Why is Gaming Addiction so Prevalent Nowadays, and How Can We Resolve This Issue?
- Paolo Medina
- Sep 15, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 19, 2019
According to a research conducted by Pew Research Center, eighty four percent of teenagers own a game console, or at least have access to one. This could explain why video game addiction is so common and prevalent among teenagers. Video games are extremely common nowadays, and could be found anywhere. It doesn’t necessarily have to be gaming on a game console, or a gaming computer. The fact that anyone could play a video game on a smartphone, which I may add is super common and could be found anywhere, makes video game addiction more and more likely. In fact, according to a study conducted by the Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, “about 67 percent of Americans, or about 211 million of Americans play video games on at least one platform, and a little more than half of those have played video games on multiple platforms. From those surveyed from this study, researchers found out that ninety percent of people who took this survey play games on their smartphones, tablets, or both smartphones and tablets.”
It is evident on how prevalent gaming is in our society and culture today, which can eventually lead to video game addiction. However, what can we do to resolve the problem our society has in video gaming addiction. According to the American Addiction Centers, the treatment for video game addiction mainly focuses on trying to change one’s behavior when it comes to playing video games. They state that the Cognitive Behavioral Treatment (CBT) could be useful treatment as this “guide[s] the client away from the obsessive thought patterns and obsessive habits of addiction.” You’re basically trying to remove that action of playing video games from the addicted’s daily activity and actions. The American Addiction Centers also states that reconnection with loved ones, namely family and real-life friends whom the ones addicted to video games lost in the process, helps remove one’s video game addiction.
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