The Serious Side of Video Game Addiction

Technology has become extremely advanced and invites people to spend several hours online – neglecting daily tasks such as communicating with people, spending quality time with family and friends, and doing activities face to face with people. Video games have always been a part of children’s lives for decades. Parents assume such tasks are harmless.

Children who are exposed to violence in games or domestic violence at an early age are highly likely to exhibit or engage in violence themselves. Playing video games for hours every day, for several years, can cause serious damage to an individual.

Side Effects of Video Game Addiction:

1. Low communication skills –People who are spending all their time playing video games do not have adequate communication skills to hold up conversations with people – unless it is about a video game. Let’s face it, the world does not revolve around video games!
2. Loss of quality family/friendships – Video game addiction is not only hard for patients, it is also hard for loved ones. Friends and family members who want to spend quality time with their loved one and all he or she can think about is playing the video game – can ruin friendships.
3. Lack of Motivation – When someone plays video games all day, it causes a sense of “I can’t think about anything else but this video game right now.” People lose a sense of responsibility and accountability for their lives. People are not able to hold jobs because of being preoccupied with playing video games all day long.
4. Low social skills – People who are addicted to playing video games lack social skills. They do not actively engage in wanting to have stimulating conversations with other people in their lives. People who spend most of their time playing video games are conditioned to looking at a screen for 16 or more hours everyday – therefore disabling their social skills.
5. Depression, Anxiety, Isolation – People who are addicted to video gaming can develop depression, anxiety, apathy, and lethargy. The addiction consumes peoples lives and damages their professional lives, personal lives, and social lives.

Not only can gaming addictions ruin people’s lives, it causes decreased interpersonal skills, decrease in social and communication skills, and increase in physical conditions such as obesity. The fact that people can sit and view a screen for several hours a day, while eating or forgetting to eat is extremely problematic for people’s mental and physical health.

Parents of children who are addicted to gaming feel helpless, hopeless, and want help for this epidemic. Patients do not know who to turn to for help and parents are struggling to find someone who really understands the problem. There are counselors who are highly knowledgeable and informed about populations who suffer from addictions.

How to Find a Counselor Who Helps with Addictions

1. Research the Counselors Credentials- If a therapist has a credential of LCDC that stands for Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and this type of counselor is licensed/trained to help with all kinds of addictions. Counselors who are credentialed are qualified to assist people with all types of addictions such as drugs, porn, sex, alcohol, and video gaming.

2. Get to know the Counselor- What school did the counselor go to? What college/university did the counselor attend? Has the counselor published any articles or books? What are the counselor’s specialities?

3. Schedule an Appointment- Give counselors a chance! Schedule the initial appointment and see if the counselor has worked with this population before. Ask the counselor if he or she has helped people who suffer from video gaming addictions.

4. Publications- If the counselor has publications, journal articles, or books, read them! If the counselor has any tools, suggestions, and coping skills read about them and see if it can help.

5. Build Rapport with the Counselor- If you have never been to a counselor before, schedule an appointment, and try to get to know the counselor. Building rapport with someone takes time, especially in a therapeutic relationship. Clients need time, trust, and patience to build rapport with their counselor. Remember to give counselors a chance and develop that therapeutic bond in order to heal and live healthy, functioning lives.