that his excessive gaming impacted upon his life negatively at all.

For Dave, his extensive gaming did not lead to significant distress or have a negative impact in his daily life, and therefore his behavior cannot be classified as a condition that would fulfill the requirements of a mental disorder classification as outlined in the DSM Moreover, his playing time, craving for the game, and feelings of low mood and anxiety had increased dramatically. He used gaming to escape from his real-life problems and tried to quit on several occasions, but was unsuccessful in staying abstinent.

This led to a number of relapse episodes. In addition to the individual context, the context of the game appears important in determining the extent to which excessive gaming can truly be an addiction. The results indicated that some of the players experienced behavioral addiction symptoms as specified by Griffiths, 13 namely salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict, and relapse, with the latter two demarcating excessive from potentially addictive play. This understanding entails a move away from the overly simplistic approach of focusing on the psychological rewards that reinforce gaming to include an indepth exploration of gaming motivations, gaming structure and mechanics, as well as the meaning of gaming for the individual.

In this context, media culture is understood as a flexible and evolving area of engagement that requires active participation. First, he was able to enact heroic tales through his avatar and faction membership. Second, he was enabled to return to a familiar cultural context by means of his guild which consisted of fellow countrymen, after he had physically migrated to a foreign country.

Eventually, the analysis revealed that the meaning that is attached to the game can lead to excessive play which may cause a retreat from real life. Moreover, the culturally sensitive motivations achievement, social and immersion significantly predicted problematic MMORPG play if they were incongruent with real life, that is, if the game was used to compensate for lack of success and relationships in real life, and to dissociate from real life.

Taken together, the individual, game, and cultural contexts appear to have a significant impact upon the extent to which problems occur as a consequence of excessive gaming in terms of how Internet gaming addiction is conceptualized. In this way, the cultural context can be seen as a lens through which individuals and others around them perceive and give meanings to behaviors and their consequences.

It is critical to understand gaming problems not only by means of the observable symptoms, but to situate them within the broader context of the game, the individual, and culture. In the last decade, psychiatry has increasingly made use of neuroscientific evidence to understand and conceptualize mental disorders.

Some studies have shown that changes in brain activity and structure related to addiction are relevant for brain regions involved in reward, motivation, and memory, as well as cognitive control. Over time, the individual habituates to the behavior and develops a compulsion to engage in it, which is accompanied by alterations of activity in the dorsal striatum as it becomes activated through dopaminergic innervation.

There is some evidence for the idea that dopamine is released. It has been suggested that activity in the anterior cingulate, orbitofrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens is modified in such a way that natural rewards are experienced as less pleasurable, further reducing control over the behavior. The synapses in the ventral tegmental area become stronger, glutamate in the nucleus accumbens is reduced, and activity in the amygdala and hippocampus related to memory is increased, which can in turn result in craving 91 , 96 and increased response to the availability and particular context of the addictive behavior.

Over the last decade, a number of neuroimaging techniques have been applied to Internet gaming research, allowing for an analysis of addiction correlates regarding both brain function as well as brain structure. Electroencephalograms measure brain activity via changes in voltage in the cerebral cortex via electrodes, and were used in six studies of Internet and gaming addiction. Like positron emission tomography, single photon emission computed tomography measures metabolic activity in the brain at the level of individual photons, and was applied in one study of Internet addiction.

A systematic review of all Internet and gaming addiction studies using neuroimaging methods until 90 revealed that Internet gaming addiction appears similar to other addictions, including substance-related addictions, at the molecular, neurocircuitry, and behavioral levels.

From a molecular perspective, gaming results in the release of striatal dopamine. Under normal circumstances, pleasure drives including eating and reproduction are natural rewards that are craved, whereas unnatural rewards include psychoactive substances and addictive behaviors. With regards to neural circuitry, when gaming, brain areas associated with addictions are frequently utilized and therefore the activity in regions such as the orbitofrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus is high, which over time can lead to significant alterations in neuronal connectivity , , , and brain structure.

In terms of behavior, excessive Internet gaming can result in problems with impulse control, behavioral inhibition, executive functioning, attention, and general cognitive functioning. Taken together, research on Internet gaming addiction has made use of various neuroimaging techniques in order to shed light upon the neurochemical and neuroanatomic correlates of addiction.

