For so many of us, video games are just simply part of being a kid. As the gaming industry has come leaps and bounds, young children find themselves plugged in for hours at a time laughing and playing online with their friends. However, like most things in life, if something as seemingly harmless as gaming is done excessively it could lead to some serious negative effects. 

What Is Video Game Addiction? 

Addiction to video games is the primary risk that people run when playing for extended periods of time. Most people panic at the thought of addiction as serious substances and alcohol come to mind however this is not the case.
Video game addiction is a behavioural addiction which means that the individual is not addicted to the video game itself but rather the way it makes them feel when doing it. Similar to how gambling addicts aren’t in dire need to play roulette for the fun of the spin, but for the rush of betting their money and winning. 

Now more than ever resources are being invested into video game addiction research and treatment in the hopes to make more people aware of the problem.

Negative Effects of Video Game Addiction

For some, this newfound information might have you wondering “Well, what does video game addiction look like?” which as a concerned parent is a totally natural response. So, we are going to run through a few of the main ways video games addictive qualities can manifest themselves in your child's life.
Not every child is the same and therefore the signs and severity of them may vary from person to person. However, The World Health Organisation explains that the key to diagnosis is significant impairment of family, social and educational aspects of their life over a minimum of a 12 month period. So bear this in mind when looking at their behaviour.

Losing Interest in Other Activities and Hobbies - If you were big into video games yourself you can imagine how much of a stimulating experience it must be to immerse yourself into vast landscapes, intense battles and frustrating puzzles all alongside your closest friends. And it must also be easy to see how this fun activity can take precedence over most other things they used to enjoy doing.
A common symptom of video game addiction is neglecting other activities that they once used to or finding other things boring. A major reason for this is due to the level of dopamine that they receive from playing video games. The brain becomes dependent on this activity for a source of the hit and nothing else can really do it. More on how to treat this later.  So, if you find your little ones prioritising gaming over playing in the park, the household pet or their favourite sport then it might be a sign to intervene.

Poor Performance in School - This is another knock-on effect of the dopamine hit they are used to. When a person experiences high levels of dopamine for prolonged periods of time as gamers do their brains become desensitised to it. Now they need to play more video games in order to get the same level of satisfaction they are used to.

Unfortunately for them, there are no video games at school, leaving them with a lower dopamine level than usual. Dopamine in the body is used for learning, cognition, working memory and a whole number of essential functions that are required at school. This often results in them losing concentration, feeling unmotivated and extremely bored and unstimulated while at school.
Learning at school isn’t always the most fun environment so to them it can be like torture. If you notice a significant fall in their grades or see that they aren’t performing to the fullest potential then video game addiction could be to blame.

Lying to Conceal Gaming Habits - We’d love to believe that our little angels would never lie to us but in some cases when children are addicted to video games they often conceal their habits in order to maintain them. We have to give kids more credit than they deserve as with something like excessive gaming even they might realise that it's not okay. 

For their love of gaming and not wanting it taken away from them, it can lead to them lying about how much they play or even playing video games when they shouldn’t. Instead of lurking over their shoulder whenever they’re on the computer maybe try using productivity apps that monitor their usage as a simpler and more accurate solution.
If the numbers they rack up don't add up to what they’re telling you then it could be a result of their addiction to gaming. 

Damaged Personal Relationships - As we previously mentioned gaming these days is rarely done alone. It is becoming more of a social experience for many children and young adults to meet and spend time with friends. However, children need face to face interaction in order to develop their social skills. Typically, children who are shy or suffer from social anxiety nowadays take to the internet as a safe space to engage with others, never having to improve their communication skills. This often results in in-real-life friends and family being neglected.

Of course, there is a time and place for children to play video games together to maintain their friendships, but the more applicable life skill of talking to others is something they should not be deprived of.

How to Cut Down on Their Video Games 

Now that you are more acquainted with some of the ways video games can affect your child’s wellbeing let's talk about a way we can help establish a healthier relationship with video games.

Provide Alternative Activities - When cutting down a child's time spent gaming they are going to be left with a void of time that has to be filled with similar activities to make their recovery as smooth as possible. What we mean by similar activities are activities that satisfy the same aspects of life that gaming does.

Something engaging and mentally stimulating where they can see measurable growth. Another activity that provides in-person social stimulation to satisfy the social side of gaming. And finally, a low energy activity that they can do while they rest. Similar to how they would play video games in the evening to chill out.
Some examples of these activities are learning an instrument, joining an after school sports team and drawing or art classes. All of these are great alternatives to playing video games.
Initially, your child might not enjoy these new hobbies based on their affinity for video games. But it is important to be patient and offer them the opportunity to build new passions.

If you’d like to find out more about video game addiction and how to treat it, The Mindful Gamer is always here to help.