Currently, there are more than 3.24 billion gamers worldwide. Playing video games is one of the most popular hobbies there is. While this kind of pastime can be fun for many, it can also cause video game addiction. Video game addiction can be just as bad as drug addiction since these games affect the brain in a similar way. Learning how to quit video game addiction can also be very difficult due to the addictive nature of video games. But what should you do to break this addiction and how does it work?

Keep reading and learn more about this unique type of addiction, how to stop it, and how to prevent it. 

What You Need To Know About Video Game Addiction

As the name suggests, video game addiction involves someone developing an addiction to playing video games. But lots of people play video games, so why isn’t everyone addicted to playing them? Can chronic gaming lead to video game addiction?

Why do people get addicted to video games in the first place? The first thing you should know about this addiction is that it is quite similar to being addicted to drugs. This is because video games and drugs both cause the brain to release dopamine. 

Dopamine is known as the “feel-good” hormone and the brain releases it as part of the brain’s own reward process. Dopamine is also released when a person eats food or has sex. However, the amount of dopamine released when playing video games (or taking drugs) is often unusually high. 

This is what makes playing video games so addicting. It constantly makes a person’s reward centres light up and makes them feel pleasurable. This will spur the person to play more and more video games. 

So, if you were to ask, “Are video games as addictive as drugs?” the answer would be yes. This is especially true in those that play video games for longer periods of time than the average person. 

The Details

Playing video games for an hour or so once in a while for fun will not be likely to cause an addiction. However, when a person becomes completely absorbed in a video game and seems unable to concentrate on anything else, this may be the start of an addiction. A full-blown video game addiction can involve a person ignoring basic daily functions such as showering or eating in favour of playing video games. 

A person may even lose their job or drop out of school because of this addiction. Whenever they are not playing video games, they may be thinking about those games and wondering when they can get back to playing them. This kind of addiction, of course, can also ruin a person’s relationships since the addict won’t have any focus on anything except video games. 

But what exactly causes this kind of behaviour? Why do some people develop this addiction while others do not?

What Causes Video Game Addiction?

The main factor that causes video game addiction is the release of dopamine, as mentioned before. Video games tend to make the brain almost constantly release dopamine. This will make the very act of playing video games very addictive. 

This is why it is potentially dangerous any time a person plays video games. But what about all the people that don’t get addicted? There are several reasons why some people may not get addicted to these games. 

For example, some people may just not like playing video games or they may find them frustrating and confusing. In this case, there would not be the usual rush of dopamine. More than that, there seems to be a strong genetic factor that plays a role in addiction. 

In particular, it seems like some people are genetically more likely to develop an addiction than others. This is true not just with video games but also with drugs, alcohol, and so on. Even so, prevention is still the best way you can keep someone from developing a video game addiction. 

Many children end up addicted to video games since these games are such a normal and popular hobby. Some children may even fail in school due to this addiction, and this addiction can persist into adulthood. For that reason, prevention is very important. 

What You Need to Know

Prevention can take many different forms. For example, it may involve keeping a person away from video games altogether. On the other hand, it may involve limiting a person’s time on the computer to play those games. 

Whatever the case, prevention is the only sure way that you can stop a video game addiction from forming. It is important to stop this addiction early on because it only gets worse with time. The longer this addiction continues, the more reliant the person will be on playing video games. 

If a person is unable to play video games for a certain period of time, they may become very irritable, angry, or even severely depressed. Again, this is due to the way these games affect the brain’s ability to produce dopamine. Besides that, playing video games is very habitual. 

A person will get used to playing these games for many hours at a time if not all day. To stop this habit would be very difficult because the addict may not know what else to do with their time. They may feel very anxious when not playing video games. 

They may also have difficulty doing normal things such as interacting with people face-to-face, maintaining a job, doing schoolwork, and so on. All of these things become more difficult the longer the addiction goes on. But if you stop it early on before the addiction takes too serious of a hold, it will likely be easier for the addict to get back to living a normal life. 

A video game addiction support group can certainly help.

