Video Game Addiction: Signs, Symptoms & Treatment

What Is Gaming Disorder?

The World Health Organization (WHO) officially accepted “gaming disorder” as a diagnosable medical condition in 2018.³ When video game play takes up significantly more time than the other activities in your life, that’s a key sign that you have a problem. Like any behavioral addiction, other signs of addiction include becoming distressed or on edge when asked to stop, or an inability to stop thinking about gaming while not even playing. These signs mimic what someone experiences during withdrawal.

Everyone experiences gaming differently—when done in moderation, there’s nothing wrong with playing video games. Some experts even recognize that video gaming may strengthen cognitive skills like spatial awareness, reasoning, and memory.⁴ There can also be an engaging social component when done online. But for some, moderation becomes difficult or impossible.

Is It a “Real” Addiction?

Experts are split as to whether video game addiction is real or not.³ On the one hand, it does meet the criteria for addictive disorders in the DSM-5, but is not officially recognized as its own addictive disorder.⁵ There is not currently enough evidence weighing in on whether lasting brain chemistry changes in the same way as with other addictions.³

Although the DSM-5 has not included video game addiction as a formal diagnosable mental health disorder, it is currently under review as a “condition for further study.” At present, a potential name for this condition is “Internet Gaming Disorder” (a subset of Internet addiction). Despite the term “Internet” preceding “gaming disorder,” there are considerations for including non-Internet games, such as those played on consoles and portable devices.

What Causes Video Game Addiction?

Video games provide a high amount of stimulation. They have numerous storylines, a learning curve, immediate feedback, and infinite possibilities. Each time someone plays, essentially, anything can happen. Behaviorally, the more positively reinforcing something is, the higher the potential for addiction. Video games activate the same reward pathway in the brain as the substances we associate with diagnosable substance use disorders.⁶

Causes and triggers of video game addiction include:

• Addictive personality
• Loneliness
• Boredom
• Desire to escape reality
• Increased amount of time spent playing
• Coping with trauma or significant stress
• Having another diagnosable mental health condition or another addiction

While video game play does provide temporary comfort to the player, it further exacerbates someone’s problems long-term.

Gaming Addiction Symptoms

Video game play crosses the line into addiction when it proves detrimental to someone’s life and responsibilities. The key sign of a video game addiction is repetitive use of video games, often with other players, that leads to significant issues with functioning.⁵

To qualify as “internet gaming disorder,” five of these nine symptoms must occur within a year:⁵

• Preoccupation or obsession with Internet games
• Withdrawal symptoms when not playing internet games
• A build-up of tolerance—more time needs to be spent playing the games
• The person has tried to stop or curb playing Internet games but has failed to do so
• The person has had a loss of interest in other life activities, such as hobbies
• A person has had continued overuse of Internet games even with the knowledge of how much they impact a person’s life
• The person lied to others about his or her Internet game usage
• The person uses Internet games to relieve anxiety or guilt—it’s a way to escape
• The person has lost or put at risk an opportunity or relationship because of Internet games

Child Video Game Addiction Signs

Today’s young child is much more exposed to technology than in previous generations. With video games now more accessible than ever, children are playing at increasingly younger ages. Though these games may help with learning, comprehension, spatial logic, and otherwise; they may also become addictive if not careful.

Some signs of video game addiction in children include:

• A strong preference toward video games over any other toy
• Minimal desire to engage with anyone or anything when not gaming
• Responding negatively when video games are removed
• Playing in secrecy or refusing to stop when designated game time is over
• Performance struggles at school, home, and elsewhere
• A lack of interest in a social life or other prosocial activities
• Preoccupation with gaming to a point where it consumes their thoughts
• Disregard for physical activity
• Needing to play for longer periods of time than anticipated
• No longer playing for enjoyment but merely to satisfy an urge for gaming

Teenage Video Game Addiction

If unchecked, video games may become the center of the teen’s world—finding ways to engage in play regardless of the medium, like smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and computers. Teens may become combative toward parents and guardians when homework, extracurricular activities, chores, or other familial and social obligations interfere with play.

Signs in Adults

For adults, problematic game play may crossover from childhood and adolescence. It may also begin as an escape from everyday life. Now that a parent can no longer restrict use, someone might find themselves gravitating toward gaming during any free moment. It may also serve as a coping mechanism for stress, loneliness, substance use, et cetera. A key sign of an addiction would be if someone found themself missing work to play video games.

Health Risks of Video Game Addiction

With any addiction comes health risks and concerns. The higher the number and severity of risks and concerns present, the more significant the problem.

Health risks and concerns associated with video game addiction include things like:⁷

Lack of Social Engagement

Although there are opportunities to socialize virtually through multiplayer games, the desire to socialize ends there. Gamers gradually shift toward a social life that revolves around gaming. If gaming is not the center of the connection, then it has minimal to no value for them. Especially at younger ages, this hinders social development and compromises identity development.

Problems Concentrating

The immediate gratification afforded by videogames is something that is out of touch with reality. Many things in life take time and effort. Though there is some skill in gaming that may require a learning curve and time, gratification often occurs quickly during game play. When this becomes an expectation in everyday life, it is hard to pay proper attention to those things warranting more concentration. Further, when not gaming, those struggling with video game addiction are constantly thinking about it, limiting their concentration on anything else.

Poor Hygiene

With so much time spent gaming, the focus on everyday things such as hygiene becomes compromised. What is the point of showering and fixing yourself up to sit behind the screen gaming all day? Over time, lack of hygiene may contribute to mental health complications.

Lack of Adequate Sleep

It is easy to play video games longer than expected or even pull an all-nighter. “Just a few more minutes.” “Just one more level.” “The game ends after I lose this final life.” This is especially problematic when occurring on school or work nights. Lack of adequate sleep prevents cells from regenerating, which compromises the immune system. Further, lack of sleep compromises concentration, making it even harder for a gamer to concentrate on important tasks.

Failure to Complete School, Family, & Work-Related Obligations

When too much focus is placed on gaming, people may take short-cuts with important tasks or even omit them all together. In other cases, someone might even cheat or pay someone else to complete a task. Either way, it removes them further from important life tasks.

Anxiety, Irritability, Anger, & Agitation

When the brain is constantly stimulated by video games, the reward pathway is overloaded and it does not have appropriate time to reset. Further, previously enjoyed activities become less enjoyable. Joy is reduced to time spent gaming while everything else is just “blah.” While gaming, someone might become anxious given the stakes of winning versus losing. Upon losing a game, they might throw a tantrum. When gaming is removed, negative moods such as anger or irritability surface.

Loss of Appetite

When in the flow of gaming, everything else becomes secondary. It is natural to play for hours on end without realizing it, forgetting to engage in important tasks such as eating three square meals per day. Anxiety or other negative emotions during game play may work to further reduce appetite.

Reduced Physical Exercise

It is common for physical exercise to go by the wayside while gaming. Fortunately, there are newer games that incorporate physical components. These may include team sports, group exercise, or solo activities. In this respect, someone may receive as powerful a workout as going to the gym; however, most gamers stick with games that are sedentary.

If any of these risks and concerns are present, it is an appropriate time to seek treatment.