Computer game addiction

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Classification according to ICD-10
6C51 Gaming disorder
ICD-10 online (WHO version 2019)

Computer game addiction , also known colloquially as computer game addiction , is classified as a sub-form of non-substance-related addictions , which consists of the compulsive use of computer and video games .

Computer game addiction can be viewed as a disease because it restricts the person's degree of freedom, which results in a loss or loss of freedom. Particular attention is paid to online role-playing games in which a large number of players are at the same time ( massively multiplayer online role-playing game , MMORPG).

discussion

In the United States, the issue of video game addiction has sparked much discussion. The American Medical Association met in June 2007 to discuss the matter, and concluded that more research was needed before computer game addiction could be considered a formal diagnosis. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) was asked to investigate whether the diagnosis was suitable for inclusion in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). Michael Brody, a member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, pointed out that despite his belief that computer games can be addicting, he doesn't necessarily think the diagnosis warrants inclusion on the DSM. In an official statement dated June 25, 2007, the APA announced that it “does not currently view computer game addiction as a mental disorder”. The revised DSM-5 includes Internet Gaming Disorder as a research diagnosis. To do this, five of the following criteria must be met over a period of 12 months:

  1. Thoughtful numbness
  2. Withdrawal symptoms
  3. Tolerance development
  4. Lack of control
  5. Loss of interest
  6. Continued use in spite of problems
  7. Cover up
  8. Escape
  9. Severe consequences

In particular, the manufacturers of computer games classified as particularly addictive are also criticized. While these are dissuasive, they are accused by others of making targeted calculations with the potential for addiction.

Possible diagnoses

To diagnose computer game addiction, there are currently no independent disorders in the ICD-10 or DSM-IV . In both classification systems, computer game addiction can be counted among the abnormal habits and disorders of impulse control (F. 63.8) as well as with pathological gambling (F. 63.0). The diagnosis and therapy options are thus considerably more difficult. Similar symptoms appear in other psychological addictions, even if the craving does not manifest itself in every person. Reiner Obert makes an analogy to alcohol addiction .

In the draft of the 11th revision of the ICD, the WHO gave computer game addiction a code number (6C51 Gaming disorder) and classified it in the field of mental, behavioral and neurodevelopmental disorders. Some experts criticize this decision and warn against misuse of the diagnosis. Those affected would therefore have to be examined for problems such as depression and social anxiety disorders .

Distribution / prevalence

A representative study by the Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony (KFN) in which 44,610 young people aged 15 and over in 61 randomly selected districts or urban districts were interviewed revealed that over 14,000 young people were already addicted to computer games and a further 23,000 young people were at risk. According to the study, 15-year-old adolescents who use World of Warcraft played an average of 3.9 hours a day and the proportion of adolescents who exhibited addictive behavior with loss of control and withdrawal symptoms was 8.5 percent. In this context, the head of the KFN, Christian Pfeiffer , demands a higher age rating for the game from 12 to 18 years and therefore no youth approval.

An April 2007 survey in the United States by market researchers at Harris interactive (Harris Poll) found that 8.5% of 1,178 adolescent gamers "can be classified as pathologically or clinically 'addicted' to video games". A UK survey from November 2006 showed that 12% of the 7,000 gamers surveyed were addictive. 94% of the players surveyed were male. One in nine players met the addiction criteria. It is believed that excessive computer gaming is a bigger problem in Asia. A government-commissioned survey in South Korea found that 2.4% of South Koreans between the ages of 9 and 39 are addicted, with 10.2% more borderline cases.

A 2005 survey by the Entertainment Software Association found that excessive computer game use is particularly widespread among MMORPG players . In a 2005 interview, Dr. Maressa Orzack of McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, states that 40% of all 8.5 million players in the game are World of Warcraft dependent. This number comes from a survey conducted by Nick Yee as part of the Daedalus Project. However, Nick Yee indicated that caution should be exercised when interpreting this survey data.

A 2008 study by Stanford University School of Medicine shows that men are more addicted to computer games than women when the game concept revolves around territorial control. In a study with imaging methods from Stanford University School of Medicine - the first of its kind - scientists were able to show that the reward centers of the brain are more active in men than in women during a video game; "These gender differences can help explain why men are more attracted and 'trapped' 'by computer games than women," the researchers write in their recent publication in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

Possible causes

Most theories focus on the games' built-in reward system to explain the addicting nature of the games.

Researchers at the University of Rochester and Immersyve Inc. investigated what motivates gamers to keep playing video games. They believe there are far more factors involved than just having fun. Research director Richard Ryan, a motivational psychologist at the University of Rochester, suggests that many video games satisfy some basic psychological needs and that gamers often keep playing for rewards, freedom, and often because of connection with other gamers.

Dependencies that arise through negative affects are also given. Reiner Obert states in a case study (“bat game”) that archetypal fears and the struggle to get rid of them can find their expression in addicting computer games.

At the same point, uniformities of meditatively performed playing are described on the one hand with male and on the other hand with female sexuality. In the addictive bond between the player and his toy, lust as well as the (fetal) need for unity with a (maternal) encompassing metasystem “player game” sublimated.

