Gaming Addiction


Gaming Addiction Resources




Online gaming addiction is one that is best described as a person who displays compulsive behavior though the overuse of online video games, role playing games, or online games such “Ever Quest”, the “World of Warcraft”, the “Dark Age of Camelot”, or “Diablo II”. Some players even refer to this as heroinware which makes a lot of sense considering the style of addiction. These MMORPG’s are even more complex because of the amount of chat that is utilized through the games. Although many still refuse to recognize gaming addiction for what it is, many others have developed ways to lead an addict on the road to recovery. Many parents notice that their child’s gaming practices are out of control and want to seek help but no one has any answers and mainly just justify it as a phase that kids go through. That is not the case, it is not a phase and if one is going to acknowledge addictions to shopping, plastic surgery, and gambling, then gaming addiction needs to be addressed and it needs to be done so quickly. To seek help for this problem, there are the right places to turn and the not so right places. Turning to school counselors, pastors, and sometimes even other parents will play this down. This is done because of a lack of understanding. The best places to begin looking for help are Internet Addiction Recovery websites. They are more able to understand gaming addiction and have dealt with it on many occasions. www.netaddiction.com is a great start as they give access to many treatment services, recovery resources, and various downloads. www.mediafamily.org Invites to take an assessment of your gaming practices and places to seek help if you or a loved one needs it. In addition it also offers fact related materials that are relevant to gaming addiction and other various resources. Once gaming addiction is analyzed and assessed, many believe the real key to solving this growing problem is through behavior modification and cognitive behavior therapy. The Center for Internet Behavior offers many different options for treatment and regaining control of your life. They can be easily accessed at www.virtual-addiction.com. Most of these treatment facilities treat compulsive gaming with many of the same tools that we use for other obsessive/compulsive behaviors, implementing the 12 Step Program as the treatment model. Very similar to that of a drug or alcohol addiction, the gaming addict develops a tolerance for playing the game; therefore they increase their amount of play time just like a junkie increases his dose. Without this, they literally will go into a withdrawal mode. Reiterating the fact that behavior modification is necessary, many are looking to hypnosis for help. There are many books, downloads, and clinics that can assist with this, www.hypnosisdownloads.com offers many resources on this topic. www.olganonboard.org is actually online gamers anonymous and they have specialized programs for gaming addicts. They offer forums, group meetings, support groups, and they follow the twelve step program. On-Line Gamers Anonymous is a fellowship of people sharing their experience, strengths and hopes to help each other recover and heal from the problems caused by excessive and/or obsessive game playing.