Video games have been accused of being corrupting influences that lead to violence and other bad behavior. A recent study now appears to show that gaming can lead to pathological gaming-a state that seems to be on par with other serious and harmful addictions.
The study in question was conducted in Singapore using 3,034 students from grade 3 to grade 8. The study found that 7.9-9.9% of those in the study could be classified as pathological gamers. Interestingly, 16% of those classified as pathological ceased to fit this classification over the two years while only 1% of the participants shifted from non-pathological to pathological. While the study was limited to one country, the results are supposed to be consistent with what would be found in other countries.
The study revealed that risk factors for becoming a pathological gamer include the time spent gaming, the person’s social competence and the person’s impulse control. Not surprisingly, people who spent more time gaming while possessing less social competence and impulse control were more likely to become pathological.
This is a matter of concern because there seems to be a link between being a pathological gamer and depression, anxiety, social phobias and reduced school performance.
Not surprisingly, certain spokespeople for the gaming industry rushed to condemn the study. After all, if a solid link were made between video games and psychological harms, then it would seem likely that costly lawsuits would soon follow. Of course, the mere fact that the folks in the gaming industry has a financial stake in the matter does not prove that their criticisms are mistaken.
In any case, the study does raise some interesting concerns and does provide a clear focus for discussing causation.
Even it is assumed that there is a correlation between playing video games and the harms the study purports to reveal, there are still legitimate questions about the causality involved.
First, there is the possibility that cause and effect are being reversed. To be specific, people might turn to playing video games excessively because they are depressed, doing poorly in school and having other problems. If so, the video games would not be the cause of the problem. Rather, the pathological gaming would be the effect. To use an analogy, a person who drinks excessively and is depressed and unemployed might be drinking because he is depressed and unemployed.
Naturally, it is worth considering that there might be a feedback mechanism in play: people turn to video games because of these problems and this approach makes the problems even worse. Alcohol presents a clear analogy here: people do turn to drink because of problems and then the drinking can make things worse.
Second, there is the possibility that there is a third factor that is causing the alleged cause and effects. To illustrate this, consider an example from my own life. When I was 15 my mother bought me a copy of the D&D Basic Set. Soon after, I became less social (aside from gaming), I was depressed, my grades dropped badly and I spent a lot of time playing D&D. While it might be tempting to explain these problems by blaming D&D (which was blamed for all sorts of things then), the real reason was that shortly after I started gaming my parents went through a rather rough divorce. After things settled down, I still played D&D (and video games) and my grades, socialization and so on recovered and then improved significantly. As such, my spending a lot of time on D&D did not cause my problems. Rather, the divorce caused me to spend more time on D&D and caused many of my problems.
As such, it is worth considering whether or not there are other factors that are causing the pathological gamers to be both pathological gamers and suffer from the various problems attributed to them.
Third, it is worth considering whether the problems are actually specifically caused by video games or whether it is some other factor, such as the excessive time spent on one activity. To use an analogy, consider blaming obesity on junk food. While this has some appeal, it is not actually the type of food that causes obesity but rather the quantity. A person could eat a diet of bacon wrapped Twinkies and not get fat, while someone else could eat health food in massive quantities and get very fat. If it is the excessive time spent that causes the trouble, then video games might be off the hook for the blame. Then again, there might be something about video games that makes them a special risk. Going back to the junk food analogy, it is tempting to blame junk food because it is high in calories and very appealing.
Based on my own experience, I am inclined to hold that excessive time spent on a single activity can lead to problems-be it video games, a sport work, or texting. However, it does seem reasonable to consider that video games are crafted to be addictive and that they might have more capacity to create problems than other hobby activities.
I don’t think at least initially that game designers intended their games to be addictive, but design is inevitably going in that direction. Game making is a commercial activity. If you are charging a commodity fee (monthly/hourly charges, items that come from grinding or in-game currency) you want addictive behavior in your customer because they provide the best economic payout.
Didn’t Derrida question the typical description of a drug? I see games as a sort of virtual drug. The difference between a real drug and a virtual one is the same as between architecture and software architecture, it’s easy to tweak and the punishment for exploring radical alternative avenues isn’t high. This causes rapid evolutionary growth, and in the case of games toward the type of game that results in the most money coming in to the company.
I don’t think it’s unrealistic to call some forms of gaming like Farmville or World of Warcraft a “vice” activity by traditional standards. I personally know of two people who got hooked on World of Warcraft, and they progressively lost their social life, friends, significant other, and finally their jobs. These are the types of terms I’d normally use for drug use or alcohol problem, but that it fits so naturally here is really telling to me.
Erik: “I personally know of two people who got hooked on World of Warcraft, and they progressively lost their social life, friends, significant other, and finally their jobs. These are the types of terms I’d normally use for drug use or alcohol problem, but that it fits so naturally here is really telling to me.”
But doesn’t the fact that, sadly, these people could get “hooked” to this extent, when most people don’t, indicate that there might be other things at work here?
I am inclinded to agree with you that gaming is not so much the cause as the result. That people with certrain characteristics just get addicted to something and for some it just happens to be gaming. But I do have to note here that I am somewhat biased, since I have been a non-pathological gamer for almost 10 years now.
