Answer Addiction

Tag: gaming disorder

  • Video Games: A South Korean National Pastime…Or Addiction?

    Video Games: A South Korean National Pastime…Or Addiction?

    The digitized nation grapples with the good and bad of competitive computer gaming.

    South Korea’s $13 billion competitive gaming industry doesn’t like the World Health Organization’s addition of “gaming disorder” to its 2022 revision of the International Classification of Diseases. Mental health experts in the country say a nuanced examination of the hobby is long overdue.

    The nation has seen some gripping examples of gaming addiction. A grandmother watched as her grandson locked himself away in his room to play games, not even stopping his gaming at his grandfather’s funeral.

    Some in the country have died for their hobby, neglecting their need to sleep and eat until they collapse. Gaming even led one couple to neglect their baby daughter until she died of malnutrition. They were put away for negligent homicide.

    The South Korean government is taking the issue seriously, putting together a panel of experts to detangle the whole thing. Much to the chagrin of the nation’s massive gaming industry, the panel is looking into whether to add gaming disorder to the 2025 edition of the Korean Standard Classification of Diseases.

    There’s big money at stake, considering that South Korea exported $6 billion in video games in 2017. That’s more than 10 times more than what K-pop brought in.

    “It’ll be a disaster,” says Kim Jung-tae, a professor of game studies at Dongyang University. “The entire ecosystem of the game industry could collapse.”

    A Witch Hunt Or Real Issue?

    Kim is on a task force formed to combat the classification of gaming as a disorder. He calls the whole thing a “witch hunt” by those who stand to profit from addiction research and treatment, spurred by concerned parents looking for a scapegoat for what’s become of their kids.

    “It’s part of a phobia of new media,” Kim said. “Games, like air, are already a part of our lives.”

    Those on Kim’s side believe that the gaming industry stands to lose $9 billion and 8,700 jobs if the classification of gaming as a disorder goes through. However, mental health advocates say that the gaming industry and its fans have nothing to worry about.

    “Alcoholics don’t blame the company that makes the liquor,” said Roh Sung-won, an addiction specialist. “You don’t stop manufacturing cars because there are automobile accidents.”

    Playing For 3 Days Straight

    He recalls the owner of an internet cafe calling his hospital on behalf of a man who had been playing games for over 72 hours straight. But opponents of the classification say that such people aren’t suffering from gaming disorder, but are gaming because of some other underlying mental health issues.

    South Korea is far from the only nation grappling with compulsive gaming issues. Epic Games, the American creators of the immensely popular game Fortnite, is facing a class-action lawsuit from a Montreal-based firm for purposely putting out a game built to be addictive to teenagers.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Fortnite Being Sued For Designing Game To Be "As Addictive As Possible”

    Fortnite Being Sued For Designing Game To Be "As Addictive As Possible”

    Fortnite has previously been blamed for breaking up marriages and distracting students from schoolwork.

    The developer of the hugely popular online video game, Fortnite, is accused of designing the game to be “as addictive as possible,” with no effort to warn players of the addictive risk.

    Fortnite is free to download, but revenue is earned through in-game purchases such as outfits and “emotes” to customize a player’s virtual character. The game boasts nearly 250 million registered players around the world, its creator Epic Games revealed in March.

    Possible Class Action Lawsuit

    Now, a Montreal-based firm is seeking to file a class action lawsuit against Epic Games for not warning players that they may become hooked.

    The CBC reported on October 4 that the law firm, Calex Légal, filed a legal notice seeking authorization to launch the class action lawsuit, on behalf of parents of a 10- and 15-year-old.

    By playing Fortnite, players agree to waive their right to sue the company and must instead resolve any dispute in arbitration, according to the game’s terms of service. However, a Calex Légal attorney said that this “agreement” does not apply in Quebec, where companies are required by law to disclose any potential consumer risk associated with any product or service.

    Alessandra Esposito Chartrand, who is representing the plaintiffs, said that Epic Games not only designed the game to be “as addictive as possible,” the company also failed to warn players of the addictive risk.

