The study, which was led by Dr. Douglas Gentile of the University of Iowa, found that 12 percent of the boys and 8 percent of the girls who played games had at least six out of eleven symptoms of addiction. Those who were addicted to the games were twice as likely to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Children had signs of addiction if they agreed to the following statements:
- They skipped homework to play games.
- They played to escape their problems.
- They were restless and irritable if not allowed to play.
- They lied about how much they played.
- They had stolen a game or stolen money for a game.
- They had poor test scores because they neglected homework to play video games.
- They had tried to quit and failed.
- They thought excessively about gaming.
Labels: video_games, teens, adolescents, addictions
Posted By: Aspen/CRC
I am a recovering Wowaholic (yes, video games ARE an addiction), played for 2 years and almost lost my job, family and wife over my obsession. It was all I could think about, it dominated every waking moment of my conscious, (and unconscious at night) mind.
After years of emotional neglect, my family had finally had enough... I was grossly overweight, unhealthy, and a pain to deal with on a daily basis. I quit one night after things had finally hit rock bottom... gave away all my stuff, said goodbye to my online "friends" and signed off... been 6 months now and I am so happy! I have lost over 85lbs, my health is back and my relationship with my wife and daughter has never been stronger.
Yes, online gaming addiction DOES exist... still don't believe me, check out this website too http://www.wowdetox.com... sad testimony to something so devastating and so misunderstood.
http://wrathofnino.wordpress.com/category/index/addicted-to-wow/