Recently , the United Kingdom opened the doors to it’s first gaming addiction center after the pandemic. A rather controversial topic that has been discussed by both specialists and experts. Most studies indicated that while it is not that widespread, 10% of gamers do engage in video games in a manner that is similar to that of an addict. These gamers can as a result can suffer mentally, socially and behaviorally.
The National Centre for Gaming Disorders is run by the National Health Service in Central and North West London . When it finally opened its doors post lockdown , it was swamped by referrals from schools, GPs and parents requesting treatment, an unprecedented response.
Almost 90% of those seeking treatment were male and nearly 70% of them were male. This comes months after the WHO classified “gaming disorder” as a mental health condition to much controversy.
The director of the centre mentioned that the workforce of the centre would have to be nearly tripled to meet demands which are expected to increase later next year.
“Quite a few children were reporting suicidal thoughts and self-harm,” Bowden-Jones said.
For quite a few patients , videogames represent their only form of social interaction which would indicated why it is so tough to make them stop playing the game.
Many patients also mentioned it helped with isolation and 30% of them said that it made them feel happier. This has also been amplified due to the pandemic and increased social isolation due to it.
So what does this translate to for the E-economy that has seen a massive surge in the past year of lockdown ?
Games like Fortnite and Call of Duty are minting money like crazy with Fortnite reporting more than $1.2 billion in player spending in the year 2020 alone as well as 31 million downloads.
This has been further boosted by most games that dominate the market switching over to a battle pass based level progression system. Which makes these games free to play but offers users the chance of charcter customization for as cheap as $10. They then unlock these battle passes to level them up and unlock more items. Which makes it more effective since it effectively acts as a dopamine-based feedback loop.
The more you play , the more you win and the more you win the closer you get to your goal. Once you get to your goal , you set your sights higher to another goal and the cycle repeats itself.
The very nature of these games is addicting which makes them so popular among suffering addicts.
But what does this translate to in layman terms ?
Video game companies are finding more and more ways to increase entertainment from their games often using feedback loops which can cause addiction to less than strong-willed individuals.
The gaming industry has seen a massive increase with everyone sitting in their rooms all day. With willpower slowly declining across the years we are seeing more and more individuals practice these games unhealthily ? What is the line that needs to be crossed for this issue to be a frontline issue that mental health experts therapize and actively spread information about ? Only time will tell
Sources:
https://www.ft.com/content/14ba3a5a-8d3b-49bb-bddd-d157d09c9863
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/video-game-addiction
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200513143803.htm
90% of those seeking treatment were male and nearly 70% of them were female I guess, is already telling that, it is huge social issue along with Covid cases. Instead, we need more initiatives: reading books of interest, learning foreign languages in groups, learning how to code and trade online for those type of groups of people addicted to video games.
It is a common problem. Personally, I don’t play that much but I have a console and I enjoy gaming once in a while