But I think that there is one important thing to note here: gaming is an activity which actually gives one a possibility for real self-realization. And I am not just talking about perfecting one’s skill in a single-player game. I am talking about cybersports and there is a lot of recognition, but also money to be gained in that field.
I am not sure how much this aspect is missing in other (more common) addictions. Surely drugs do not have that, but I can see someone making the case that alcohol consumption and over-working can have similar positive effects.
Generally, people consider that spending “excessive” time in an activity is “pathological”, when that activity is not seen as “productive” or “normal”.
No one would say that a doctor who spends 18 hours a day caring for her patients is “pathologically obsessed”, even though her social life will undoubtedly suffer. We would call that doctor
“dedicated” or “self-sacrificing”.
We can imagine a society where gaming is as highly valued as being president (how many hours a day does the president work? does he have a normal social or family life?) and where we would speak of “dedicated” gamers.
What about stock brokers and other financial executives who spend hours and hours “gaming”, with high financial rewards and are held in high prestige?
Any suggestions on how to help a young adult of 23 that is unemployed, socially inactive, doesn’t date, no car, no way of caring for himself unless supported by others, stays up all night playing video games, guitar hero, ete…….who has no desire to get involved with family or friends, and refused to work because he doesn’t and hasn’t had to, and seems content of being depend on others, has no desire to better himself ??? Stumped
The study to be published in the February 2011 issue of ‘Pediatrics’ – the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics is, available on pdf here:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/peds.2010-1353v1
allegedly ‘depression, anxiety, social phobias, and lower school performance seemed to act as outcomes of pathological gaming’.
Studies that determine correlation do not prove causality. I go to work every morning; the sun rises every morning;certainly, i do not make the sun rise. But correlation is an intial step to establish causality; everytime A happens; B happens; therefore is A cause by B or B cause by A. In my opinion, what is important is the follow up. Is there a biological mechanism that supports this causality? For example alcohol creates biological dependency, which is proven by its withdrawal sindrome. Then, the question is Are the psychological/psychiatric/neurological mechanism of gaming similar or related to current known addiction biological mechanism? I do not know the complete answer to this question but rewards mechanism connected to addiction are involved in gaming. Very interesting question, thank you very much
JJM, thought you might be interested:
Dr Charles O’Brien, chair of the Substance-Related Disorders Work Group (American Psychiatric Association):
the “withdrawal patients experience are very normal responses to prescribed medications that affect the central nervous system… On the other hand, addiction is compulsive drug seeking behavior which is quite different”.
“There is substantive research that supports the position that pathological gambling and substance use disorders are very similar in the way they affect the brain and neurological reward system … Both are related to poor impulse control and the brain’s system of reward and aggression.”
http://www.dsm5.org/Newsroom/Documents/Addiction%20release%20FINAL%202.05.pdf
then, from ‘Pediatrics’ paper already cited above:
“researchers have assumed that it [pathological gaming] would be similar to pathological gambling. The parallel seems justifiable, because both are assumed to be behavioral addictions that begin as entertainment that can stimulate emotional responses and dopamine release. People gamble or play video games for many reasons, including relaxation, competence, autonomy, and escape from daily concerns. Playing can produce “flow” states, in which the player is focused, has a sense of control, may lose a sense of time and place, and finds playing intrinsically rewarding. Playing is not pathological initially but becomes pathological for some individuals when the activity becomes dysfunctional, harming the individual’s social, occupational, family, school, and psychological functioning.”
Link; Thank you for the information. The view of the withdrawal effects is new, before it was one of the key elements of addiction that created biological dependence. It is interesting that SSRI effects changed this view.
It appears that the case for gaming addiction is building strongly and a clear mechanism is emerging.
Thank you very much again
You are most welcome JJM.
I’d like to add a cautionary thought though.
Take the ‘Pediatrics’ article’s claim that ‘depression, anxiety, social phobias, and lower school performance seemed to act as outcomes of pathological gaming’.
Suppose we ‘de-medicalize’ that into an Oldspeak caution for children:
“If you play when you should be doing your homework you will do badly at school and if you only play inside on your own you will become shy, and if this is what you do then you will end up worried and sad.”
Now, have Dr Gentile et al really discovered a MEDICAL problem affecting up to 1 in 10 children? Or have they just ‘medicalised’ a problem?
a short piece of suggested reading:
The Medicalization of the Human Condition by Paul Chodoff, M.D.
http://psychservices.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/53/5/627
Great article.
I completely agree that excessive time spent on any one activity can be extremely harmful to any human being. The heart of true arete, or excellence in life, is balance.
With that in mind, I feel that games have the unique potential to expand a person’s mind by changing the “rules” – cultural, physical, and generically mental – that bind us to the world that we see, smell, walk, talk, and love in. They force us to think outside the box – a cornerstone self-fulfillment and personal contentment.
When combined with a balanced lifestyle, games can be a very positive force in our lives.
So I’m a video game journalist – see this article I wrote last week on a related subject:
http://www.gamersguidetolife.com/2011/01/gamers-are-don-quixote-and-they-should.html
I agree with your opinions! Well it’s a good job.Can you do me a favor? Share your experience of laser pointer with me.
I’m not going to bash this blog for this, but it would have been nice to have a link or a source cited leading to the survey. Having the information is nice and telling us the neat data is cool…However, it hinders credibility for this post,not to mention it would have bee nice to have whilst researching video game addiction.