    Lawyer Says There Was No Warning Of Game’s “Addiction Risks”

    “Epic Games, when they created Fortnite, for years and years, hired psychologists—they really dug into the human brain and they really made the effort to make it as addictive as possible,” said Chartrand. “They knowingly put on the market a very, very addictive game which was also geared toward youth.”

    They allege that the game triggers the release of “the pleasure hormone, dopamine” when played for a long period. 

    Epic Games failed to inform players of this risk, which is the company’s responsibility, the lawsuit argues.

    “In our case, the two parents that came forward and told, ‘If we knew it was so addictive [and] it would ruin our child’s life, we would never have let them start playing Fortnite or we would have monitored it a lot more closely,” Chartrand said.

    Waiting For Epic Games’ Response

    Epic Games has 30 days to respond to the legal action.

    The company is also involved in a federal case brought to the northern district of California in June, that alleges in part that Fortnite does not provide adequate “parental controls that would allow parents or guardians of minors to make informed decisions regarding in-app purchases.”

    According to Bloomberg, parents “have lost substantial amounts of money” from not being vigilant about their children making in-app purchases using their payment information.

    Last year, the World Health Organization classified “gaming disorder” as a diagnosable condition. Fortnite has been blamed for breaking up marriages and distracting students from schoolwork. Some young people are being sent away to receive help for their excessive playing.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • South Korea Grapples With Line Between Pro-Gaming and Gaming Addiction

    South Korea Grapples With Line Between Pro-Gaming and Gaming Addiction

    Where is the line between professional gamer and person with with gaming disorder?

    South Korea, a country where e-sports flourishes, is grappling with a difficult question now that gaming disorder has become officially recognized by the World Health Organization: Is professional gaming actually gaming disorder?

    The answer, they’ve determined, is… not really. The WHO has a pretty narrow definition of gaming disorder, where video gaming takes over a person’s life to a point they neglect their family, friends, and job in favor of playing for an extended period of time.

    Pro Gamers Practice Self-Discipline 

    Representatives for professional gaming leagues say that the way in which pro-gamers play is quite the opposite of this.

    “Addiction is akin to social isolation. People who are addicted often display lack of interest in the world other than their obsession,” said Kim Jong-seong, a senior manager at the Korea e-Sports Association. “But esports is the opposite — it’s about bringing individual gamers out into the world to teamwork, connect with the mass and possibly gain fame.”

    The key difference, he argues, is in the self-discipline practiced by South Korean career gamers.

    “Furthermore, professional esports is systematic. For example, if the players spend 12 hours training, they would have specific hours for solo play training, group play training, with regular nutrition intake hours and workouts in between.”

    Not only that, but these gamers aren’t neglecting their professional life and financial responsibilities–they’re taking care of them by playing. Expert and sponsored League of Legends players in the country took in an average of 175.6 million won ($145,000 USD) last year. These surveyed gamers are also younger than the average salaryman at an average age of 20.8 years old. The oldest surveyed was 26, while the youngest was just 17.

    Can the Quest to Go Pro Lead to Gaming Addiction?

    But there is concern for those who toil away at these games to try and go pro but just can’t hack it. These players dedicate themselves to their game of choice at a young age, and experts worry that these youngsters could become addicted to gaming in the process.

    “Some scholars point to individuals’ innately impulsive nature as what causes substance addiction, but in the case of behavioral addiction like video game addiction, we don’t have enough evidence yet and socio-psychological factors might play a larger role,” said Prof. Ahn Woo-young, who researches psychology at Seoul National University.

    Examples of such socio-psychological effects include the availability of gaming in South Korea’s multitudes of internet cafes as well as children having to occupy themselves with digital entertainment waiting for their parents to return from busy work lives.