Dr. Brody, chairman of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's media committee , points out that computer game addiction can be caused by mental health problems such as antisocial personality, depression, and phobias, especially social phobias. He believes that many addicts seek a way to escape reality and then discover that they can create a completely new person in an online game and live their life through their new online personality. Because of new virtual friends and new virtual power, they begin to like their fantasy life more than reality and eventually refuse to be pulled away from it.

In addition, there are approaches that integrate learning-theoretical and neurobiological findings. The mere memory of the positive effects of the addictive substance acts as the central drive for the addictive behavior. Learning processes (such as classical and operant conditioning) are responsible for maintaining excessive gaming behavior. If a computer game is played excessively in the sense of inadequate coping with stress (e.g. loneliness), the negative effect triggered by loneliness can be suppressed or suppressed. This increases the behavior, since a negative emotional state could be successfully regulated by a computer game, and the probability of a repetition of the behavior is also increased. Through such learning processes, the use of computer games is associated with relaxation and an escape from reality and is retained despite the resulting negative consequences (e.g. loss of job). Furthermore, affects such as fun, feelings of happiness, power and excitement also play a role in the development of computer game addiction. In this case, computer games would only be used for purposes other than those intended, so that games are no longer played for entertainment reasons, but to compensate for negative emotional states. If there is also a lack of alternative coping strategies, the tendency towards addiction is increased.

treatment

Some countries such as B. South Korea responded to the perceived threat of computer game addiction and opened treatment centers. The Chinese government runs some clinics to treat patients who are addicted to online gaming, chatting, and web surfing. The treatment of patients, most of which had to be coerced by their parents or government officials, involves various forms of pain or discomfort.

China also introduced an anti-online game addiction system in 2005 to address addiction risk by reducing the rewards built into the game. This reward reduction was activated after three hours of uninterrupted play. In 2006 the system was changed so that players over the age of 18 are not affected by these restrictions. However, players under the age of 18 are reportedly finding ways to circumvent these measures.

The Chinese government has launched a campaign to limit the number of hours teenagers spend playing online games. According to the law passed in July 2007, Chinese internet game producers must install a program that prompts the user to enter their ID number. After three hours, players under the age of 18 will be asked to stop playing and “do appropriate physical exercise”. If you nevertheless continue with the game immediately, the software ensures that the points gained in the game are reduced by half. All points will be deleted if the player continues to play for more than five hours.

In June 2006, the Smith and Jones Clinic in Amsterdam was built, the first treatment facility in Europe to offer a treatment program for compulsive gamblers. McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts has launched a computer addiction service . Elsewhere, players can seek help at general addiction counseling centers. At one such center in Richmond, Canada, 80% of a youth counselor's cases have excessive gambling as a background.

In Germany, too, a range of treatments for computer game addiction has been developing for some time. In March 2008, the first outpatient clinic for gambling addiction was opened at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz . The outpatient clinic is aimed at people from the Rhine-Main area and offers an intervention based on behavioral therapy for computer game addicts.

Research activities in treatment facilities are still in the preliminary stage, as only a few clinical trials and no meta-analyzes have been carried out for this type of addiction. As with other addictions and dependencies, a combination of psychiatric drugs and psychotherapy is the most effective treatment. 12-step programs have shown promising results as well.

Founded in 2002, the not-for-profit organization Online Gamers Anonymous is a self-help, support and convalescence organization for gamers and their families who suffer from the adverse effects of excessive computer gaming. A 12-step program is also offered here. Online Gamers Anonymous provides a number of message boards, several online meetings, and other means of healing and support for those affected.

Deaths

Several well-documented deaths are known that are directly attributable to exhaustion from long-term gambling. In South Korea, a man has died after playing for 50 hours. A Chinese man died in Jinzhou after playing online for more than 15 days. A 30-year-old died in Quangzhou, China after playing continuously for three days.

Occurs in novels, films, and television series

  • South Park , episode Make Love Not Warcraft ; parodies many aspects of gambling addiction
  • The Simpsons , episode from the 18th season Marge Gamer (German Marge Online ) ; Margin is introduced into an MMORPG
  • The Big Bang Theory , episode The Conan Game ; Penny gets to know an online role-playing game and immediately develops an addiction.
  • CSI Miami , episode Urban Hellraisers ; A suspect is found dead after playing non-stop for 70 hours.
  • Boston Legal , season 2 episode; Studying the death of a boy who died from excessive video game consumption (three days in a row).
  • David Barr Kirtley's fantasy story Save Me Plz is about a young woman's request to track down her boyfriend who has disappeared after obsessively playing an MMORPG .
  • Ben X is about an autistic boy who takesrefugein the online world of an MMORPG because he does not feel understood by many other people.
  • Kevin Kuhn's novel Hikikomori is about a young German adult who locks himself in his room and lives there in online game worlds such as Minecraft . With other players he builds an alternative world 0 .
  • The novel Kryonium. The experiments of memory by Matthias AK Zimmermann describes a computer game whose algorithms create virtual worlds from brain waves in order to treat computer game addiction. In this simulation, which is generated using a brain-computer interface , the patients play against their own memory.

