Colm Fitzpatrick
Although gaming brings joy to millions of people globally, it is important to remember that virtual reality can have real effects.
The world of gaming has evolved rapidly in the last few decades; now it is an immersive online experience where gamers can communicate internationally with one another, create their own unique characters, and enter a cybernetic realm which continues to exist even when they are not playing.
This new shift has a variety of positive aspects, and many people are benefitting from a new environment which makes socialisation much easier, and fun more accessible and dynamic. The outspoken game designer and author, Jane McGonigal, for example argues that games contribute to happiness and motivation, as well as create a sense of community.
The advantages of gaming then are immense, having both psychological and intellectual merits for those who play.
Monica Whyte, a registrant of the Irish Council for Psychotherapy (ICP), echoes this view, saying that for people who live in remote areas or for those with self-esteem issues, gaming “can actually be quite positive and allows people to interact”.
“Some games are educational and can be very useful. Courses and modules are being gamified in college because they’re familiar – it’s becoming a huge thing,” she says.
Gaming can certainly act as one outlet for personal development and growth, but it is important to remember that too much playing can have detrimental consequences, affecting both the gamer and those around them.
This year gaming addiction was recognised as a mental health condition for the first time by the World Health Organisation (WHO), confirming that there can be a behavioural addiction to computer and video games which develops over time.
Distinct forms
This addiction appears in two distinct forms, as there are two types of games. The first kind is a goal-oriented game where a single player attempts to complete a mission or beat a high score. Gamers can become addicted by continually playing until their goal is reached.
The second type is online multiplayer games, which are played with other people on the web, and have no ending. In these games, characters are created and moulded by the player, friendships and even romantic relationships develop, and an entire online community is formed.
According to Monica, these types of games have the potential to make players become addicted, whereby they “become more attracted to the game than real life”. Games where “worlds are created in a computer” and “operate 24/7 in every time zone worldwide” forges an environment where addiction becomes the norm.
This is evident in games such as World of Warcraft, where there are approximately 12 million people playing at any one time, Monica explains.
“Basically, they develop a relationship with the game that pushes out all of their relationships in their lives. The online world is addictive and attractive – it’s more of a refuge from real life”, she says.
One of the most obvious indicators of gaming addiction is the high frequency of hours that the game is played. Many addicts can play up to 18 hours a day, becoming completely entrenched in the game, unaware of their surroundings. As a result of this time uptake, gamers can become very isolated and lose interest in social activities as well as avoid personal responsibilities and commitments. The result of this manifests itself in the form of social exclusion, negative work performance, poor academic achievement and perennial fatigue.
Damaging effects
The damaging effects are not only physical but also emotional and psychological. Some studies have drawn a link between video game addiction and depression. If the gaming addiction is treated without this depression taken into account, then the addiction is more likely to recur. Players will also feel restless and irritable when they are unable to play, and their thoughts are usually preoccupied with previous online activity or anticipation for a future session.
Moreover, addiction is not solely confined to one sex or age group, as anyone can become susceptible to the game if played for a prolonged period of time.
“If you do it long enough, anyone can become addicted. That’s what we look at. If you spend long amounts of time playing intensely,” says Monica.
“We judge the number of hours people are playing online and if the game is becoming a refuge from real life – if they’re using the game instead of interacting with people in real life.”
Addiction
The addiction can be so harmful that even when there is an intentional choice to stop playing, it eventually becomes too enticing to refrain from the game. The games are designed to be addictive and game designers are aware that if they make their games more lucrative this means they can make more profit. Attachments are usually added to games throughout the year for this reason, so that players can explore new online territory and features, and so don’t become bored.
As gaming addiction is a disorder, it is extremely difficult to stop without help. Like any other addiction, intervention is usually needed, and simply telling someone to stop playing doesn’t suffice.
“Deleting the game doesn’t work. Cold turkey isn’t the best approach. People do need to work with a counsellor. The family needs to be involved as well because it can be very worrying”, says Monica.
Because gamers are usually socially isolated, the impact of their behaviour, in particular, how it has shaped the family dynamic and their role in the family is a vital issue that must be discussed, and can act as pathway to rehabilitation.
“Some people spend ten years developing in the game. That has to be discussed,” Monica explains, adding that addicts need to be reoriented towards real life.
However, this can be extremely difficult in an age where the internet is easily accessible at the touch of a button. Both work and social communication are intimately wound up in the online world, and so completely avoiding alluring advertisements for games and restraining from playing can be challenging. As a result of this cybernetic reality, Monica advises that “areas of the internet need to be avoided”.
With the global games audience estimated between 2.2 and 2.6 billion, it is evident that gaming is becoming an important component of everyday life and benefits can certainly be accrued from the social and educational elements of it.
According to Capuchin Bro. Martin Bennett, a school chaplain in Rochestown College, the students in his school as part of a wellbeing and mental health programme listed gaming as one of the ways they deal with their emotional and mental exhaustion. He added that the students don’t see many of their friends during the week so online gaming becomes a platform where they can keep in contact. They describe gaming as “relaxing” and a form of “switching off” from studies or pressures they might feel.
However, Bro. Martin points out that they do recognise “that overplaying does have an impact”. There are, he says, times when students play late into the night, and online conflicts among friends also take place. Many of the students say that they would not play for prolonged periods of time on weekdays, but were more likely to have longer sessions on weekends.
Overall it seems that the positive aspects of gaming are certainly clear and with a healthy approach towards it, it can be a useful way to learn and socialise. However, it can also be very easy to fall prey to a creeping addiction that can be destructive in so many ways.
For more information about gaming addiction and prevention, see: http://www.psychotherapycouncil.ie/