    Pathologizing Gamers

    “A rising number of young people around the world are becoming more passionate about games,” said Arnold Hur, the co-president of esports company Generation Gaming. “However, instead of embracing this trend, many societies have chosen to ignore or even stifle this growing interest. In doing so, passionate gamers are often at risk of becoming marginalized — perhaps even to the extent of being labeled as having a ‘gaming disorder.’”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • What Tech Addiction Treatment Looks Like

    What Tech Addiction Treatment Looks Like

    Though the treatment has been described as intense, patients with gaming disorder say it has allowed them to regain control over their lives. 

    About 90 minutes south of Amsterdam, Jan Willem Poot helps treat young people who have gaming and other technology addictions at the Yes We Can clinic, one of the few facilities dedicated to helping youth overcome tech addictions. 

    “It is safe here,” Poot told The Guardian.  

    Poot, who is in recovery himself, recognized the need to provide treatment for gaming addiction, especially with few other options around. His patients come for a 10-week intensive treatment, with the option for four weeks of aftercare. They’re not allowed any tech devices, or any contact with the families during the first five weeks. 

    Although it is intense, patients like Tom, 17, say that the treatment at the Yes We Can clinic has allowed them to regain control over their lives. 

    “I changed through the course of the program, slowly but surely,” Tom said. “At first I was super anxious and I could not talk to anyone, but slowly I started to open up and became comfortable. I started to face my avoidant behavior and understand why I do it. I started to open up about my past and figure things out.”

    Tom, like any person with addiction, still copes with residual effects of his condition even now that he is in recovery. 

    “I still have a hard time. Life is not easy but I have learned to cope through the suffering and tough times,” he said. 

    Another patient at the clinic, Victor, 24, said that although people may be skeptical about gaming addiction, it was very real to him. 

    “It was helpful having treatment with other addicts. I recognized a lot of stories,” he said. “One time I heard a story from a guy who was an alcoholic, and without mentioning the word alcohol everything was my story. By seeing that it also helped me see that addiction is a wide and broad subject to talk about.”

    Poot said that more and more people are seeking treatment for gaming and other tech addictions. Last year he treated 90 people for gaming addiction, up from just 30 in 2016. Halfway through 2019, 55 people have come through the program. Poot says that with screens everywhere, it’s easy for technology to become an unhealthy coping mechanism. 

    “They have found a way to feel better just by being in the online world because it is escapism,” he said. 

    He’s even seeing more people come in for treatment for social media addiction, especially teenage girls. 

    “That has a lot to do with personality disorder, where they are so insecure they need confirmation by sending 20-30 selfies or Instagram posts a day—they need the likes to get confirmation that they are still attractive or liked,” he explained. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Can Video Games Help Treat Depression?

    Can Video Games Help Treat Depression?

    Some believe that a mind at play experiences beneficial neurological effects.

    Video games could be beneficial for those suffering from depression, some experts believe. It may seem counterintuitive as players seem to use video games to isolate and distract themselves from the world, but the mind at play helps people feel more confident and energetic.

    Anyone who has played video games knows it stimulates the mind, designed to tickle a person’s reward pathways when they achieve a goal or task as well as develop memory and learning in the hippocampus.

    In depressed people, these parts of the brain shrivel. Engaging in a combination of strategy, diligence, and effort to achieve a virtual goal can yield a very real sense of accomplishment that can help restore these critical regions.

    Fighting Depression

    Researchers have even created a video game specifically tailored to combat depression. In SPARX, players navigate a fantasy world and fight creatures called GNATs (short for gloomy, negative, automatic thoughts) that represent the mental formations of depression. The game is actually a form of cognitive behavioral therapy, wherein players are lead to literally confront and defeat their negative thoughts.

    While the game may seem hokey, it works. About 44% of those who played SPARX recovered from depression, up from the 26% of patients recovered though treatment without the game. In recovery, around 66% of SPARX players felt that their depression symptoms had been reduced by at least 30%, while a relatively fewer 58% of non-players could say the same.

    This could explain why some people link depression and video games, mistakenly assuming that the lonely escapist gamer is falling deeper into depression as a result of their self-imposed isolation.

    However, this cause-and-effect explanation is probably reversed — a depressed gamer is likely already depressed and is actually managing their own symptoms through the use of video games.

