Video Game Overuse: A Fitting Term, or Downplay of an Addiction?

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If you wander through the rooms of the home that my husband and I share, it becomes immediately apparent that we are two children who never really grew up. Legos and cartoon characters can be found everywhere from the kitchen to the bathroom; video game controllers can be found in our dining room, living room and bedroom; and we have hosted our fair share of LAN (Local Area Network) parties and gatherings where playing a game is expected.

Unfortunately, while fun and entertaining, video games have brought their fair share of difficulties to our relationship and professional lives. We have been able to negotiate the problems together, and have learned to keep one another in-check when it comes to video games impeding on living a “normal” married life.

Because gaming is such an integral part of both of our lives (in fact it is one of the things that brought us together as a couple in the first place), the topic of Video Game Addiction comes up frequently in conversation. Rarely, you will hear someone refer to the more general term “Video Game Overuse” but this term is not commonly used as it is broad, intangible and too easily influenced by personal perspective.

“Addiction” on the other hand, defined by www.merriam-webster.com as being “compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms”, fits the bill when it comes to those who are unable to pull away from their gameplay. It also encompasses the classic substance withdrawal signs shown by those who are addicted to gaming such as irritability, irrationality and in some cases unprovoked violence when they are unable to play.

In an effort to understand better how gamers view the differnece between Video Game Addiction and Video Game Overuse, I held an interview with Stuart; a 28 year old man who has played video games almost all of his life and who has seen first-hand the effects that video games can have on someone who lets their play get out of control. The following exchange is our discussion.

Thank you for allowing me to interview you today. To get started, do you mind if I ask how old you were when you played your first video game?

Stuart: I was probably like, 5 or 6.

And what game was it?

Stuart: It’s kind of hard to remember… because at the time we had an Atari, and we had an old CoCo computer and some other games. We had several different types of games in the house, so it’s hard to remember what my first one was. But the first games I ever played were Pegasus on the CoCo computer and the original King’s Quest series, and then of course Star Wars games on the Atari and stuff like that.

Who was it that started your gaming experience at such a young age?

Stuart: That would be my father. 

What did you like about gaming when you were that young?

Stuart: I don’t know, probably that it was an alternative way to use your imagination and have fun. You know, learn “team” goals and such. 

Do you prefer Computer Games or Console Games, or…?

Stuart: Computer games, hands down. I grew up on the PC. I have done most of my gaming on the PC because that’s just what I’ve done. I mean, I play console games too, but I only play specific games on the console that I really like.

How many hours of video games do you think that you play each day?

Stuart: At least one or two, usually. I mean, I skip days every once in a while.

And how many hours would you guess that you play in a week?

Stuart: Probably 20 to 30 hours a week I’m playing video games of some kind.

That’s a lot of hours.

Stuart: Yeah… (Laughs)

I’m going to ask you this question a couple of different ways, a couple of times, and I want you to be prepared for that: What do you think about Video Game Addiction?

Stuart: (Long pause) Um, like as a general concept? Like any other addiction you let it get out of control and pretty soon it will be the only thing that you do, and it can ruin your life. 

In the research that I’ve done, I’ve read various places that Video Game Addiction is not really an addiction, and that it should really be called “Video Game Overuse”. What do you think about that?

Stuart: Well, then drug addicts would be “Drug Overusers”. I mean, if you totally want to completely reclassify what addiction is… then whatever. But it’s still an addiction or overuse that is going to negatively impact your life.

So it sounds like you are more apt to call it an “addiction” thank an “overuse”. What do you think it is that makes a person go from someone who plays a bit more than they should, to being someone who is truly addicted to video games?

Stuart: There’s a fine line with any addiction. There’s a certain level you reach where you play games a lot and you have fun; you play with your family, you play with your friends, whatever. And then it gets to a point where all of a sudden you’re missing family events, you’re ignoring your wife and loved ones. It reaches that level of saturation in your life where it completely and negatively impacts every other positive thing you’ve got going for you. Your money, your job, your friendships, your relationships. That kind of thing. 

Have you ever found yourself putting off life events so that you can play one more level?

Stuart: Perhaps, yes. It has happened on occasion… you just get so absorbed in what you’re doing that it becomes more important than whatever you had planned.

The American Psychological Association in 2007 said that there wasn’t enough data available to definitively say that there is such a thing as a Gaming Addiction, or to classify it as a disorder. What do you think about that?

Stuart: I mean, you watch one or two YouTube videos of young children whose parents take their video games away because they’ve played too much, and they scream and scream and throw tantrums. Or you read in the news that they hurt someone else over the situation.

Ok, and back to you – Have you ever missed essential things like sleeping or eating or hygiene because of game play?

