Addiction is a major problem these days, and a rather new kind of addiction has emerged as of late. The addicts are not junkies on the street, or alcoholics wasted at a local pub.These addicts could be one of your siblings, a parent, a roommate or even a boyfriend.
It is an addiction to video games.
In less than two decades, the video game industry has grown from being almost nonexistent to a multibillion dollar industry. Video game players now number in the millions in the U.S. alone.
"There's no doubt that video games are deeply imbedded in our society," said Doug Lowenstein, president of the Interactive Digital Software Association, the trade group that represents U.S. computer and video game publishers.
For most people, video game playing is pursued as a form of entertainment, in a healthy balance with the rest of their life. For others, however, video game playing has substituted work, school and even time spent with friends and family. These people have become addicts.
Video game addiction has grown to such large proportions that it has spawned groups such as MAVAV -- Mothers Against Videogame Addiction and Violence.This group was formed to educate others about the increasing threat of video games, and claims that video game addiction has become comparable to alcohol and drug abuse.
The symptoms of such an addiction are numerous. For children, these can include spending most non-school hours playing video games or on the computer, worsening grades and irritability when not playing. An addicted child, with an opportunity to play with friends, would rather spend his time playing a video game.
For adults, the symptoms can be even more severe. An addicted adult may feel intense feelings of pleasure and guilt when playing video games, may lose control of video game use, or may spent ever increasing hours playing, disrupting family, work and social life.
With the relatively new ability to play games over the Internet, players can now play in forums with others from across the world. Online gaming, however, has only further encouraged players to spend long hours with a game. A player can lock himself in a room and be connected with hundreds of players online for hours in an imaginary world.
One such game, EverQuest, has created its own breed of addicts -- and as the name implies, the game never really ends. In EQ, players form teams with other players, go on adventures, and raise their own characters' strengths to ever-increasing levels.
Players often play for many hours straight, and some have identified so closely with their digital characters that they have commited suicide when something disparaging befell them.
Some EQ players have become so fanatical that it has spawned its own forums, such as Spouses Against EverQuest and EverQuest Widows. Such groups have stated that their significant other would rather spend time playing EQ then with them, and generally to vent on how addicted their loved one is.
But are video game fanatics really "addicts?"
Some scientists say these people really should not be labeled as "addicts," at least in the sense that we call those addicted to drugs "addicts."
"Well, [videogames are] no more addictive than school or work. The time invested in those also make them addictive," said Florence Chee, a research student at Simon Fraser University in Canada.
Others, however, would disagree. Among them is University Psychology Prof. Lisa Goehler.
"We used to think that there were only certain things that were classically addictive, things like opiates, and practically everything else was 'psychological' addiction," Goehler said. "Now, however, we believe it's not the substance that is addictive, it's what it does to your brain."
People can apparently become addicts, not only to video games, but to other things, such as eating, work, and yes, even school.This has something to do with altered brain chemistry.
"Generally our brains are wired to have a specific neural pathway for things that are important for them to be enjoyable, like eating," Goehler said. "Some people do have eating addictions, but most people don't, most people enjoy doing it, but some people really get obsessed with it, and compulsive about it. Those people who become addicted to things seem to have something different about their brains, and about the receptors of the neurotransmitter dopamine."
Goehler further explained why many scientists believe this: In an experiment, cocaine addicts were shown videos of cocaine related things or even allowed to hold syringes. When scientists imaged their brains and watched what happened during this, they found that there was a massive dopamine release -- in other words, it was not only the cocaine itself which elicited this brain response, but also thoughts and chemical reactions associated with doing the drug.
The same is seen for other rewarding behavior like sex or nicotine intake.It is this unusual dopamine response which seems to define one as an addict.
Susceptibility to addiction does seem to differ from person to person. Such a phenomenon can be observed in alcohol addiction.
Video game playing is not necessarily a bad thing -- it can even be beneficial if it relaxes or entertains a player.But if played too much, games can also be dangerous. Video game addiction does seem to be a very real illness, and make sure you remember that this holiday season if you find a loved one locked away in a dark room instead counting down the New Year.
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