But many worry that labeling teenagers “addicts” will pathologize behavior that is normal, and lead to false epidemics of other compulsive behaviors, such as sex and eating. Can a game be considered an intoxicant? The neurological evidence is growing that games may act like traditional substances of abuse, with compelling similarities between the effects of drugs and of video games on the minds of users ( 2). Whether video games can produce a true addiction in a clinical or scientific sense is still highly controversial. “A lot of child psychologists say, we’ve got parents living in fear of their kids,” says Tam.

Whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship remains unclear.Īs in the case of patients diagnosed with other addictions, so-called Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) affects those around them, too: in extreme cases, it has reportedly resulted in household violence by children against their parents, who are trying to take away their games, according to Philip Tam, a psychiatrist with the not-for-profit Network for Internet Investigation and Research Australia in Sydney.

Some evidence associates video game addiction with depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder ( 2).

The adverse effects of teens’ “addiction” to the games are not just time lost studying or socializing with their peers.

Many governments already see excessive, compulsive playing of online video games, such as League of Legends and World of Warcraft, as a serious adolescent public health issue and have established treatment facilities, especially in China and South Korea ( 1). But some researchers remain unconvinced that gaming can constitute an “addiction.” Image courtesy of Shutterstock/eranicle. Mounting neurological evidence suggests that video games may act like traditional substances of abuse.

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