    Problematic Gaming

    That said, video gaming can become problematic if it is used only as an escape and distraction from life. It’s become a prevalent enough problem that the World Health Organization has officially recognized gaming disorder in its International Classification of Diseases.

    Like many forms of media, it comes down to which titles are played. Games like Minecraft engage the creative imagination of players, while Nintendo Wii games help people stand up and get moving. Online games like Fornite provide social interaction that can be increasingly harder for children to find as public gathering places, such as malls, fall out of fashion.

    Considering that over 26% of adults in the United States suffer from depression, it’s necessary to get to the truth of what helps and harms people suffering from depression.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • When Does Hardcore Video Gaming Become An Addiction?

    When Does Hardcore Video Gaming Become An Addiction?

    Experts weigh in on the World Health Organization’s decision to add gaming disorder to its International Classification of Diseases.

    Many gamers know the feeling of playing for too long into the night and being just useless the next day, but that’s now something that could be indicative of gaming disorder as defined by the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases.

    The WHO officially recognized gaming disorder last year, defining it as “impaired control over gaming.” The diagnosis is applicable to gamers who put their video gaming time ahead of everything else in their life, including work, study or relationships.

    Is It Really An Addiction?

    Many experts, including Dr. Kenneth Woog, were unsure if gaming should really be considered addictive.

    “In 2002, a lot of people [were] laughing at it and scoffing at it, saying it was ridiculous,” said Dr. Woog, who now treats gaming addiction. “But after doing my research in 2003 and 2004, I was pretty much convinced. I’d seen a few more clients and after I surveyed mental health professionals across the United States, I became convinced that it could be a real thing.”

    People may be slow to accept gaming as addictive because there isn’t a chemical component acting on the brains of gamers, suggests Dr. Alok Kanojia. The purely mental nature of video game addiction also means that a hard approach that includes abstinence is often not necessary.

    “I think sobriety for gamers involves understanding why do you play the game?” said Dr. Kanojia. “To understand the drives behind the game, and to try to replace those drives with healthy alternatives.”

    Personal Experience

    Dr. Woog and Dr. Kanojia, who play video games themselves, say that there are a lot of benefits to playing video games. In particular, social games like Fortnite are replacing the malls of yesteryear as a space where children can socialize. Dr. Kanojia says that he tries to help his patients find a healthy balance between video games and life, a lesson he himself had to learn as a university student.

    “I basically had less than a 2.0 GPA after two years of college because I was just playing a bunch of video games every night,” Dr. Kanojia recounted. “I was on academic probation, really trying to figure out what was going on and didn’t understand why some days I would wake up and be able to go to class and then other days not.”

    He took a break from school to study yoga and meditation in India.

    “I started to study myself, and figure out how games interact with me, what is it about the game that I really like, why can’t I wake up in the morning?” he revealed.

    Unfortunately, video game addiction isn’t being taken seriously enough in the United States, where proper diagnosis and treatment for gaming disorder is hard to find.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Researchers Create Psych Test For Gaming Addiction

    Researchers Create Psych Test For Gaming Addiction

    The test allows users to compare their results with others to see how their gaming habits line up to the greater population.

    Now that video game addiction is a recognized mental disorder, a new test aims to help people determine if they suffer from it.

    Last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially recognized video game addiction as a mental disorder. Now, academic researchers from the UK, Germany, China and Australia have banded together to create a test to help people determine if they have it. 

    Like many types of addiction, simply engaging in gaming is not in itself a mental disorder. However, gaming addiction does become a mental disorder of a person plays so excessively that they begin to experience detrimental effects on other aspects of their life for a time span of more than a year.

    The researchers have publicly released the test online in the form of a five to 10 minute quiz. In its current form the quiz rates its takers on a scale with a maximum score of 20, with a higher score indicating a greater tendency towards gaming addiction.

    However, there is no definitive score that defines addiction, with the test instead comparing your results with everyone else’s to allow you to see how your gaming habits line up to the greater population. The test also determines your personal motivations for gaming, be it to kill time, compete with others, or to cope with negative emotions.