Although in most studies the direction of the relationship has not been investigated ie, it is unclear whether Internet gaming addiction causes changes in brain structure and activity or vice versa , the current evidence suggests a relationship between brain alterations and Internet gaming addiction.

Neuroimaging studies of Internet gaming addiction contribute to the current understanding of addiction as based on a disease framework. Moreover, the utilization of sophisticated imaging methods in Internet gaming addiction research is in line with research domain criteria, 88 which makes a significant contribution to our understanding of Internet gaming addiction as a chronic neurobiological disease requiring professional care and adequate treatment. Following nearly two decades of research, the American Psychiatric Association has now officially recognized Internet Gaming Disorder as a condition that requires consideration by clinicians and researchers.

Internet gaming disorder has pulled ahead of other behaviors that can become addictive, such as exercise, , work, and shopping. Up until now, researchers have understood Internet addiction or Internet gaming addiction as similar to either impulse control disorders in general or pathological gambling specifically, — substance dependence, 33 , 38 or a combination of the two.

First, it will encourage individuals who suffer from associated symptoms to ask for professional help, decreasing morbidity rates, hospitalizations, and potential legal and medical problems.

Third, the diagnosis will support research efforts. Ultimately, individuals who require professional care because of substantial distress, suffering, and individual impairment must be helped in an appropriate way. The aim of this review was to provide an insight into current perspectives on Internet gaming addiction using a holistic approach encompassing gaming appeal, context, neuroimaging research, and the diagnostic framework adopted for Internet gaming addiction.

It has been shown that Internet gaming has gained increasing popularity since the new millennium, and has led to a substantial growth of the gaming industry and the player fan base. MMORPGs have further been highlighted as offering a wide variety of incentives for players to initiate and maintain playing because they satisfy a variety of needs and tailor to various gaming motives relative to alternative online game genres.

This review further shows that until now few studies have investigated the gaming context. Therefore, the context of the individual, the game and gaming environment, and the broader framework of culture are specifically addressed. Ultimately, this may lead to a retreat from real life for some individuals.

If gaming is used to compensate for lack of success and relationships in real life and to dissociate from real life, Internet gaming addiction can be the consequence. That is, the cultural context can become the disease here addiction through repeated experiences. Alternatively, cultural norms related to how acceptable game-play is might structure the appeal of the game, which in turn promotes addictive play patterns, which would not be the case in places without such norms. The cited neuroimaging studies of Internet gaming addiction and associated changes in brain structure and function furthermore correspond with the research domain criteria developed by the National Institute of Mental Health 88 because they emphasize a move away from phenomenology to focus on pathophysiology for clinical diagnosis.

Internet gaming addiction was found to share similarities with other addictions, including substance dependence, at the molecular, neurocircuitry, and behavioral levels. These similarities include altered dopaminergic and neuronal activity and brain morphometry, as well as deficient impulse control, behavioral inhibition, and general cognitive functioning. However, there are no known biomarkers of Internet addiction at this point in time. Indeed, there are no known biomarkers of any mental disorder.

Ever since Kraepelin, and thus for a century, psychiatrists have been searching to understand mental disorders as underlying physiological diseases, providing an additional incentive to continue research on the neurobiological underpinnings of mental health problems, including Internet gaming addiction. The benefits of such a diagnosis include comparability across research, destigmatization of individuals, development of efficacious treatment, and creation of an incentive for public health care and insurance providers.

Once the behavioral problem has an official code, it is worthy of being taken seriously and treated adequately. However, research concerning the natural course of Internet gaming addiction, the most appropriate interventions, and large-scale epidemiology is scarce, suggesting that more work needs to be done to understand this behavioral problem more fully.

Ultimately, however, King and Delfabbro concede that the research diagnosis has sparked discussion regarding the nature of behavioral addictions, which testifies to a move away from acknowledging substances only as potentially addictive, and to broaden our understanding of addiction in general.

Moreover, there appear to be problems with regards to the criteria for Internet gaming disorder adopted by the DSM-5 taskforce. Starcevic 29 points out that there exists a debate of whether tolerance is a valid criterion as researchers have validated scales on problematic video game use and compulsive Internet use that do not contain tolerance as a symptom, and some question whether tolerance is a factor involved in gaming.