Stuart: Oh, yeah. I mean, I’ve had binges where I’ve gamed for 30 hours straight or whatever. Where, you know you just play for a long time and don’t realize you’re hungry until your game character maybe needs to eat. 

You’re like, “Oh, maybe I should do that. Oh crap, it’s been like 15 hours since I ate something!” Or, “God, I’ve been ignoring my bladder for four hours – maybe I should go pee before I get a kidney infection.” (Laughs) It happens. You try to avoid it as much as possible, but there’s always the geek who lives in his mom’s basement and has installed a toilet in his gaming chair so he doesn’t have to get up. Luckily I never got to that point.

Thank God.

Stuart: Yeah, thank God.

What do you think that gaming either provides or replaces for you in your every day life? What do you get out of gaming that you don’t get out of your day-to-day activity?

Stuart: Well… it works on a lot of levels. Gaming is a replacement of social interaction, it supplements the basic kind of things that people need. You talk to other people, escape from your day to day reality, do things that you wouldn’t normally be able to do in real life because they are outside your comfort zone, and it’s a general escape… It’s an appeal to everyone, not just to me. For me, it’s just a fun way to get outside of reality. It’s the same reason people watch TV all the time. It’s an escape from your every-day-hum-drum-boring-a**-life where you’re nobody.

Do you think that gaming has had an impact on your personal or professional relationships?

Stuart: Oh, most definitely. There are times, or have been in the past where I have had no social life because I was too busy blowing the crap out of people online. Which, I mean a lot of people justify it by saying, “that is my social life,” because you’re talking to people in WOW or whatever. So yeah, definitely. 

What are some examples of instances where gaming has gotten in the way of you having a personal relationship with someone, or doing things with someone you have a personal relationship with?

Stuart: I don’t know if I could really give a specific example. There were times at one point where my wife would try very hard to get me to be interested in making love to her, or going to the movies with her, or doing anything with her other than allowing her to sit behind me while I played a game. And I was just ignoring her. 

Do you feel that you’ve been able to keep your desire to game from becoming a full-blown addiction, or if you do think you are a Video Game Addict have you found a way to keep your addiction in check?

Stuart: The thing with me is that I have a very addictive personality. I get addicted to lots of things. I’ve been addicted to a lot of things in the past, and will be addicted to more things in the future. It’s just about finding a comfortable balance to where you’re not at the saturation level where it’s entirely negative… You’ve got to keep an eye on yourself; you’ve got to know when you’re playing too much. For me, now it’s helpful that I’ve gotten older because I start to hurt if I sit in a chair too long so I can’t sit in one place as long as I used to. 

Is there one type of game that is more addictive to you than another type?

Stuart: No, not necessarily. Really it’s just that if I get into a game, it doesn’t matter what kind it is, I will play it for a really long time. And every time I sit down to play a game I will play that type of game more than I play anything else. 

The last question that I have for you is: Would it be possible, even though you’ve found a way to manage your gaming, that you would reach a point where you could give gaming up altogether?

Stuart: (Long pause) I mean, if I had to. Like zombies took over the world, then yeah. I could quit gaming. I would if I had to. But at this point in my life I don’t have to. I can always find time. It’s entertainment, like watching movies, what have you. There will always be a place in my schedule to play a game of some kind, hopefully with another real-life human being. 

Thank you for allowing me to interview you about this.

In close, I believe this conversation is very telling about the personal investment into gaming culture. As rehabilitation centers across the nation begin specializing in gaming rehab it becomes more and more obvious that the issue is not simple overuse of something pleasurable, gaming can become a full-blown addiction that requires professional help to overcome. It affects young people most dramatically, as they have not had the time to develop their full personalities and find a productive place in R/L (Real Life) society; but can also be debilitating to older men and women who find gaming after a layoff, retirement, or other life changing events.

It is important that we shift our opinions of those who are so deeply attached to games, and that the medical industry accepts Video Game Addiction quickly. No longer is it a problem that can be viewed as being an issue for only those who are purely socially defective as many who play are suffering the symptoms of a very real addiction that has been likened to heroin, methamphetamine or alcohol addiction. As awareness of the problem grows, and more affected people come forward searching for help, it will become increasingly difficult for those in medical and psychological fields to ignore the demand for help.

If you or someone you know needs help fighting a gaming addiction, I urge you to seek out programs that can help. Groups like On-Line Gamers Anonymous (OLGA) follow a 12 step program similar to Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous groups. Rehab centers, such as the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recoveryhave started including gaming addiction as a part of their computer addiction or internet addiction programs. 

For more information on what Video Game Addiction is and how it may be treated, click the links below:
www.video-game-addiction.org
www.myaddiction.com