An addiction forms around an activity or substance that provides a mental or physical 'high'.
Video games can provide this same feeling and so its easy to see how an addiction can form, however video game addiction is still not recognised as a diagnosable condition.
As the gaming industry evolves and becomes more closely aligned with reality, it is vital that we put in a place a strong foundation for individuals and families to seek help and support.
In extreme circumstances video game addiction has led to violence, neglect and even death, as was the case for 21 year old Shawn Wooley.
Shawn quit his job, ignored his family and played a game called Everquest for more than 12 hours a day until he put a gun to his head.
Whilst it has been stated that he had other problems in his life, it's hard to ignore the obvious connection to gaming.
We know that video games have addictive qualities and its about time we recognised this addiction as a real problem to prevent any more lives from being lost.
http://listverse.com/2010/11/07/top-10-cases-of-extreme-game-addiction/
http://www.video-game-addiction.org/social-consequences.html
http://www.healthdirect.gov.au/what-is-addiction
Video games can provide this same feeling and so its easy to see how an addiction can form, however video game addiction is still not recognised as a diagnosable condition.
As the gaming industry evolves and becomes more closely aligned with reality, it is vital that we put in a place a strong foundation for individuals and families to seek help and support.
In extreme circumstances video game addiction has led to violence, neglect and even death, as was the case for 21 year old Shawn Wooley.
Shawn quit his job, ignored his family and played a game called Everquest for more than 12 hours a day until he put a gun to his head.
Whilst it has been stated that he had other problems in his life, it's hard to ignore the obvious connection to gaming.
We know that video games have addictive qualities and its about time we recognised this addiction as a real problem to prevent any more lives from being lost.
http://listverse.com/2010/11/07/top-10-cases-of-extreme-game-addiction/
http://www.video-game-addiction.org/social-consequences.html
http://www.healthdirect.gov.au/what-is-addiction