See also

literature

Individual evidence

  1. AMA May identify excessive video game play as addiction , June 25, 2007.
  2. What helps with internet addiction? ( Memento of the original from August 11, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 2nd August 2014. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.onmeda.de
  3. Addiction game World of Warcraft: Are Blizzard threatening first lawsuits soon? netzrebellen.de, August 13, 2008; Retrieved August 14, 2009.
  4. ↑ Addiction to Computer Games: Who is Responsible? netzrebellen.de, August 14, 2008; Retrieved August 14, 2009.
  5. Chapter 13.1 (p. 88) , January 3, 2014; Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  6. ICD-11 Beta Draft - Mortality and Morbidity Statistics. Retrieved March 31, 2018 .
  7. New catalog: WHO officially declares online gambling addiction a disease . In: Spiegel Online , June 14, 2018, accessed June 14, 2018.
  8. Computer game addiction in childhood and adolescence . (PDF; 517 kB). Criminological Research Institute Lower Saxony, Research Report No. 108; Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  9. Youth study: tens of thousands of schoolchildren are addicted to computer games. In: Spiegel Online ; Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  10. Video game addiction: is it real? Harris Interactive April 2, 2007; Retrieved June 25, 2007.
  11. Online gamers addicted says study. BBC News, Nov. 28, 2006; Retrieved June 25, 2007.
  12. Anthony Faiola: When Escape Seems Just a Mouse-Click Away. Washington Post Foreign Service, May 27, 2006; Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  13. Video Game Overuse May Be an Addiction: Experts. Dentalplans, June 22, 2007; Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  14. Nick Yee: The Daedalus Project: Addiction The Daedalus Project. July 9, 2004.
  15. Michelle L. Brandt: Video games activate reward regions of brain in men more than women, Stanford study finds. ( Memento of the original from May 13, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Stanford University School of Medicine. Retrieved May 7, 2008. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / med.stanford.edu
  16. ^ Daniel Haggard: The computer game affliction: how they addict you. ( Memento of the original from April 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 25, 2007. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / danielhaggard.com
  17. Jennifer LeClaire: Warning Signs Appear Along Road to Video Game Addiction. TechNews World. September 13, 2006; Retrieved June 25, 2007.
  18. ^ Cause and Impact of Video Games Addiction. All about Health, News, Articles, Discussion. February 5, 2007; Retrieved May 8, 2008.
  19. An analysis of the "bat game" . In: R. Obert: Addiction factor 10 - A case study on the dangers of computer games as non-substance addictive substances. ISBN 978-1-4948-8812-1 .
  20. Erin Backer: Child and adolescent psychiatrists react to ama recommendation on video games .
  21. Humphrey Cheung: China electrocutes the WoW out of Internet addicts. ( Memento of the original from December 22, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. February 23, 2007; Retrieved June 25, 2007. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.tgdaily.com
  22. ^ Poppy Sebag-Montefiore: China's young escape into the web. In: Observer Guardian , November 20, 2005; Retrieved June 25, 2007.
  23. Mure Dickie: China moves to zap online game addiction. In: Financial Times , August 23, 2005; Retrieved June 27, 2007.
  24. Shang Koo: GAPP Exempts Adults From Fatigue System. ( Memento of the original from February 17, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Pacific Epoch, Jan 16, 2006; Retrieved June 27, 2007. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.pacificepoch.com
  25. Zhengqian Zhou: Industry Unfazed, gamers unconvinced About Fatigue system. ( Memento of the original from November 4, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Pacific Epoch April 10, 2007; Retrieved June 27, 2007. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.pacificepoch.com
  26. China Limits Teenage Internet Gaming. 3-RX Health Encyclopedia, 2007; Retrieved May 7, 2008.
  27. ^ Smith and Jones Clinic in Amsterdam
  28. ^ Li C. Kuo: Europe Opens Its First Game Addiction Clinic. ( Memento from May 1, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ) Gamespy, June 1, 2006; Retrieved June 25, 2007.
  29. ^ Computer Addiction Services
  30. ^ Nelson Bennett: When the game gets serious . Richmond News, December 8, 2006; Retrieved June 25, 2007.
  31. ^ Behavioral addiction.de - Outpatient clinic for gambling addiction
  32. ^ Cindy Burkhardt Freeman: Internet Gaming Addiction Treatments. In: The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. January 2008, pp. 42-47, Retrieved May 7, 2008.
  33. ^ Online Gamers Anonymous
  34. Korean drops dead after 50-hour gaming marathon. London Times, August 10, 2005.
  35. ^ S Korean dies after games session. August 10, 2005.
  36. Chinese gamer dies after 15-day session. ( Memento of February 3, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) vnunet.com, March 1, 2007.
  37. Chinese gamer dies after three-day session. ( Memento of February 2, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) vnunet.com, September 17, 2007.
  38. Chinese Man Dies From 3-Day Gaming Binge. Associated Press, September 17, 2007.