How does gaming addiction affect your health, and how to cure it?
The craze of games among children and the youth is a concerning issue nowadays. More than 2 billion people play video games around the world, and the video game market was valued at 90 Billion Dollars in America in 2020, which was 15.2 dollars in 2019.
The controversies of gaming and its serious consequences are still debatable. The Wikipedia page given below illustrates the controversy and shows the darkest side of gaming. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_controversies)
The Game Addiction makes a severe impact on the physical and mental health of children. WHO states it as a 'gaming disorder' and defined it as a kind of disease in the 11th revision of the International Classification of disease (ICD).https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/addictive-behaviours-gaming-disorder
People showing problematic behavior may have gaming disorders.
How do you recognize problematic behavior?
If gaming does get out of hand, how do you recognize it, and what can you do? It is impossible to determine whether gaming is problematic based on the number of hours someone spends alone. The point is that there are problems with healthy functioning. The following points may be early signs of gaming issues:
1) Loss of balance: Completely neglecting other activities (e.g., work/school/sports)
2) Finding it very hard to stop gaming.
3) Gaming longer and more than intended.
4) Gaming when it's actually no longer fun to play.
5) Persistent feelings of loneliness, tension, or sadness.
6) Taking less care of yourself.
7) Using gaming to escape or relieve negative feelings. (helplessness, guilt, fear)
The impact of gaming addiction on physical and mental health.
Game dependence causes an abnormal reaction in the brain, making it impossible to leave the addiction.
Our behavior is controlled through the 'prefrontal cortex' and 'limbic system' of the brain. The prefrontal cortex is primarily responsible for ''reason,'' and the limbic system is responsible for ''instinct'' and ''emotion''. Normally the prefrontal cortex works predominantly, but when a game disorder occurs, the prefrontal cortex works poorly. It is dominated by the limbic system's 'Instinct' and 'emotion,' making it difficult to get out of dependence.
In the brain of patients with gaming addictions, playing games triggers an abnormal reaction. This is a similar abnormal reaction that may be observed in patients with alcohol and gaming disorders. When an abnormal reaction occurs in the brain, it is attacked by impulses you desire, such as 'I want to play a game,' and it becomes more and more stuck in a state of dependence.
If this type of addiction continues, the function of the prefrontal cortex, which controls the 'reason,' will decline, and the desire for the game will intensify.
Especially for minors, the prefrontal cortex is not completely developed, and it is thought that gaming addiction is likely to occur and that the effects could continue in the future.
The impacts of gaming addiction on health include:
1) Poor posture – If you sit in a chair and lie down or bend down with your phone, it's time to pause. Although this position will not immediately affect most children yet, it can cause serious problems in adulthood.
2) Lack of physical activity- To play sedentary games for a long time may mean that people will miss exercise, and it is recommended by WHO that children and young people aged 5 to 17 must exercise at least 60 minutes a day.
3) Poor sleep quality- Playing multiple hours of exciting games at a time, especially in the middle of the night, will make it difficult for you to fall asleep.
4) Repetitive strain injury (RSI) - RSI may affect children and young people who play games for a long time. Stiffness pain, pain, and numbness are signs that you need to be aware of.
For example, placental inflammation refers to the thumb, wrist, and hand problems related to playing games on gaming machines. If you keep looking at the screen for a long time, eye fatigue is also common, and screen glare can also affect vision.
5) Headaches and migraines- Headaches may be related to physical causes such as fatigue, poor posture, or dehydration, or they may be related to mental health problems, including anxiety and depression. Young gamers with frequent headaches should be checked by a doctor.
Gaming Addiction Treatment
To date, there is little research into proven effective methods for the treatment of game addiction. In day-to-day practice, game addiction in addiction care institutions is treated similarly to other addictions.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), possibly supplemented with medications such as SSRIs, mood stabilizers, and nalmefene, has been shown to have the most promising positive effects. CBT is about changing behavior and thinking.
Efforts are made to strengthen the patient's self-control, teach problem-solving skills and gain insight into the function of gaming (function analysis).
You can check the gaming addiction by yourself, too, if you've faith in yourself. Get disciplined and follow the simple rules mentioned below-
1) Expand social contacts in real life. Make new friends and hang out with them.
2) Choose alternative activities that you think are creative and interested in that can take over the 'function' of gaming, as it were.
3) Parents can also monitor gaming behavior, set boundaries, and encourage alternative activities.
4) Physical activity, morning exercise, and meditation help a lot in recovery from any kind of addiction, so make sure to add it to your life.
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