Video games: Are they addictive?

Video games have become more prevalent with each passing year.

They are more readily available than ever before, accessible through game consoles, computers and even smartphones.

Video games can provide hours upon hours of entertainment, but could someone actually become addicted to video games?

“It is definitely something that can be addictive for some people,” said Diana Santantonio, psychologist and director of Psych & Psych Services, a mental health and chemical dependency

treatment center in Elyria. “First off, it is something you see overwhelmingly in boys.

“Guys have an extremely higher tendency simply because they are more likely to play video games. This not to say that girls can’t be addicted to video games, but it’s more likely with boys.”

It’s seen predominantly in late adolescent and young adult males, Santantonio said.

“It is in that age range where you see a huge growth in the amount of screen time for these individuals,” she said. “They have a lot of free time which lends itself to the way over abundance of exposure to video games and screen time in general.”

Studying addiction

Video game addiction still is something that is being looked into, Santantonio said.

“Research is certainly going on now and will continue as games become more prevalent in society,” she said. “Researchers are trying to figure out what constitutes video game addiction. They are looking at how much screen time does someone have to have in order to be considered an addict.

“It’s also tough, because kids are always looking at some type of screen. They are always on iPads wherever you go so they don’t bug their parents, and that certainly counts as screen time.”

Santantonio said individuals tend to lean into excessive video game playing due being non social.

“They tend to isolate themselves,” she said. “They aren’t comfortable in the day-to-day real-world interactions. They feel vulnerable when they are not in front of their computer screen.

“You see this with a lot of college kids who get sent off and they don’t connect with people. They prefer to stay in their dorm and game, their grades suffer and they go back home as soon as possible.”

Santantonio says games provide an escape for video game addicts.

“It’s this dopamine rush that they get from playing,” she said. “It’s exhilarating for them and it rewards them the way real life doesn’t.”

Part of culture

Video games have become a culture for addicts, Santantonio said.

“It’s where they spent most of their time and it’s where they communicate with others online,” she said. “This online chat is — for some people — the only source of communication they have with anyone during the day.

“Video games become their main social network. They also change the structure of their lives around video games; they often choose to stay up at night and sleep when most are awake.”

Allison Weldon, who has a doctorate degree in school psychology and is a postdoctoral fellow at Linden Behavioral Pediatrics in Westlake, says video game addiction is a controversial topic.

“It’s something that isn’t very supported,” Weldon said. “It isn’t really something you can diagnose.

“You can see a kid who plays games a lot and see the affect that has on their social life, but you can’t definitively say they are an addict.

“You can see, however, see the kids spend a majority of their time online as opposed to outside or socializing with friends.”

That is when someone should intervene and set up some guidelines for screen time, Weldon said.

People are driven to play video games due to a confident feeling of mastery, she said.

“They are good at the game and they love that feeling of accomplishment,” Weldon said. “They don’t have that same feeling in real life. Life might feel too socially demanding, but video games provide them with a controlled environment where they make the rules.

“The best solution is to limit the screen time, but that depends on the family’s rules and how they want to implement a restriction.”

Exercise more

Dave Covell, health commissioner for Lorain County Public Health, said exercise needs to take priority over gaming.

“We view all of it as screen time,” Covell said. “Every time, you are glued to a screen and sitting in a station spot. You see this more with games that are on phones and are very easily accessible.

“Too much time in front of a screen is simply not healthy. I encourage 60 minutes of exercise a day.”

Covell said exercise will benefit academic performance as well.

“Grades will improve because your mind and body are healthy,” he said. “Play games in moderation, but get out and get your body moving.

“If you stay active, it will pay dividends later in life.”

“They tend to isolate themselves.” — Diana Santantonio, psychologist and director of Psych & Psych Services