One of my friends referred his friend’s son who stays with his mother and father being in abroad. He discussed how pitiable situation his friend is going through. He elaborated that his son who has completed his LLB degree in first class is so immersed in online video games that he nearly forgot to go out of the home. The 21-year-old has subjected himself to such a devastating situation that he doesn’t even care to have lunch or dinner and spends the whole night with less or no sleep. His mother almost got perturbed with the state of his son and is enigmatic about how to help him get rid of it.
This is not the only case there are hundreds and thousands of such cases where youth are getting addicted to online games. According to a survey conducted by Inc42, it is said that the number of people using online gaming in India is expected to be 481 million users which is nearly 40% of the Indian population and it is expected to grow to 657 million in 2025. Online gaming has affected to such an extent that youth are developing a criminal mentality which is giving rise to crime in India. Recently in Lucknow, UP a boy shot his mother and locked his sister for stopping him to play an online game. Another case in Delhi occurred some time ago reported by in media, a teen stabbed his mother 18 times his father 8 times and his sister 7 times for scolding and stopping him to play online games. In Bhubaneswar, a teen ended his life after his father scolded him for playing online games. These are only a few of the incidents that are mentioned here. Online gaming or Internet gaming has become one of the most perilous addictions. In 2013 the American Psychiatric Association (APA) officially recognized internet gaming as a disorder.
The effects of online gaming are
Physical effects
Gaming can have a harmful effect on a person’s well-being. It can lead to poor sleeping habits called insomnia, lack of concentration, a sickness that occurs while moving or travelling, body pains, weight gain, effects of radiation on eyes due to continuous viewing, muscle strain and false perception called hallucination, migraines.
Social effects
Gaming addiction will certainly develop several social problems. The incidents I’ve mentioned above are examples of how gaming addiction could lead to. It could lead to languished relationships, losing friends, not mingling with anyone, lying to family and friends, isolation and more inclination towards virtual friendships as they consider it to be dependable, trustworthy and has the benefit of being anonymous with no accountability. Gaming addiction leads to insensitivity in the youth as the games consist of a violent depiction of killing and oozing blood. This is the reason these people do not react or rather enjoy when any conflict or fight happens and they even do not respond when any accident or crime happens before them.
Mental effects
The following are some of the signs of Video gaming addiction.
Craving: Craving is wanting more and more. It’s an ardent desire. The Person would incessantly think about games and spend most of the time dreaming with constant musing. The only thing left in life for him is gaming and every other thing or person that comes in the way of gaming appears to be arch-foe.
Mood Swing: Mood swing is something when a person is with a game and seems to be emotionally charged with utmost emotions of happiness and excitement. And when away from the game, his whole state of emotions and feelings becomes anxious and even depressed for being away from the game. A Sudden explosion of emotions either sadness or happiness is dependent on gaming.
Exasperation: In regular physical games people tend to learn tolerance with the due course of win or lose and will get engaged easily with other activities once the game is over whereas, with online gaming, the gamer never tends to be satisfied and try to play continuously even the same game repeatedly dripping him for more joy and happiness. Sameness is habituated and develops extreme intolerance and irritation and not
satisfied with anything looking for some more or some other stuff. Withdrawal symptoms: When gamers do not get enough gaming content they tend to suffer from negative emotions, sadness, irritation, anxiety and even depression and this may make them aggressive and even violent. For instance, imagine relatives come home and this forces the gamer to attend to them, this is where the gamer becomes distressed and frustrated to go back to the game due to which he abruptly may end up avoiding or ignoring them or not even willing to meet embarrassing his parents or relatives.
Conflict: Gamer’s personality becomes a conflicting one who always argues, lies, shouts and is rude. He always indulges in fights and life for him seems to be a battle where he has to win either by hook or by crook. They learn to manipulate the situations at every juncture and for them, everything is fair in love and war. This leads to sinking relationships as on the other side the gamer is more of an unexpected person.
Bi-Polar: Gamers sometimes resolve to stop gaming to try to come out of addiction but this happens for a short period forcing them to go back to gaming. This becomes an incessant cycle whereby the gamer stops for some time and again starts gaming making him more impatient, guilty and hating himself for such behaviour. It’s a sort of colliding or conflicting person within selves which leads to bipolar disorder.
Next: How to get rid of Online Video Games Addiction
