Physical consequences of gaming addiction
You've been searching all day. You've traveled hundreds of miles, sometimes backtracking to make sure you haven't missed anything. Some areas are so infested with hostile creatures that you've been prevented from continuing on your journey until the creatures were destroyed. After all that, you've finally ... finally, found what you've been looking for - the secret passage that transports you to another place. You've moved up to the next level! You're so excited that you barely notice how much your back hurts, nor do you notice that you're on the verge of getting a migraine headache ... again.
It may sound like a strange story, but it's all too familiar for video game players ("gamers"). Whether they play on an Xbox or online, they enter worlds filled with witches, elves, dragons, and more, by traveling to mysterious and sometimes secret locations. They spend so much time in this other world, they begin to do physical damage to their bodies.
Physical consequences of gaming addiction include carpal tunnel, migraines, sleep disturbances, backaches, eating irregularities, and poor personal hygiene.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome has long been associated with computer use, so it's no surprise that it's a physical symptom of gaming addiction. Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused when the main nerve between the forearm and hand is squeezed or pressed. This occurs when the carpal tunnel - the area of the wrist that houses the main nerve and tendons - becomes irritated or swollen. Overuse of a computer mouse can cause such irritation and swelling, as can excessive use of a video game controller.
Migraines
Migraine headaches typically start in one spot and slowly spread, getting more painful as they progress. In severe cases, the pain can be so extreme that it causes the sufferer to vomit. Light and noise can cause excruciating pain. Someone who plays video games for extended periods of time is more prone to migraines because of the intense concentration required and the strain put on the eyes.
Sleep Disturbances
The term "sleep disturbances" covers several sleep-related disorders, including insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, nocturnal myoclonus (periodic leg or arms jerks during sleep), and parasomnia (i.e., night terrors, sleepwalking or talking, and nightmares). Sleep disturbances are caused, in part, by overstimulation of the brain. However, some people can't get a good night's sleep simply because they think obsessively about the game they're playing.
Backaches
Backaches are a common physical symptom of gaming addiction because most gamers stay seated in the same position for hours on end. The lack of movement causes stiffness and soreness, but could deteriorate into chronic back problems.
Eating Irregularities
Eating irregularities are caused by gaming addiction simply because most addicted gamers don't want to take the time to eat properly. Rather than eating healthy, balanced meals, they eat food that is quick and usually unhealthy. In extreme cases, the gamer may choose not to eat at all.
Poor Personal Hygiene
An addicted gamer is not going to take the time to properly care for himself. Showers, face-washing, and brushing hair and teeth all get put on the back burner. It simply becomes less of a priority, if it's a priority at all.
These physical consequences will occur in varying degrees from one gamer to another. Though the severity of physical consequences is often tied to the severity of the addiction, this is not always the case. A gamer that is already in poor physical condition will be more susceptible to these effects early on.
It may sound like a strange story, but it's all too familiar for video game players ("gamers"). Whether they play on an Xbox or online, they enter worlds filled with witches, elves, dragons, and more, by traveling to mysterious and sometimes secret locations. They spend so much time in this other world, they begin to do physical damage to their bodies.
Physical consequences of gaming addiction include carpal tunnel, migraines, sleep disturbances, backaches, eating irregularities, and poor personal hygiene.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome has long been associated with computer use, so it's no surprise that it's a physical symptom of gaming addiction. Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused when the main nerve between the forearm and hand is squeezed or pressed. This occurs when the carpal tunnel - the area of the wrist that houses the main nerve and tendons - becomes irritated or swollen. Overuse of a computer mouse can cause such irritation and swelling, as can excessive use of a video game controller.
Migraines
Migraine headaches typically start in one spot and slowly spread, getting more painful as they progress. In severe cases, the pain can be so extreme that it causes the sufferer to vomit. Light and noise can cause excruciating pain. Someone who plays video games for extended periods of time is more prone to migraines because of the intense concentration required and the strain put on the eyes.
Sleep Disturbances
The term "sleep disturbances" covers several sleep-related disorders, including insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, nocturnal myoclonus (periodic leg or arms jerks during sleep), and parasomnia (i.e., night terrors, sleepwalking or talking, and nightmares). Sleep disturbances are caused, in part, by overstimulation of the brain. However, some people can't get a good night's sleep simply because they think obsessively about the game they're playing.
Backaches
Backaches are a common physical symptom of gaming addiction because most gamers stay seated in the same position for hours on end. The lack of movement causes stiffness and soreness, but could deteriorate into chronic back problems.
Eating Irregularities
Eating irregularities are caused by gaming addiction simply because most addicted gamers don't want to take the time to eat properly. Rather than eating healthy, balanced meals, they eat food that is quick and usually unhealthy. In extreme cases, the gamer may choose not to eat at all.
Poor Personal Hygiene
An addicted gamer is not going to take the time to properly care for himself. Showers, face-washing, and brushing hair and teeth all get put on the back burner. It simply becomes less of a priority, if it's a priority at all.
