Behavioural Health Treatmen...
Sierra Recovery offers specialist process addiction treatment in the calm highlands of Málaga, Spain. Addiction to sex, video games, gambling, and the internet may jeopardise mental, emotional, ...
Home
Gaming Addiction Treatment
Video games are a multibillion-dollar industry. People play them on consoles, on PCs, on tablets, and their smartphones. Millions of people across the world play video games to some degree.
However, video games are addictive. As such, there are some people, especially young people, who can become addicted to them.
Sierra Recovery offers high-quality, cost-effective gaming treatment in Spain that can help you or a loved one recover from being addicted to video games.
Gaming Addiction in the UK
The World Health Organisation began recognising gaming addiction as a mental health condition in 2019. It’s estimated that about 3% of all gamers globally, around 60 million people, develop an addiction to video games.
Gaming addiction is a matter of some concern in the United Kingdom. In 2023, the NHS reported that it had treated hundreds of people for gaming addiction since October 2019, with a major increase occurring between 2021 and 2022.
What is a Video Game Addiction?
A lot of people play video games. Some people may even engage in excessive gaming now and then. That alone does not constitute a video game addiction. A video game addiction is when a person loses control over their compulsive gaming.
When a person develops an addiction, video gaming becomes their highest priority. They may develop withdrawal symptoms when they are unable to play video games.
Video game addiction is also sometimes referred to as Internet Gaming Disorder, which is when a person becomes addicted to online gaming.
Signs and Symptoms of Gaming Addiction
Financial Troubles
Consoles can cost hundreds of pounds, as can the individual parts to build a gaming PC. The games themselves can cost tens of pounds or even hundreds if it’s a special edition with cut content. Downloadable content can cost even more money. Overall, gaming is not a cheap hobby.
However, many gamers can lose control over their gaming behaviour to the point that they prioritise spending money on gaming over other aspects of their lives.
Mental Withdrawal
The signs of gaming addiction include withdrawal when not able to play video games. In the case of gaming, these withdrawal symptoms are mental. These mental withdrawal symptoms can include depression, anxiety, and irritability.
Loss of Control
People who have a gaming addiction will be unable to control their gaming behaviour. Over time, the focus on gaming becomes more and more, and they are unable to maintain a balance in daily life. They may try to play less or stop entirely, but they’ll fail without professional help.
Effects of Gaming Addiction
Weight Gain or Loss
Gaming is a largely sedentary activity. Gamers often sit in front of their television or computer for hours and won’t move more than their fingers. This lack of exercise can lead to health problems, such as weight gain. In addition, some gamers become so preoccupied with what they are doing that they may forget to eat or prefer to continue playing.
Aside from the lack of exercise, many gamers will also prioritise gaming over buying groceries or cooking. This can lead to them ordering takeout or eating more processed food. It should also be noted that many food products marketed toward gamers are high in calories, fat, sodium, sugar, and caffeine.
Eye and Joint Strain
Staring at a screen for hours at a time can strain a person’s eyes. The repetitive movements from typing on a keyboard can also cause a person to develop carpal tunnel syndrome.
Sleep Disturbances
The blue light that can cause eye strain can also trick the brain into thinking it is still daytime, which can stop the release of melatonin. This can make it hard for many gamers to fall asleep.
Many drinks that are marketed towards gamers, such as soda and energy drinks, contain high levels of caffeine, which can also affect a person’s sleep patterns. Gaming addiction can also cause a person to play for hours at a time, even at night when most people are asleep.
Gaming Addiction Treatment
Different types of treatments can be used to address gaming addiction. At Sierra Recovery, our licenced therapists employ evidence-based treatments that have been proven through research to work for individuals who are struggling with addiction.
CBT
Cognitive behavioural therapy can be used in a variety of treatment plans for substance addiction, behavioural addiction, and mental health conditions. CBT can help a person identify and change the thoughts and beliefs that lead to their gaming addiction. By doing so, they can regain control over their gaming habits.
DBT
External stressors and overwhelming emotions can lead to unhealthy gaming patterns, as some individuals may use video games as a way to escape the real world and its stressors.
Dialectical behaviour therapy was developed to help people with borderline personality disorder and its four modules, mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, can help people manage overwhelming emotions and stress without turning to unhealthy behaviours or substances.
Group Therapy
Some people may become addicted to gaming because they find communities online gaming. Because of this, support groups can be an essential part of a person’s treatment. Going to group therapy can help someone find people with whom they have something in common. It can also help participants develop social skills that can be essential in building real-world relationships.
Why Does Gaming Become an Addiction?
There are numerous reasons why gaming can become an addiction. Like many other behavioural addictions, an underlying mental health condition can be a major driver.
However, the video games themselves can be addictive and are intentionally designed with compulsion loops that make it very difficult to stop. Online, multi-player games often have loot boxes that contain randomised virtual items such as in-game cosmetics or accessories. These loot boxes often cost real-world money to acquire and they can be akin to gambling.
Single-player games are often narrative-driven, akin to a movie or a book. They are meant to hold a person’s attention for hours on end. It’s not uncommon for many video games, especially open-world video games, to take upwards of 30 hours to complete without doing any side quests. With side quests, these games can take hundreds of hours.
In addition, many video games offer in-game trophies or achievements for doing certain actions in the video game or completing the game to 100%. Some players can become obsessed with 100% completion and acquire every possible trophy or achievement that the game offers.
Other Treatments at Sierra Recovery
It’s often the case that a person who has a gaming addiction often has a co-occurring disorder. For example, the microtransactions that many video games offer for in-game accessories may contribute to gambling addiction.
It’s also not unusual for a person to use behavioural or process addictions such as gaming to cope with mental health symptoms or trauma.
Because of the ways that addiction can evolve and affect mental health, we offer various treatment options to suit the needs of those who seek our help. At Sierra Recovery, we do not believe in a standardised approach. Rather, bespoke treatment is a core tenet of our support.
Talk to Us About Your Gaming Habits
Gaming can be a fun hobby or even a lucrative career. But, as with anything in life, people can lose control over their habits and put themselves in a position where they become dependent.
Sierra Recovery can offer world-class but cost-effective treatments. If you are unsure about how to go about getting help, we are to offer a caring and supportive environment that will help you navigate your gaming addiction. Our goal is to help you untangle yourself from online gaming so that you can live offline productively and healthily.
See Related Behavioural Health Treatments