Comparison to Drugs

There are many ways in which video games are similar to drugs. As mentioned before, the main similarity is that they both cause the brain to release large amounts of dopamine. Releasing large amounts of dopamine will cause the person to continue to pursue whatever action is causing that release of dopamine. 

At a certain point, whether a person is addicted to video games or drugs, the brain will become habituated to that high level of dopamine. At that point, the person will need to do something more intense to get the same euphoric feeling. With drugs, a person would need to take a higher dose. 

With video games, the person may need to play for longer periods of time or play more difficult and intense video games. Both of these addictions can also be harmful to the brain and body. For example, playing video games excessively can render the body weak and even undernourished. 

What to Know

This is especially true if the addict rarely gets out of their chair to walk around or exercise. The person may even skip meals if they are too involved in their video game. Or, on the other hand, they may only eat low-quality food that is easy to prepare such as chips, fries, sodas, energy drinks, and so on. 

This could cause a person to lack many important dietary vitamins. Sitting for long periods of time can also increase a person’s risk of developing a blood clot. And, of course, it makes a person more likely to be overweight. 

Another similarity between video games and drugs is that they are both difficult to stop. When a person stops playing video games, they will feel a sudden drop in dopamine and their brain will have a hard time making more on its own without the help of playing video games. This can make a person feel very depressed, angry, or anxious. 

However, with the right treatment, a person should be able to get back on track.

But what kind of treatment options are there?

Therapies

The most popular type of therapy for video game addiction is cognitive behavioural therapy, also known as CBT. This type of therapy focuses on changing the way a person thinks. This therapy is based on the belief that a person’s addiction is partly or completely due to an incorrect or unhelpful way of thinking and behaving.

In particular, trouble coping with one’s problems may make it difficult for one to stop an addiction in its tracks. CBT aims to change the way a person thinks so that they can think in a more efficient and helpful way. This may make it easier for a person to overcome their video game addiction. 

For example, a person may play video games to escape their own negative thoughts. However, playing video games would not be necessary if the person learns how to cope with those negative thoughts and put them behind them. 

Family counselling may be another good therapy to try for a person battling this addiction. This kind of therapy can allow the addict to feel supported and loved. It can also allow the person to view their addiction in a different light and how that addiction may be affecting their family members. 

Support

Support groups can also be good for curbing video game addiction symptoms and ridding the person of the addiction. There are many support groups to consider such as Directories of Residential Inpatient Gaming Addiction Treatment Centres, outpatient video game rehab and treatment centres, and so on. 

Support groups are helpful for a variety of reasons. For one, it will allow the person to interact with other video game addicts and hear their stories. It will allow the person to see their addiction from an outside perspective. 

More than that, it will give the addict the opportunity to interact with other people which may not be a common thing when playing video games all the time. Talking out a person’s problems along with other people who have the same problem can be very enlightening. 

It can also help the person see how other people are coping with their addiction and what kind of methods they are trying to get their lives back to normal. 

Treatment

Besides support groups and therapy, there are a few other types of treatment options for video game addiction to consider. An interesting type of treatment is known as wilderness therapy. This involves putting the addict in a natural environment where they won’t be distracted by many modern aspects such as phones, computers, video games, and so on. 

Instead, the person will have the chance to be out in nature and admire what nature has to offer. In some cases, medication may be necessary. This is usually only the case if the video game addiction may be caused by a mental health condition. 

For example, if a person suffers from depression, the person may play video games to escape from those feelings. This is also true for feelings of anxiety. For that reason, prescribing medication to treat those disorders may, overall, help a person overcome their video game addiction. 

So, whenever the person feels stressed or depressed, they can take their medication instead of relying on video games to help them. 

How To Quit Video Game Addiction

Knowing how to quit video game addiction can be difficult, especially for those who have been playing video games for years. This kind of addiction is very similar to an addiction to drugs due to the way it affects the brain’s ability to produce dopamine. Whatever the case, there are plenty of treatment options available. 

Contact us here to learn more about potential treatment options.