The current review indicates that research on Internet gaming addiction is on its way to fulfilling these requirements. In terms of understanding the context of Internet gaming addiction, more research is necessary. This review has shown that research on Internet gaming addiction has increased in quality and quantity, particularly over the last decade.

Future research is required to overcome the limitations of current research, including closer scrutiny of gaming context including the individual, game, and culture and the direction of the relationship between Internet gaming addiction, as well as neuroanatomical and neurochemical changes. Specifically, the following research question requires further exploration: How do individual, game-related, and cultural factors contribute to the etiology, phenomenological experience, and treatment approaches of Internet gaming addiction?

Furthermore, the causality of the relationship between neurobiological alterations and neurostructural abnormalities and Internet gaming addiction symptoms should be explored. The further exploration of these issues will enhance our understanding of this potential mental health concern. Moreover, a solid and unequivocal research base will enable the American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization to include Internet gaming addiction as an actual diagnosis in their diagnostic systems, which will in turn facilitate future research endeavors as well as clinical parlance.

The context appears crucial to the meaning of the game for the player, and is influenced by individual characteristics, the gaming culture, and the broader society that gamers are situated in. Ultimately, this will allow for developing treatment approaches which can be tailored to different individuals and meet idiosyncratic needs most effectively. The reviewed literature can inform procedures for improving the current treatment of Internet gaming addiction because it puts an emphasis on exploring the life and cultural context of the individual.

In terms of neuroimaging studies, the reviewed empirical research has revealed associations between excessive online gaming and alterations in brain structure and function associated with substance addictions. However, understanding the direction of this relationship is crucial because it will provide invaluable insights into the etiology of Internet gaming addiction as well as its status as a primary or secondary disorder.

It indicates that Internet gaming addiction must be viewed from a holistic perspective, integrating the neurobiological, individual, game-related, and cultural factors contributing to pathogenesis and symptom experience. The present review of current perspectives on Internet gaming addiction has shown that research has progressed significantly over the last decade, leading to a larger evidence base which includes important findings from neuroimaging research.

Further, it indicates that contextual factors play an important part in our understanding of Internet gaming addiction as a holistic phenomenon. It is suggested that an official diagnosis of Internet gaming addiction must regard embedding of the problematic behavior within the context of the individual, the game, and gaming practices, as well as the broader sociocultural environment as the meaning of the gaming behavior derives from its context.

The holistic approach adopted here not only highlights empirical research that confirms neurobiological correlates of Internet gaming addiction and establishment of a preliminary diagnosis, but also emphasizes the need for an indepth understanding of meaning, context, and practices associated with gaming. Ultimately, a holistic understanding will benefit individuals who seek professional help for problematic online gaming as treatment approaches become more targeted and consequently more efficacious.

National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Psychol Res Behav Manag. Published online Nov Daria J Kuss. Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Abstract In the s, online games became popular, while studies of Internet gaming addiction emerged, outlining the negative consequences of excessive gaming, its prevalence, and associated risk factors.

Keywords: Internet gaming, Internet gaming addiction, current perspectives, context, neuroimaging, diagnosis. Introduction: the mass appeal of Internet gaming Internet gaming is a booming market.

Despite Craigslist removing her ad, she managed to succeed in her quest. Sometimes people can take grinding for gold one step too far A Chinese gamer was sentenced to life in prison in after stabbing another to death, according to the BBC.

Apparently the victim had sold a virtual sword that the perpetrator lent to him. The sword was part of a game entitled Legend of Mir 3 , and the sale of in-game items is big business in some parts of the world. People have even been arrested by police for stealing in-game items that other players bought for real-world money. One example comes from , when police arrested a Dutch teenager in for stealing virtual furniture in the 3D social network, Habbo Hotel.

Sometimes you have to pony up the bucks for your own virtual ottoman, folks. A court in Ohio sentenced Daniel Petric to 23 years in prison for killing his mother and wounding his father, according to an article in Ohio's Morning Journal Morning Journal. What was his rationale for this heinous crime? His parents took away his copy of Halo 3.

The teen apparently played other versions of Halo for up to 18 hours at a time. Perth Australia's Sunday Times reported that, in , parents of a year-old student in Perth discovered the extraordinary lengths he took to hide his addiction to the game RuneScape.