i have received a few reporter questions this week asking to define the signs of online gaming addiction. Online gaming has exploded, there is to doubt of that. What form does the addiction take? Is it just a matter of time? Not really, although I have treated gamers who spend every waking hour gaming. For today's post, I thought I would share what has become accepted as a main criteria to watch for when assessing online gaming addiction. Please answer "yes" or "no" to the following:
- Do you need to play online games with increasing amounts of time in order to achieve the desired excitement?
- Are you preoccupied with gaming (thinking about it when offline, anticipating your next online session)?
- Have you lied to friends and family members to conceal extent of your online gaming?
- Do you feel restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop online gaming?
- Have you made repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop online gaming?
- Do you use gaming as a way of escaping from problems or relieve feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, or depression?
- Have you jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, or even risked your marriage because of your online gaming habit?
- Have you jeopardized a job, educational, or career opportunity because of your online gaming habit?
If you (or a loved one) has answered "yes" to three or more of the above questions, you may be addicted to online gaming. These are common warning signs that you have lost control, lied, or possibly risked a relationship to support your gaming behavior. It is not easy to break the habit - too much is involved in gaming (the multi-user games especially are hard to break). Help and further resources are available online at netaddiction.com - or if you wish to set up an individual session, please feel free to call our center.