    Of 550 gamers tested in the UK and China, 36 of them meet the WHO’s criteria for video gaming addiction, defined as “impaired control over gaming” as well as gaming taking “precedence over other interests and daily activities” with a continued pattern of such behavior even after repeated negative consequences.

    At the end of May, the WHO announced that gaming addiction would be officially recognized in their newest revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11), which is due at the beginning of the year 2022. The move gained a lot of attention from critics, including video gaming media outlets.

    The Entertainment Software Association blasted the move, stating that it “recklessly trivializes real mental health issues like depression and social anxiety disorder.”

    The announcement also drew ire from heath experts.

    “It’s really a junk diagnosis,” said Christopher J. Ferguson, PhD, a mental health provider who co-wrote a journal article saying that the WHO’s diagnosis provided “little clarity… regarding diagnostic criteria and appropriate symptoms.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Video Game Addiction Is Officially Classified As A Mental Disorder

    Video Game Addiction Is Officially Classified As A Mental Disorder

    WHO’s decision has been met with opposition from the gaming industry and other critics. 

    The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that “gaming disorder” will be included in an upcoming revision of its International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11).

    The disorder is defined as a “pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behavior” which manifests itself in a variety of symptoms, including “impaired control over gaming.” The decision has garnered controversy from both the entertainment software community and some mental health professionals, who have described the decision as a “junk diagnosis.”

    Gaming disorder will be listed in ICD-11 as part of its chapter on “mental, behavioral or neurodevelopmental disorders.”

    As Polygon noted, the language for the disorder – which was finalized in 2018 and formally adopted May 25, 2019 – is nearly identical to ICD-11’s description of “gambling disorder,” which precedes it in the chapter. 

    Gaming disorder applies to behavior exhibited during “digital gaming” or “video-gaming” which may be online or via gaming systems. Those diagnosed with “gaming disorder” may exhibit “impaired control over gaming,” as well as “increased priority” to gaming “to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities.”

    The revision that will include gaming disorder will take effect on January 1, 2022.

    Response from the gaming industry has been largely negative; a joint statement issued by European industry members and seven other nations noted that the disorder “is not based on sufficiently robust evidence to justify its inclusion in one of the WHO’s most important norm-setting tools.”

    The Entertainment Software Association also voiced its opposition in 2018, writing that the inclusion in ICD-11 “recklessly trivializes real mental health issues like depression and social anxiety disorder.”

    Some mental health providers have also voiced opposition to the WHO’s decision. “It’s really a junk diagnosis,” said Christopher J. Ferguson, Ph.D to Polygon 2018. Ferguson co-authored a journal article, which was published in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, which said that the organization’s definition of gaming disorder showed “little clarity… regarding diagnostic criteria and appropriate symptoms.

    Ferguson’s co-author, Anthony M. Bean, also suggested to Polygon in 2017 that the WHO was pressured into adding gaming disorder to ICD-11 by Asian member states, where gaming addiction is widely considered to be a serious problem to be dealt with through strict, often draconian measures. The WHO responded to the article by noting that their decision was based “entirely on the available scientific evidence and experiences with such health conditions in different countries, not limited to Asian countries.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Why Men May Be More Susceptible To Internet Gaming Disorder

    Why Men May Be More Susceptible To Internet Gaming Disorder

    A new study examined the brain scans of men and women with online gaming disorder to figure out if there were any notable differences. 

    When it comes to issues with online gaming, men may be more likely to develop problematic habits than women. 

    According to CNN, new research has revealed that in the brains of men with internet gaming disorder, changes are indicated in the regions of the brain associated with impulsivity. In comparison, the brain scans of women also with the disorder showed no such changes. 

    Yawen Sun, senior author of the study and diagnostic radiologist at Ren Ji Hospital in China, told CNN via email that males may be more prone to internet gaming disorder. The disorder was only recently added to the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases and is defined as when an “online gamer plays compulsively to the exclusion of other interests, including school and family life.”

