An Addiction to Video Games

A recent study in the journal Pediatrics found that children who watch as little as an hour of television and video games a day find that it’s harder for them to pay attention in school. There are other problems associated with video games – parents may notice children who play long hours of video games are depressed or anxious when they are not playing, and in a very real sense the become addicted to the thrill of playing
There is nothing per se wrong with video games played for short periods of time. Kids love the mastery and control they feel with a video game, and it can boost their dexterity and self-esteem.
Playing video games however, can become an addiction and come with other problems.
Mis-use of attention is one of the things at the bottom of playing video games. Doing something that deeply engages us is a powerful distraction, away from anxiety or depression, and away from a life that might be boring or uncomfortable. Kids may feel they aren’t that good at school work, or they worry about social adequacy, but while they are playing a game of Halo or Grand Theft Auto, they are the master of their fate, and in control, totally immersed with all other unpleasant thoughts and feelings left behind. The challenge of being in a competitive game causes a rise in adrenaline.
The addiction to video games can be addressed through the way we pay attention. The style of attention to a video game is narrow-focused immersed. Again narrow focused immersed is not wrong, but the over use of it causes the accumulation of stress and can become an addiction. After hours of play people get burned out and drained and can become depressed, or anxious and seek out more play to divert their attention.
Listening to a teacher, you can imagine, does not create the same kind of narrow immersed attention, and excitement. Their energy for paying attention is used up by the game. School has a hard time competing with the excitement of a video game. In fact much of life looks dull in comparison with the excitement of a virtual game world.
Treating video game addiction begins with dissolving anxiety and depression. Young people are often very good at finding and dissolving these feelings which may be in their stomach or chest or any one of a number of other places. When these feeling are gone, the world around that looked dull and drab now seems richer and fuller and the urge to play is often less. Then it easier to start to wind down the number of hours they play.