Abstract
Although video games have existed for many decades, the effects of its addictive qualities are being felt more recently as the video game industry grows during the COVID-19 pandemic. Up until 2018, when the W.H.O coined the term “gaming disorder” as an official diagnosis, the addiction to playing video games was an unobserved problem. Because of this becoming a more recent social issue, it seems as though many are unaware that the amount of time they spend playing video games borders gaming addiction. Many young adults have spent hours online playing video games since the start of the 2020 Covid pandemic as a means to pass time and fulfill their need for social interaction. As a result, there has been an exponential increase in the number of hours spent buying and playing video games. Since the “discovery” of the gaming disorder, health professionals, therapists, and individuals have been finding ways to provide the help addicts may need to recover. This will be necessary since gaming addiction is proving to be “infectious” like the coronavirus. They are both worldwide issues that affect everyday people from their lives and require a dire solution.
The Covid Pandemic’s Infectious Effect on Video Game Addiction
When you face an obsession that you hope to be cured of, you seek comfort and support from someone who could provide you that relief. So, what do you do when you suffer from a consuming addiction, but can’t get treatment for it? Kim DeVries is a gift shop owner in Tucson with a son who is addicted to gaming. After her son had failed out of college and remained jobless, she seeked out a gaming addiction specialist in hopes that someone would be able to help him get his life back on track. She was faced with the fact that they didn’t exist. The idea of video game addiction is not actually new. It’s just that for the longest time, it was seen as a side effect of depression and anxiety or treated similarly to other forms of addiction. It is becoming apparent, especially as the gaming industry grows during the Covid pandemic, that we lack the proper care to remedy those who struggle with the gaming disorder.
Fig. 1. The Global Games Market report estimates the gaming industry’s revenues for 2020
Video games have been around for many years and have steadily been taking their place in society. There has been speculation about video game addiction in the past due to the increasing number of consumers. However, it wasn’t until the W.H.O officially diagnosed this as a gaming disorder, in June 2018, that it was recognized as an actual problem. In 2020, shocking news spread that the “coronavirus outbreak will thrust economies around the world into “deep freeze,” … with some unprecedented lockdown measures likely to remain in place for months” (Meredith). This nationwide lockdown had caused a bit of panic and a huge stop was put on a lot of businesses in order to combat the spreading virus. “Despite the widespread economic disruption caused by the coronavirus” (Hall), “the global video game industry [was] thriving” and expected “to be worth $159 billion in 2020.” Social distancing measures had caused a significant reduction in consumer and business activity, allowing video games to offer “an engaging distraction for people at home looking for social interaction.” The pandemic acted as a catalyst for increased screen time, which inadvertently contributes to gaming addiction. Two years later, Covid-19 is still a prominent part of our lives, yet a lot of the restrictions that were in place at the peak of the pandemic have been lifted. What has not changed, however, is the time people spend playing video games. The success the industry achieved during the pandemic continues to grow to this day and the life people were forced to live during quarantine developed habits. The habit of relying on video games is now harder to break and as a result, the pandemic has contributed lasting change to the gaming disorder.
Fig. 2. Video Game Addiction Explained by Game Quitters
Today’s society seems to be at a point where spending hours playing video games is not out of the ordinary. In fact, it seems to be somewhat of an achievement to have logged a large amount of screen time. The people who value such achievements are mainly kids and young adults. Seeing as how they are also the gaming industry’s target audience, it makes sense that they are the most affected and prone to gaming addiction. In China, a regulation was put in place to restrict their younger audience from being exposed to the negative effects of gaming that may lead to addiction. This policy proved to be flawed because “the addicted [children] who are unable to gain adult IDs through pressurizing, stealing, or trading are trying to find cracked versions of the games” (Saranya).