    “Males with IGD (Internet Gaming Disorder) were found to be more affected by genetic influences than females with IGD,” Sun wrote. 

    She added that high levels of testosterone in younger males could add to behaviors “such as taking greater risks, being less responsive to punishment, and exhibiting more aggressive behaviors.”

    For the study, Sun and fellow researchers sought out 32 men and 23 women, all of whom had internet gaming disorder, as well as 30 males and 22 females without the disorder. 

    The 105 study participants all had resting-state functional MRI scans, according to CNN. Sun states that this particular type of scan “measures brain activity by detecting associated changes in blood flow.”

    In examining the results, the researchers found differences in the brains of men with the gaming disorder versus the brains of men without. In the brains of those affected with the disorder, Sun says there were alterations of brain function in the superior frontal gyrus, which is a part of the prefrontal lobe that has to do with impulse control. When comparing the scans of both sets of women, there were no such differences. 

    According to Sun, the brain changes that showed in the MRIs “may be one of the risk factors, not the result” of internet gaming disorder. 

    Sun also stated that “the cortex matures later in males and does not catch up to females in the prefrontal cortex regions by adulthood.” As such, she says younger males have demonstrated less impulse control than their female counterparts.

    “Numerous studies, including neuroimaging studies, have found that IGD and substance addiction share similar neural mechanisms,” Sun said. “I speculate that males are more susceptible to the effects of long-term online-game playing in comparison with females,” she added.

    Sun says more research is needed but that doing such research in China may prove difficult.

    “Most parents in China do not regard IGD as a disease,” she said. “They think there is no need to do the MRI examination.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Fortnite Addiction Leads Sports Team To Institute Ban

    Fortnite Addiction Leads Sports Team To Institute Ban

    The self-instituted ban was put in place so the team could focus on bonding with teammates.

    The popular video game Fortnite has caused problems in some marriages and in academic settings—and now it’s being banned from some professional sports teams for the same reason. 

    TSN 1040 reports that members of the Vancouver Canucks, a Canadian ice hockey team, have taken matters into their own hands, with a self-instituted ban on the game while on the road.

    Team Captain Bo Horvat told the radio station, “Yeah, that’s definitely a no-go on the road. No more Fortnite. No more bringing video games on the road. It’s strictly team meals, team dinners and hanging out with the guys. So we put an end to that.”

    Horvat also added that there are better options for killing time when traveling, such as bonding with teammates.

    “In my opinion, there’s better ways to spend time on the road, whether it’s hanging with the guys in the room or going to a movie with the guys,” Horvat said. “There’s a lot of cool cities we visit and to be cooped up in your room all night, playing Fortnite, is a waste of your time.”

    Personally, Horvat says he has never played the game.

    “Hopefully a lot of parents and little kids are listening right now,” he told the radio station. “I don’t play it. Nor will I ever.” 

    According to TechDirt, the Fortnite issue first arose for the Canucks last year when the team claimed a young player was “inactive and seeking counseling for video game addiction.”

    This isn’t the first time Fortnite play has disrupted professional sports teams. According to Fortune, players from the Ontario Hockey League were asked to remove Fortnite references from their social media accounts. 

    Reporter Renaud Lavoie says that executives in the sports world have spoken out about the issue. 

    “That GM told me it’s an issue,” Lavoie told Sportsnet 590. “Before, the athletes were going to bars. Now, they’re staying in hotel rooms or at home and playing video games for hours.”

    Major League Baseball has also claimed to have issues with the game, including one case of carpal tunnel syndrome. 

    Outside of sports, the game is causing issues in some families. In the UK, the game has been cited as a reason for divorce in 200 divorce petitions filed in the UK from January to September 2018.

    A nine-year-old British girl was admitted to treatment after her Fortnite addiction kept her up all night and affected her grades and health. The girl’s parents say the tipping point came when her father found her sitting in her own urine while playing the game. 

    “She was so hooked to the game, she wouldn’t even go to the toilet,” the girl’s mother told the Daily Mirror. 

    View the original article at thefix.com