How to overcome the videogame adiction?

In my last entry I told you about videogame addiction and why people with ADHD are more susceptible to become addicted to videogames. Many of you ask me about solutions for this problem, including some of you without adhd.

As a man of science, I began a research that could let us to overcome this modern era issue. According to the word health organization 3 to 4 percent of the gamers are addicted to them. The main symptoms of videogame addiction, according to the ICD-11 include:

1. Impaired control over gaming (e.g., onset, frequency, intensity, duration, termination, context).
2. Increasing priority given to gaming to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities.
3. Continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.

Now that you know the idea on how to recognize if you or someone you know is addicted to videogames let's talk about the reason why someone play video games so we could build an idea on how to take the problem in a proactive way.

1. Video Games are a temporary escape: When you play video games you get yourself immersed in a different world in which you could forget your real-world responsibilities and live and dreamlike adventure. This indicator is easy to recognize, whenever you have a struggle at the school, the job, with your friends or family you start to play.
   
   
2. Unlike the reality in video games you could see a constant measurable growth: Levels, equipment, honor, points and even your own skill are clearly increasing overtime and that makes you happy. Compared with your mid or long-term goals this are very easy and achievable objectives.
   
   
3. They offer a challenge: Video games are designed to give harder and harder levels over time. But in multiplayer games the challenge skyrocket: You could play to be best on your area or even the best of the world.
   
   
4. They’re social: Especially online videogames offer you a new way to communicate and make new friends. If your social life is poor and you feel far from secure about your status it is simple to get attached to video games in which you’re only judged based on how good you’re when playing.

If you still needed to confirm if you’re addicted to videogames or not being identified with 2 or more of these reasons should be enough. Then what should you do?

First of all start by recognizing which of the reason listed above have bigger influence in your addiction, I’ll give some tips you could follow in order to start helping yourself and to decide whether to talk to a therapist or not.

1. If you’re using videogames as an escape: Try to put a limit in the number on the number of hours you play, start easy with only 1 hour less and increment that time by another hour each week. Talk with your friends and family about the problems you’re facing, even going to a psychology consult could help you to understand what kind of decisions you may take to put an end or at least an equilibrium point to your troubles. Search new hobbies and get away from other vices.
   
   
2. Be aware of the difference between virtual and real growth: Think about when the server will close, or when you’ll get bored of that game. That number of hours you just put to the game will only be saw as time lost not only by others, but also by yourself.
   
   
3. Challenge: This one is hard. If you’re feeling that you need to be better on a game first, ask to yourself:
• To be good in this game I only need to spent time repeating the same actions over and over? If the answer is yes you should consider that this kind of game doesn’t bring anything to your life besides numbers. Even in a multiplayer experience this kind of games are not considered competitive.
• It’s worth my time (in terms of fame or money) to play this game at competitive level? For those of you that feel you need to compete you should ask yourself this. If the answer is yes, the you should look for how many hours a day a professional train, if you could afford that time go for it. If not just stay as a semi-pro or quit the game, your career and relationships have more value in the long run.
• The time I’m putting of this game deteriorate my health, job or studies? Not much to say here. Just stop and start to care about yourself and your goals.
  
  
4. Having your friends or at least the major part of them in video games is another exigent situation. You’ll need to start going out and meet need people, but his kind of changes need to be slow. Start to talk more with your family at home, with your classmates and colleagues. Start to accept invitations even if you feel that you’ll be going to home sooner. Look for new activities, clubs, sports any kind of event you feel comfortable is ok.

Take a 2-week challenge using this advice and if you fail it’s sure you’ll be needing professional help. (This applies too, if just by reading these tips you feel conflict in your insides).

That’s everything for now, it’s a very long entry I know but I hope you could help yourself or someone you love with it. See you next week.

Sources:

https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/gaming-disorder

https://gamequitters.com/how-to-quit-playing-video-games/

The videogame trap

Last weeks I’d fallen in a deep videogame hyper-focus phase and that’s not healthy. But before continue I could imagine that there are some readers that never faced the term “hyper-focus” before, so let me define it: Hyper-focus is a mind state in which you could put all your attention into a task and hardly get distracted or deviate from it. Sounds perfect right? If you could hyper-focus deliberately, that would mean that even boring task like doing homework or build large projects would be easy to complete. But it’s not that easy.

People with ADHD could be able to hyperfocus in things, but this “ability” depends on how much feedback you get from the activity theyre doing. For example it’s easier to attach a child with ADHD to math if everytime he or she does well in it you praise then for it. Videogames are master in feedback mostly because the work with a feedback loop. Each time the player make a action feedback is shown as points or a reward afterwards the player is invited to keep doing actions to get more points or better rewards. However not just by adding positive feedback someone would be likely to hyper-focus on something, the feedback must be accurate. No matter how many gold coins you give to a player. If there are not challenge neither would be attachment.

Indeed there is a higher chance to get hyper-focused over things like video games, but this not kill the possibility on get in that state on other activities. In you find something that combines positive feedback and challenge there is a big chance you will immerse yourself onto it, and the feedback could come from your own satisfaction. For me this conditions are met when in programming: To solve problems is very satisfying.

My personal conclusion after my investigation is that I need to be away from video games especially the more additive ones. Not installing game on my phone and only buy or download a game each 2 or 3 months made a bigger difference in my life and my schedule is thankful for it.

Sorry for being away for so many time. You know the song ♪♪ Isolation is not good for me ♪♪. I’ll be posting more entries during the next week, so stay tune.