Fig. 3. Video Game Industry Statistic, Trends, and Power
With the pandemic forcing people to stay at home, people are granted the time to make an effort if it means they can play more and pass time. This disorder not only affects these seemingly desperate children, but their family and friends as well. Symptoms of video game addiction includes a built up tolerance for playing long hours, loss of other hobbies, escapism, jeopardizing school or work opportunities, losing social skills, and or letting it affect your relationship and personal life with others. This causes concern from those around you and from therapists and psychologists who are looking for ways to treat said addicts. The problem with the spread of gaming addiction is that it can’t be traced back to one particular cause. There is no person or thing to blame because it was built on various elements. The gaming industry can be at fault for purposefully making their games addicting. “Designers use predictive algorithms and principles of behavioral economics to keep fans engaged” (Hsu), even if that means that it will be at the expense of their consumers. The Covid-19 quarantine mandate is also unintentionally a reason because it granted people time. Another cause may be the fact that the society we live in has an unspoken social pressure to follow trends. People have the desire to do what others are doing, nevertheless there’s yet to be enough awareness spread about the negative effects of gaming. This aspect was definitely taken advantage of during the pandemic because the gaming industry gains from this. At this point, people still see the benefits of playing in comparison to its harmful effects. They are able to profit off of people playing games for longer periods of time.
Fig. 4. Results based on a poll conducted from August 13-15, 2020, show an increase in screen time during the Covid pandemic
This benefit was threatened when the W.H.O “listed gaming disorder as an “International Classification of Diseases, the highly regarded compendium of medical conditions” (Hsu). It was a decision that was made “despite the objections of the video game industry and many researchers who have studied the issue, and believe the scientific evidence for the classification is weak at best” (Sarkar). The video game industry “pushed back against the W.H.O classification…calling it “deeply flawed” while pointing to the “educational, therapeutic and recreational value of games”’ (Hsu). This claim is somewhat justified through a survey that was conducted during the Covid pandemic by Matthew Barr and Alicia Copeland-Stewart. Their survey wanted “to explore how people have been playing video games during COVID-19 lockdown, and particularly if playing games has had any effect on players’ well-being” (Barr and Copeland-Stewart). Based on the results, many respondents were “driven [to play games] by a desire to socialize.” Video games had become a convenient social outlet during the stay at home order, which helped many feel connected to others within the safety of their homes. Others claimed to have played for stress relief and entertainment since it provides “the benefit of being able to ‘escape’ the pandemic.” These sources however, just show how much people are starting to depend on video games for comfort. It’s obvious that the gaming industry would deny the adversity of video games because that’s what they depend on. “Video games work hard to hook players” (Hsu). The industry relies on and thrives off people coming back for more. The fact that there are still health professionals who doubt the addictiveness of video games is proof that we need to spread more awareness. Mental health professional Dr. Levounis addresses her concerns with her patients “who come in suffering from an addiction to Candy Crush Saga, [because] they’re substantially similar to people who come in with a cocaine disorder” (Hsu). Cam Adair, founder of Game Quitters, mentions that escapism can be a sign of video game addiction. Many people live their lives not realizing that they are addicted because they’ve normalized an unhealthy routine. This is not to say that the respondents to Barr and Copeland-Stewart’s survey are all addicts, but it’s possible that some of them are telling themselves that it’s acceptable to spend all day playing video games. They have found solace in gaming due to its addicting charm. This issue is becoming more ingrained because the gaming industry is growing. During the pandemic, businesses were forced to find alternate options to continue reaching their customers. They would brainstorm ways in which consumers can continue spending while taking measures to quarantine. Developments within the gaming industry “come in tandem with improvements to gaming hardware, bandwidth and mobile internet, which have made high-quality games more accessible across devices and platforms” (Hall). The convenience of it all appeals to many as a pass time in place of other activities. This problem won’t go away without intervention because it acts like other addictions. You can’t expect drug addicts to suddenly decide one day to become clean. There’s a reason why people decide to be sober or go to rehab. Video game companies will continue to make games as alluring as possible because it’s business to them. If people don’t see it as an addiction, they’ll continue playing, telling themselves that it’s normal to devote so much of your life to playing games.
Fig. 5. Video game statistics at the rate we are going
The society we live in gives so much exposure to video games that we can’t see it as mere entertainment anymore. It’s becoming a part of people’s lives and without intervention, game addicts are no different from drug addicts. Though the Covid pandemic has contributed vast change to the gaming disorder permanently, video game addiction dates back further. Because video game advancements will continue to progress, the number of people exposed to video games will only increase from here on out. There are too many elements that make gaming addiction for there to be just one solution. Realistically, the solution would have to be a collective effort from the people contributing to the cause and those who find themselves being affected by it. In the meantime, the first step should be to spread awareness. Not enough people acknowledge the seriousness of gaming disorder to diagnose themselves or others. Perhaps with more information and a better understanding, people will safely balance their life in and out of video games.
Works Cited
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