Gaming is fun and educational. In many cases this is true, but if your child is no longer in control of gaming, neglects school or studies, and continues to play longer than he or she intended, your child may suffer from gaming addiction.
What is a game addiction?
A gaming addiction shows great similarities with other addictions. There is no official diagnosis yet for someone who is a gamer, but there are a number of symptoms and signs to keep an eye out for. Someone with gaming addiction has little or no control over their gaming behavior. Gaming is at the expense of normal life at home, at school, at work, or in social contacts. To escape these problems, the temptation is very great to play even more. People are sometimes asked, “Is playing a game addictive?” So the answer to that is ‘yes, sometimes someone is a game addict’. Addicted to gaming is an ever-growing problem. Since 2010, Brijder has been increasingly confronted with a request for help for game addiction. The average age of our clients who are game addicts is 20 years. In addition, we see that many more men than women have a gaming addiction: 96 percent compared to 4 percent.
Causes of game addiction
Why can one enjoy a game while the other can’t put down the controller? What we often see is that an event, sometimes from the past or sometimes recent, is the trigger for excessive gaming. Sometimes it is also an accumulation of reasons.
dramatic event. A divorce or the death of someone with whom the child was close.
trauma. An example of this is being bullied. The child feels safe at home behind the game console. There he or she plays with others, without being afraid of what others do or say.
disease. Due to the illness of a family member, a lot of attention is paid to that person. The child withdraws.
Prefer online. It may also be that a child would rather be in an online, fantasy world than in the real world. Fear of this can play a role in autistic disorder. A game environment gives young people with this disorder a sense of overview and safety. For them, that is lacking in contemporary society. Making contacts and building virtual friendships is less complicated and scary for them from a game/game environment than in the real world.
Define borders. Parents should discuss with their children how long they can play. Clear rules within the family about this prevent endless playing.
Why is gaming addictive?
Games are not just popular. They relax, challenge someone, distract for a while from daily reality and actually deliver something. Gaming stimulates the brain, is good for eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills, can stimulate creativity, and increase spatial awareness. Valuable friendships can also be formed through games. But you mainly play games because it’s fun. Too much gaming can lead to problems such as addiction to gaming.