Video game addiction in adolescents: what is it and what to do about it?

A review of the characteristics of this type of addiction that occurs mainly in adolescence.

The development of new technologies is making itself felt in the most unsuspected areas of life.

Although scientific, urban and industrial transformations are usually the ones that most attract the attention of the media, the improvement of techniques and tools used by human beings is also clearly reflected in the leisure sector. In fact, one of its consequences has been the emergence of addiction to video games, a problem that occurs especially in childhood and adolescence.

In the following lines we will see what video game addiction in adolescents consists of.What are the implications and effects of this psychological problem when it affects this age group, and what can be done in these cases.

Addictions to video games in adolescence: mechanisms of dependence.

In most of the occasions, the developers of the most sold video games put a lot of effort to lengthen the hours of playability of their products, that is to say, of the capacity that to maintain the players entertained with the video game throughout many hours.

A short title is usually designed to be played for about 5 or 6 hours, while those of long duration can be played for more than 150 hours. If we go to the extremes, we find video games that are replayable over and over again, and that can seduce young people to the point of keeping them glued to the screen for months, and in some cases for years, as is the case with some games designed for online competition.

This does not mean that video games are addictive in themselves; there is nothing in them that allows them to be considered products that necessarily generate dependence, and in fact most regular consumers of these products do not develop addiction, unlike what happens with most chemical drugs.

However, it is true that, due to their characteristics, they are capable of combining are capable of combining with the psychological predispositions of some young people to make it easier for them to get "hooked". to make it easier for them to get "hooked" on video games.

The following are the main factors that contribute to the development of addiction to video games by adolescents who initially use them for entertainment.

1. The use of explorable items and environments as reinforcement

The main resources with which video games keep the player with the expectation of receiving rewarding experiences are mainly two: items and explorable environments.

Items are virtual objects that either offer new gameplay possibilities (e.g., lifting heavy rocks) or are collectibles.. Explorable environments, as the name suggests, are new "scenarios" that the player can explore and that contain a set of novel experiences: it is what we call "screen swiping" in classic video games of the 80s and 90s.

Most video games feature at least one of these two elements, and from the outset they make it clear to players that, if they continue to interact with their virtual world, they will be periodically earning these rewards.. In this way, players feel more interested in the video game, knowing that if they overcome certain challenges they will get new content.

2. The possibility of escaping from the real world

Adolescence is a stage that many young people live in a problematic way, needing to "disconnect" to avoid thinking about their problems.

Video games are a perfect fit for this needThey provide narratives, virtual environments and concrete goals with which it is easy to connect and let the attention remain focused on what is happening on the screen. Even when they are not playing, adolescents with a video game addiction problem are often fantasizing about the virtual worlds they have become accustomed to interacting with, and even socializing with other young people interested in those kinds of video games, dreaming about gaming sessions, etc.

3. The narratives of some video games

Many video games not only offer worlds to explore and satisfying game mechanics in which a challenge is offered and rewards are given upon completion; they also tell interesting stories, they also tell interesting stories..

The desire to know how these narratives unfold is capable of enhancing the addictive effect that games have on some teenagers, especially if they identify with one of the main characters.

4. A way to combat boredom

It should also be taken into account that in adolescence there are many young people with difficulties in making friends, either because they have not yet fully mastered social skills, because they have few opportunities to meet other teenagers with their interests, due to situations of moving and changing schools, etc.

Thus, video games are a way of "filling up" their free timesince they are not offered other stimulating activities. In this way, a habit linked to low self-esteem begins to form.

Symptoms

The symptoms of addiction to video games during adolescence are usually the following:

• An "absent" state during a good part of the time when the child is not playing, since he or she recreates "games" in his or her imagination.
• Irritability when the child has not played a video game for a long time.
• Tendency to loneliness and seclusion in a place where he can play video games.
• Impoverishment of his social life: in general, he can only maintain a more or less solid friendship with other young people who play many hours a day.
• Outbursts of anger if a game is interrupted.

What to do?

Fortunately, more and more psychotherapy professionals are trained to help adolescents with video game addiction and their families.as well as their families.

Through a psychological intervention of several weeks focused on changing the habits and thought patterns of the young person, it is possible to greatly weaken the strength of this dependence on electronic leisure, to the point that it practically disappears and ceases to be a problem. However, to achieve the best results, it is necessary to act as soon as possible so that the problem does not become firmly established in the child's lifestyle.

If you are interested in knowing more about how we work in Instituto de Psicologia Psicode regarding addictive behaviors, either in Madrid or Alicante, access our contact details by clicking here.

Bibliographical references:

• Marco, C. & Cholis, M. (2010) Pattern of Video Game Use and Dependence in Childhood and Adolescence. Annals of Psychology, 27, 418 - 426.
• Miller, Peter (2013). Principles of Addiction: Comprehensive Addictive Behaviors and Disorders, Volume 1. Academic Press. pp. 819 - 825.