Bridget Adams Do you find yourself constantly playing video games? When you get home from school do you immediately open you laptop or pull out your game controller? Do you constantly find yourself obsessing over video games? If so, you may be one of the large percent of people addicted to gaming. Studies show that 72% of the average American household plays video games. A total of 9% of 3,040 participants showed signs of a severe gaming addiction. This disease is called internet-use disorder and it affects thousands of people around the world. It interferes with ones social life, school work and mental health. Teens say gaming helps them escape reality and it can help them get a sense of thrill and exhilaration through the screen. It is also said that this escape is almost like a coping mechanism when going through hard or stressful times. Dr. Douglas Gentile of Iowa State University has been studying the toll social media takes on a child's life. He was originally skeptical about the controversy revolving around video games and addiction, but new research has proven that it is definitely becoming a problem. Recent studies have brought up questions involving the media's effect of mental health such as depression, anxiety, and ADHD. Douglas Gentile's definition of addiction is just a simple question such as: Is this individual's mood happy or unhappy after gaming? Specialists say that it isn't necessarily how long one spends on the screen to diagnose it as addiction, but its their relationship with screens. The American Academy of Pediatrics did a study on how aggressive video games reflect on children and their lives. The studies showed that kids who played violent games displayed aggressive behavior more frequently than a child who did not partake in playing vulgar games. This ties in with the anxiety disorders that can be developed from playing excessive amounts of video games. Sarah Domoff, a social media specialist, has found that children with ADHD or Autism develop issues with video games, but kids that use social media and games are more likely to develop anxiety. I personally have noticed many of my friends and classmates showing symptoms of addiction to gaming. Although gaming may cause damage to ones mental health, I also agree that video games can be good for socializing with friends. You can meet people in the gaming community and create friendships, but video games are also a way to create new experiences as well. As technology develops and video games evolve, people will become more intrigued. It is concerning knowing the overall affects video games have on your brain and the damage it can have on the brain, but I would say video games are a way to express creativity and socialization to a certain extent. If you are experiencing signs of addiction to gaming, it is possible you may develop a permanent anxiety or depression disorder. Instead of spending all of your free time on the computer, maybe try to spend some time outside or hang out with your friends to prevent further complications that can occur as an overall affect of too much screen time. site 1: https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/53753/is-gaming-disorder-an-illness-who-says-yes-adding-it-to-its-list-of-diseases site 2: https://www.addictions.com/video-games/alarming-video-game-addiction-statistics/ Image: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiCg8Cj09DiAhWQqp4KHbQODTMQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ashwoodrecovery.com%2Fblog%2Fvideo-game-addiction%2F&psig=AOvVaw39bMvJHx2-vsSTuqOviOa-&ust=1559765995266978
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Ms. Carrigan's Psych ClassWe have been reading articles about psychological studies to inform the way we live our lives. Please explore, and we hope you learn a bit about the psychology in your life! Categories
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