Video Game Addiction

Dickensian diseases such as rickets and malnutrition have been firmly relegated into the history books, at least in this country; however they are being rapidly replaced by a growing number of malignant physiological disorders which are almost always self-inflicted. The newest and least understood of these modern illnesses is addiction to online games.



The first arcades were introduced in the early eighties and held a humble collection of games such as table tennis Pac-man and various types of space invaders. As technology progressed those games became available in our homes, and gaming became an anti-social, solitary pastime. Most modern homes have broadband wi-fi available in each room and if your hooked up to a 37 inch High Def. TV in your bedroom, filling your entire field of vision, and have a blue tooth head set with stereophonic battle sounds bombarding you brain for up to twelve hours a day gaming can become your reality. Many players are more concerned with their progression through the virtual world than they are with their own lives in the real world. Of course certain necessities like eating or going to school are tolerated as long as they don't interfere too much with their games. As a result these extreme gamers are deprived of socialisation and begin to withdraw from the world outside their bedrooms.



The biggest problem amongst adolesants is that unbeknown to themselves their virtual character becomes intertwined with their own personality and character. For example they begin acting out the violence\aggression which dominates some of the most popular games in their day to day lives. As they increasingly find social interaction challenging they immerse themselves deeper into their virtual reality.



Although we know that these games are addictive to the adult population we are primarily concerned with children, a young boy is able to compete with an adult on an even playing field the only thing that is visible to their opponents...