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Abel Pena
Professor Bevill
ENGL 1302-06
4 November 2016
Video Game Addiction
When video games were first introduced in the 70s, they captivated people of all ages.
Since then, the amount of people who game has risen drastically. According to a report by the
Entertainment Software Association, 155 million Americans play videogames and 42% of
Americans play video games 3 hours or more per week (4). A large amount of Americans play
video games. The most popular type of video game is social, which integrates some sort of
interaction between real world players. A study conducted by Douglas A. Gentile showed an
estimated 72% of American households play video games while 9% of the participants in his
study showed signs of video game addiction (Video Game Addiction 1). Video game addiction
leads to social and physical problems.
In order to better understand video game addiction, one should understand why video
games are addicting. According to The Economist, Human psychology tells us that players
should enjoy a game that satisfies the need for control, bestows a sense of one's progress, and
fosters relationships with friends and others encountered which those that are addicted to
gaming fulfill these basic needs that are satisfied in the gaming world (1). For example, the kid
who just moved to a new school and does not have many friends may find it easier to sink into
their chair and play video games where fulfilling relationships exist in their virtual world. This
will eventually lead to a cycle where the player will continue to turn back to gaming to fulfill
their need of social interaction and indirectly affect their social skills leading to them not being

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able to make lasting relationships in the real world. Video game developers have created these
games to be addicting by also implementing rewards that keep gamers addicted by not allowing a
set number of actions to predict these rewards. If a player knew when a reward would be given,
they would get unmotivated to keep playing where as if they did not know when a new power up
would drop which would make a player more motivated to keep playing. Knowing why video
games are addicting helps with understanding video game addiction.
Many players who are addicted to gaming suffer from serious social problems. These
players will spend a large amount of time away from friends and family isolating themselves
from social interaction. The video games players play fulfill the social needs they have, further
isolating themselves from social contact and indirectly leads to a decline in their social skills. A
study published in the journal of Addiction and Health comparing the social skills of students
addicted to computer games with normal students found that those who were addicted had lower
social skills than those who did not. Therefore, those who are addicted avoid social relations and
affect their social skills (Zamani 2). Another social problem addicted players have is the decline
of relationships they may have with family and friends. A study conducted by Selen Demirtas
Zorbaz at Hacettepe University showed that students who had discouraging relationships with
their parents were at risk for video game addiction (7). This shows why someone would become
addicted to video games. Video games satisfy the social needs and substitute positive social
relationships that damage players social skills further. Weak relationships with family or friends
lead to players seeking more of a video game where they are more likely to find positive and
rewarding relationships with other players and characters in games. This continued behavior will
lead to players further neglecting social outings with friends and family to play more of their
video game. Those who continue to neglect their real world responsibilities can end up seriously

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damaging their social skills, Suddenly, he's 21 but has the social skills of a 15-year-old. He
doesn't know how to make friends, talk to girls, or just "hang out and enjoy people's company
(Video Game Addiction 1). This usually leads the player right back to the game that caused the
lack of social development. Those who are addicted to video games can spend more than 24
hours a week playing games, which also leads to financial and academic problems (Video Game
Addiction 1). Those who play Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs),
which usually require a monthly subscription to play, drain players financially over the course of
however long the player is interested in the game. This can be years due to the never ending
nature of MMORPGs which do not have a definitive end as more content is regularly released
This sucks players into playing more and more. The amount of time players spend neglecting
their responsibilities and obligations at home can lead to extremely negative outcomes
academically. In a study by Douglas Gentile, 1178 young Americans were surveyed about their
game use, 20% said their schoolwork suffered due to the time video games drain from players
(Video Game Addiction 1). Addicted players obsessive use of video games negatively affects
players social skills, relationships and may lead to financial and academic problems down the
road.
Those who are addicted to playing video games spend long hours in front of televisions
and monitors which often times leads to physical problems. These physical effects are caused by
a dependency on video games that distracts gamers from getting much done without their
fixation. A study conducted by Eshrat Zamani analyzing the physical effects of gaming addiction
found a direct relationship between addiction to computer games and physical disorders such as
anxiety, sleep disorder and depression (3). This shows a strong correlation between those with a
gaming addiction and physical problems. Addicts become anxious without the comfort of video

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games that gives them a purpose to keep playing. Their lack of sleep also affects many other
aspects such as their personal mood and motivation to complete daily tasks. They may also slip
into deep depression once they realize they are not doing anything productive due to their
addiction and will go back to their gaming world to escape this depression and distract
themselves from the truth about their addiction. These problems are worse depending on the
current health of the person who plays as poor physical health in teenagers draws them to video
games. Lengthy gaming sessions often consist of the player sitting in the same position for hours,
an unhealthy addiction that can become the source of chronic back problems. According to Video
Game Addiction, addicts may also suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome and unhealthy eating
habits (Video Game Addiction 1). Overuse of a mouse and keyboard can lead to carpal tunnel
syndrome which induces weakness, pain and tingling of the hand and arm. Gamers who
addictively play games do not have much time to put into preparing meals. This usually leads to
the player not eating healthy foods such as fast food or junk food. Other times, players may skip
entire meals to continue their game and not get interrupted. This can lead to a player becoming
obese or underweight depending on if they do eat during their game.
Video game addiction leads to many social and physical problems. At first, these
problems may seem insignificant and minor while the user is unaware of the strain they are
putting on themselves. These minor problems may lead to more serious and problematic
consequences if these problems are not addressed before they get out of hand. Addicted gamers
may experience a decline in social skills, a decline in relationships between friends and family.
Those affected by video game addiction should seek help and consider these consequences when
deciding if gaming is something they should continue doing.

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Works Cited
Entertainment Software Association. ESSENTIAL FACTS ABOUT THE COMPUTER AND
VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY. The Entertainment Software Association,
http://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/esa-essential-facts-2015.pdf.
Video Game Addiction. - Internet Gaming Addiction, www.video-game-addiction.org/.
What Makes Video Games Addictive? The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, 2014,
www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2014/02/electronic-entertainment.
Weinstein, Aviv Malkiel. "Computer And Video Game AddictionA Comparison Between
Game Users And Non-Game Users." American Journal Of Drug & Alcohol Abuse 36.5
(2010): 268-276. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
Zamani, Eshrat et al. Comparing the Social Skills of Students Addicted to Computer Games
with Normal Students. Addiction & Health 2.3-4 (2010): 5965. Print.
Zorbaz, Selen Demirtas, Ozlem Ulas, and Seval Kizildag. "Relation Between Video Game
Addiction And Interfamily Relationships On Primary School Students." Educational
Sciences: Theory & Practice 15.2 (2015): 489-497.Academic Search Complete. Web. 18
Oct. 2016.