Playing video games can be an incredibly addictive stimulus, and it's all thanks to the brain's reward center. When a person experiences hyperarousal while playing video games, the brain associates the activity with dopamine, a pleasure-inducing chemical. This leads to a strong desire to seek out that same pleasure over and over again. Passive screen time, such as browsing social media, watching online videos, or playing simple games, can also be addictive.
This can lead to a loss of interest in other hobbies and entertainment, and can even cause people to exaggerate the prevalence and nature of problem games. Those who have changed their direction due to gaming have been found to have higher goal setting scores than those who are still pathological video players. Players can become so engrossed in their gaming experience that they neglect personal hygiene, gain or lose significant weight, alter their sleep patterns, play at work, avoid calls from friends, or lie about how much time they spend playing video games.
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Quitters is an online peer-to-peer support community that offers free videos, a community forum, and an affordable program for both players and parents.Internet addiction affects only a small percentage of the online population and there is very little evidence that it is problematic among teenagers. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) does not recognize video game addiction as a disorder, but it has included video game addiction as a condition that requires further study in the DSM-5 as an Internet gaming disorder (IGD). Players often have poor diets that consist mainly of energy drinks filled with caffeine and sugar. Mark Griffiths has proposed another reason why online video games are potentially addictive: they can be played all day every day without ever reaching a 'Game Over' experience.
This and other reports have led to the classification of excessive use of the Internet and video games as an “addiction” or a “dependency” - terms similar to those used to describe excessive substance use. The disorder is characterized by an alteration of control over online games, prioritizing them over other activities to the point where they take precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuing to play despite negative consequences. IGD is also known as problematic video game use, video game addiction, computer addiction, compulsive Internet use, pathological Internet use, maladaptive Internet use, virtual addiction, Internet addiction, etc. Sometimes children even avoid stopping the game to go to the bathroom - which can lead to hygiene problems. Get weekly updates on Game Quitters , including the latest news, free content and community developments.
