Most people enjoy playing video games because video games provide entertainment. Others play to relieve stress, or even in some cases, play to let out the violence anxiety within them. Gaming has taught both adults and kids many things. For example, adventure games will tend to teach logic because players have to discover where to go and what to do at what point in time in order to progress to the next level. However, studies show that some video games have side effect like addiction.
It can negatively affect lives in a similar manner that drug addiction does. Moreover, violent video game addiction has potential to create social problems in our community. If someone cannot accomplish their daily tasks because of video games, then there is no doubt that he or she has to recognize the problem.
The most addictive form of video games are role-playing games (RPG). RPG players take the roles of fictional characters and follow fictional stories with formal rules and guidelines. What makes it more addictive is there are no winners or losers in the RPG, which is the basic difference from traditional games, such as board games or sports. Rather, the RPGs are more collaborative and social, because players usually form and communicate as a group or team. A feature distinctive only to RPGs and not traditional fiction is the interactivity, and the level of plot and settings are really close to reality. Therefore, the realism causes players to believe it is a real world process.
How should RPG players recognize symtops within themselves that can be problematic? They start to ignore friends, they may not be on time to work, and their family relationships start to break. They might spend considerable amount of money on game related products. Withdrawal symptoms like anger, depression, anxiety, mood swings, and restlessness result when not gaming.
Video game addiction should be treated like any other addiction. This is because most video game addicts become to deal with stress and other problems in life. Family support is a must. Simply getting rid of the video game won’t help. Try to get the gamer out of the normal environment so that he or she experiences reality. Therapy is another viable option where the addict is made aware of the problem and solutions sought on how to get rid of the problem.
In conclusion, video games are very serious issue in our society. The problem will not go away either, since designers get a better understanding of what makes consumers want their games. Nevertheless, for many people these games are a social outlet, not an addiction. Video games are an integral part of many people's lives now, and they're here to stay. Let's learn to use them responsibly.
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