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Growing Video Game Addiction Affects More Than Just The Addict
By: Erick Starkey
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Video games and gaming systems seem to be constantly churned out which causes people to be able to play more games as a hobby.
According to the World Health Organizations' criteria for video game addiction, studies estimate that between 10 and 15 percent of gamers are addicted. These numbers seem to not be declining any time in the near future.
The PS4 and Xbox One have both been released in the past year and are more towards the all inclusive game system where a person can do more then just play video games on the system. Using these new systems, a person can spend more time on a console and become addicted easier.
Video game addiction not only affects the individual user but also those around them. The gamer may not feel that they are spending more time then necessary on a system; when in actuallity, their gaming tendencies affect their everyday life and interactions.
"It's like his video games are more important then me," Mackenzie Roman, a junior at Ohio University and an avid video gamer's girlfriend, said.
A video game addict may also affect others who have nothing to do with the situation.
"I don't really like [living next to gamers] that much because they yell at their tv a lot and it is pretty distracting," Adam Roser, a sophomore at Ohio University and a neighbor of habitual gamers, said.
One of the major signs of being an addict to video games is downplaying their use.
"I think that the amount of hours that I play [of video games] is good, it's not too much to where it overpowers me and takes up all of my life but it's still a fun time," Ryan Faber, a sophomore who plays upwards of 30 hours of video games a week, said.
There are some other symptoms that may suggest a person is addicted to video games. Some signs include dependence upon games, loss of time and misuse of money where a person constantly upgrades their systems and hardware.