These physical consequences will occur in varying degrees from one gamer to another. Though the severity of physical consequences is often tied to the severity of the addiction, this is not always the case. A gamer that is already in poor physical condition will be more susceptible to these effects early on.
Social consequences of gaming addiction
Your cell phone starts to ring and you look over to see who's calling. It's your best friend. He probably wants to hang out. After all, it is Friday night. You think about picking up the phone, but you don't. Instead, you tell yourself, "I'll call him as soon as I finish this fight.” You promise yourself that you'll call him because, even though you go to the same school and have most of the same classes, you haven't really hung out in a while. You've just been too busy. So you promise yourself, "as soon as I finish...”
People who are addicted to gaming encounter situations like this all the time; situations in which they have to choose whether to interact with the real world or continue living in their virtual one. Sadly, the real world rarely wins.
Social consequences are a very real part of gaming addiction. Addicted gamers spend so much time playing that their personal relationships get neglected and sometimes disappear altogether. Among addicted gamers who are married, up to 50 percent report a strain in their marriage as a result of their addiction.
A quick search online for information about video game addiction yields multiple stories about detrimental, and potentially harmful, social decisions people have made because gaming takes priority above all else. One such story was about a man who installed an online gaming program onto his laptop so he could play at work, even though he knew that getting caught would mean getting fired.1 Yet another told of a wife whose husband had begun playing "all the time” because he said it took his mind off his problems.2
It's not just neglect that costs addicted gamers their relationships. Some of them talk so much about their game of choice – to the exclusion of everything else – that people no longer want to be around them. They can't, or won't, engage in real world conversations or be a source of support or encouragement to friends and family. Because their friends talk about other things, they begin to feel left out, which in turn causes them to feel irritated or offended. It doesn't occur to them that they've chosen to be left out by devoting all their time to gaming.
Some of the physical consequences of video game addiction can lead to social consequences as well. For instance, an addicted gamer who loses sleep because he's playing so much simply doesn't have the energy to invest in relationships. Lack of sleep may also make him irritable and difficult to be around.
The lack of social interaction that results from obsessive gaming can have long-term social consequences. An addicted teenager won't develop effective social skills, which will hinder his ability to develop and maintain healthy relationships in college and beyond. Suddenly, he's 21 but has the social skills of a 15-year-old. He doesn't know how to make friends, talk to girls, or just "hang out” and enjoy people's company. The social awkwardness created by the isolationism of gaming addiction, unfortunately, feeds the addiction. The gaming addict will likely retreat back to his online world where relationships are easier and already waiting for him.
Gaming addiction is serious. Though there still is much debate about whether it is a diagnosable disorder, there is clearly a segment of our society for whom gaming is more than just a casual pastime. These people need friends and family members who care enough to intervene and try to help them break the addictive cycle.
1Source: VideoGameAddiction.net.
2Source: NetAddictionRecovery.blogspot.com.
People who are addicted to gaming encounter situations like this all the time; situations in which they have to choose whether to interact with the real world or continue living in their virtual one. Sadly, the real world rarely wins.
Social consequences are a very real part of gaming addiction. Addicted gamers spend so much time playing that their personal relationships get neglected and sometimes disappear altogether. Among addicted gamers who are married, up to 50 percent report a strain in their marriage as a result of their addiction.
A quick search online for information about video game addiction yields multiple stories about detrimental, and potentially harmful, social decisions people have made because gaming takes priority above all else. One such story was about a man who installed an online gaming program onto his laptop so he could play at work, even though he knew that getting caught would mean getting fired.1 Yet another told of a wife whose husband had begun playing "all the time” because he said it took his mind off his problems.2
It's not just neglect that costs addicted gamers their relationships. Some of them talk so much about their game of choice – to the exclusion of everything else – that people no longer want to be around them. They can't, or won't, engage in real world conversations or be a source of support or encouragement to friends and family. Because their friends talk about other things, they begin to feel left out, which in turn causes them to feel irritated or offended. It doesn't occur to them that they've chosen to be left out by devoting all their time to gaming.
Some of the physical consequences of video game addiction can lead to social consequences as well. For instance, an addicted gamer who loses sleep because he's playing so much simply doesn't have the energy to invest in relationships. Lack of sleep may also make him irritable and difficult to be around.
The lack of social interaction that results from obsessive gaming can have long-term social consequences. An addicted teenager won't develop effective social skills, which will hinder his ability to develop and maintain healthy relationships in college and beyond. Suddenly, he's 21 but has the social skills of a 15-year-old. He doesn't know how to make friends, talk to girls, or just "hang out” and enjoy people's company. The social awkwardness created by the isolationism of gaming addiction, unfortunately, feeds the addiction. The gaming addict will likely retreat back to his online world where relationships are easier and already waiting for him.
Gaming addiction is serious. Though there still is much debate about whether it is a diagnosable disorder, there is clearly a segment of our society for whom gaming is more than just a casual pastime. These people need friends and family members who care enough to intervene and try to help them break the addictive cycle.
1Source: VideoGameAddiction.net.
2Source: NetAddictionRecovery.blogspot.com.