Is Video Game Addiction Really an Addiction?

向父母每天忽略每天撤退到视频游戏世界的父母，忽视他们的朋友和家人，并对除了游戏机的游戏控制台失去兴趣，他们会说是的，视频游戏成瘾is as real as an addiction toalcohol or cocaine。But do they really know what they are evaluating? Surely the alcoholic who drinks himself to death, or the drug addict who overdoses, is sicker than a kid who spends too long in front of a computer screen?

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Video game addiction was not included in the current edition of the精神疾病诊断与统计手册（DSM-V）;DSM中唯一的非物质上瘾障碍是赌博障碍。视频游戏成瘾概念一直存在争议，与美国医学会首次支持，然后从提案中撤回支持。视频游戏成瘾也被提出为亚型网络成瘾, along with sexual preoccupations and online gambling.

Asian countries, such as South Korea, are recognizing video game addiction as an urgent public health matter, with several deaths having occurred in internet cafes, apparently as a result of blood clots occurring during a prolonged sitting at computers. In the United States, estimates of video game addiction and related problems are more difficult, with computers accessed at home rather than in shared public places. However, case studies show similarpatterns of behavior横跨文化，认为它们是相同的现象。

When free from the constraints of school, many kids simply want to be entertained as easily as possible. And many parents want this for their kids too, as the shift to single-parent families and two-income families leaves many parents with little time to focus on interaction with their kids. Giving their child the latest video game serves two purposes: It alleviates parental guilt about not spending enough time with the child, and it keeps the child happily occupied. This kind of lifestyle can quickly settle into a pattern which makes lengthy periods in front of computer games rewarding for everyone concerned.

然而，目前对父母无明确或一致的信息是计算机游戏成瘾是否是真正的风险。视频游戏也可能具有积极影响，游戏开发人员正在努力将锻炼福利（如锻炼）纳入游戏。所以父母应该知道如何回应？

Background

虽然在DSM-V中没有识别视频游戏成瘾，但是现在没有迹象表明它现在不存在。

视频游戏成瘾已迅速发展的想法out of an industry geared specifically at getting kids to buy as many games as possible. Halfway between toys and TV, video games are targeted at naïve youngsters who are unable to set their own limits on play time or to make well-thought-out decisions about how to spend their time — with some game manufacturers even boasting in their advertising about the "addictive" experience of their games. Proper recognition of the risk of video game over-use or addiction provides a rationale for setting standards of guidance for parents and gamers regarding appropriate limits to gaming.

Video game addiction is being increasingly recognized by researchers and other professionals. The American Medical Association (AMA) took a lead role in compiling research supporting the idea of video game addiction in 2007, concluding that the "AMA strongly encourages the consideration and inclusion of 'internet/video game addiction' as a formal diagnostic disorder."

然而，AMA和美国成瘾医学会（ASAM）在2007年晚些时候从这个位置退缩，说在视频游戏成瘾之前需要更多的研究可以被认为是瘾。围绕美国精神病学会的释放相同的时间：

“Since the current edition, DSM-IV-TR does not list 'video game addiction, the APA does not consider 'video game addiction' to be a mental disorder at this time... Revising DSM requires a years-long, rigorous process — one that is transparent and open to suggestions from our colleagues in the medical and mental health communities and the public. All changes to DSM will be based on the latest and best science."

案例

已经进行了几项研究研究，表明视频游戏成瘾在约10％的游戏玩家中是真实的。Grüsser等“这些都是镜像物质依赖的所有特征。

Skoric et al (2009) showed that video game addiction is independent of simply how much time is spent playing, and how engaged children are with the game. In their study, addiction tendencies were negatively related to scholastic performance, while no such relationship was found for either time spent playing games or for video game engagement. A similar pattern of video game addiction is negatively related to scholastic performance was previously found in a separate study by Chiu et al (2004).

Charlton's (2002) factor analysis provided support for computer addiction as a unique concept. This research demonstrated the importance of recognizing the specific characteristics of computer addiction, rather than simply adapting measures of pathological gambling, which are likely to overestimate the occurrence of computer addiction.

Recognition of video game addiction would allow support services to be integrated into community addiction settings, and specific training to be provided to staff. This is particularly important given the high incidence of concurrent disorders among those with video game addiction.

案件反对

视频游戏玩可能有几个优点。视频游戏的熟练程度可以培养球员的自尊心。它可以发展眼睛交易协调，可以拥有其他教育特征。更复杂的游戏可以帮助玩家培养其他技能，最近的发展是体育锻炼的内容 - 虽然这可能对游戏玩家有限。

流行文化的现实是我们越来越依赖技术。一代前，电脑复杂且难以使用，但现代计算机更加用户友好，并且对于大多数人来说都是相对容易和令人愉快的。视频游戏允许人们对使用计算机进行积极的经验，这可以为各种目的提供使用计算机的可转换技能。

Bearing in mind the potential positive effects of video game playing, to label the activity an addiction without sufficient evidence and interpretive guidelines about what constitutes addiction (as opposed to benign or positive game playing) could deter many children and their parents who could possibly benefit from video games. This would be a mistake.

There is wide variation in video games, and although some appear to have harmful effects, particularly through the promotion of violence and other anti-social behaviors, this is a function of the content of specific games, rather than a characteristic of video games本身。Video games as a medium have equal potential to develop positive social skills, or to provide benign forms of entertainment — although these may not be as easily marketable to kids.

As with other addictions, there is a risk that a label like a video game addiction could be used too liberally, without paying attention to other concurrent or underlying conditions, such as attentional problems, autism spectrum disorders, depression and anxiety disorders. These conditions have different treatments which might more effectively help the excessive game player.

和视频游戏成瘾易受同样的批评，即所有行为上瘾是 - 上瘾是由上瘾物质的摄入量导致的化学问题，而不是行为的模式。

Where It Stands

在他们退出其推荐的同一版本中，APA对儿童玩过的过度视频游戏的后果表示严重关切，说明：

“Psychiatrists are concerned about the well-being of children who spend so much time with video games that they fail to develop friendships, get appropriate outdoor exercise or suffer in their schoolwork. Certainly, a child who spends an excessive amount of time playing video games may be exposed to violence and may be at higher risks for behavioral and other health problems."

Therefore, whether or not video game addiction is acknowledged as a real addiction, or even as a mental health problem in and of itself, the APA is clear that excessive video game playing in children can be unhealthy, and can lead to other problems.