Addictive Gaming: Is It A Thing, Or Not?
This second term of our Humanities class, Rhetoric, we learned more about how to compare modern problems to things that have happened in our past, and how to improve our rhetoric based on that. We also learned about op-eds, and how they're written. For this Action Project, we were tasked with writing our own version of an op-ed, and giving the reader a new perspective on a timely topic. Below is my own op-ed, along with an analysis of the op-ed.
There’s a high probability that if you are a teenage boy you are an addict. To what, you may ask? The answer is video games. In May of this year, the World Health Organization’s determination that dysregulated gaming, or being addicted to gaming, should be added in its 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases. So yes, it’s an actual thing now that your doctor can diagnose you with, and that your parents can freak out about. And it’s not just parents who are concerned. Teens admit it too. According to the Pew Research Center, “41% of boys from 13 to 17 say they spend too much time playing videogames.” Games are constantly finding new ways to ingrain themselves further into our lives every day, by moving to our phones and finding ways to make themselves more addictive.
It’s actually pretty common for addicted gamers to experience withdrawl-like symptoms, much like addicts of other substances such as alcohol or drugs. They become irritable and fairly unable to be reasoned with, and react especially negatively to not being able to play more videogames.
How do I know this? Well, I’ve experienced them myself, being a part of that 41% of teenage boys that are addicted to videogames. I know what it's like to feel that irritation at being pulled away from gaming, that feeling that always makes you go back for more, that pull that keeps you sucked in and away from any other activity that you may have found fun.
The WHO describes the actual symptoms of dysregulated gaming as “impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences”.
Daugette, Abby. “The Psychological Benefits of Video Games.” Sekg, 15 Oct. 2019, www.sekg.net/psychology-benefits-video-games/#targetText=Further%2C%20it%20has%20been%20discovered,(PTSD)%20and%20Alzheimer's%20disease.
Ivan. “Study Finds Insufficient Evidence of Gaming as a Clinical Disorder.” VGC, 21 Oct. 2019, www.videogameschronicle.com/news/study-finds-insufficient-evidence-of-gaming-as-a-clinical-disorder/#targetText=A%20new%20academic%20study%20has,disorder%20in%20its%20own%20right.&targetText=Less%20than%20half%20of%20daily,three%20hours%20gaming%20each%20day.
Newman, Heather. “Researchers Release New Test For Video Gaming Addiction.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 31 May 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/hnewman/2019/05/31/researchers-release-new-test-for-video-gaming-addiction/#5ec5bc1c279c.
Perrin, Andrew. “5 Facts about Americans and Video Games.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 17 Sept. 2018, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/09/17/5-facts-about-americans-and-video-games/.
Snider, Mike. “Video Game Addiction Is Officially Considered a Mental Disorder, WHO Says.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 8 Aug. 2019, www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2019/05/28/who-officially-classifies-video-game-addiction-mental-disorder/1256352001/.
“Technology Addiction - Teen & Young Adult.” Sandstone Care, www.sandstonecare.com/resources/substance-abuse/technology-addiction#targetText=A%20behavioral%20addiction%20is%20characterized,similarities%20with%20obsessive%2Dcompulsive%20disorders.&targetText=Technology%20addiction%20includes%20an%20addiction,the%20web%2C%20among%20other%20things.
My op-ed uses my own experience as an addicted gamer to prove that I am a credible source, along with the various sources that I cite in the paper. It also uses rhetorical devices such as similies (like moths to a flame) and anaphora (repeating "that ___" in paragraph 3). I also gave a logical appeal at the end when I talk about how doctors would likely be flooded by over-concerned parents. My emotional appeal lies in how I mention how children especially should not be labeled as addicts at such a young age.
There’s a high probability that if you are a teenage boy you are an addict. To what, you may ask? The answer is video games. In May of this year, the World Health Organization’s determination that dysregulated gaming, or being addicted to gaming, should be added in its 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases. So yes, it’s an actual thing now that your doctor can diagnose you with, and that your parents can freak out about. And it’s not just parents who are concerned. Teens admit it too. According to the Pew Research Center, “41% of boys from 13 to 17 say they spend too much time playing videogames.” Games are constantly finding new ways to ingrain themselves further into our lives every day, by moving to our phones and finding ways to make themselves more addictive.
It’s actually pretty common for addicted gamers to experience withdrawl-like symptoms, much like addicts of other substances such as alcohol or drugs. They become irritable and fairly unable to be reasoned with, and react especially negatively to not being able to play more videogames.
How do I know this? Well, I’ve experienced them myself, being a part of that 41% of teenage boys that are addicted to videogames. I know what it's like to feel that irritation at being pulled away from gaming, that feeling that always makes you go back for more, that pull that keeps you sucked in and away from any other activity that you may have found fun.
The WHO describes the actual symptoms of dysregulated gaming as “impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences”.
In contrast to that, earlier this week, a study conducted by Oxford University, in partnership with Cardiff University was published that looked into the World Health Organization’s determination that dysregulated gaming be added in its 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases.
The results of the study argue that “there’s nothing clinically ‘wrong’ with obsessive gamers. Rather than being negatively impacted by gaming itself, it’s suggested that young people who engage in dysfunctional gaming may be doing so in a bid to escape underlying frustrations and wider psychosocial functioning issues.”
This basically means that people aren’t just being entirely sucked into videogames because of the videogames themselves (although it probably couldn’t hurt to try and make them a bit less addicting), but rather that they’re using them as an escape tool from their lives outside of gaming.
USA Today had an article on the topic, and they tried to keep a more neutral side, stating both sides of the argument. I think that their stance on this isn't correct, that although we should be worried about addictive and detrimental gaming, it's not something that should so regularly be applied to minors.
So, all, in all, I think Oxford University is right. Kids and teens shouldn’t be labeled as “addicts”. They shouldn’t have to deal with all the stereotypes and potential bullying that come with that label, just for playing videogames. On top of that, doctors would likely be flooded by worried or overprotective parents to treat videogame addiction, like moths to a flame, and that would not be an ideal situation for any of us.
All in all, videogame addiction should be a problem that we keep in mind, but it's not something that we should be classifying as a real mental disorder just yet until we have more evidence to back that claim up.
The results of the study argue that “there’s nothing clinically ‘wrong’ with obsessive gamers. Rather than being negatively impacted by gaming itself, it’s suggested that young people who engage in dysfunctional gaming may be doing so in a bid to escape underlying frustrations and wider psychosocial functioning issues.”
This basically means that people aren’t just being entirely sucked into videogames because of the videogames themselves (although it probably couldn’t hurt to try and make them a bit less addicting), but rather that they’re using them as an escape tool from their lives outside of gaming.
USA Today had an article on the topic, and they tried to keep a more neutral side, stating both sides of the argument. I think that their stance on this isn't correct, that although we should be worried about addictive and detrimental gaming, it's not something that should so regularly be applied to minors.
So, all, in all, I think Oxford University is right. Kids and teens shouldn’t be labeled as “addicts”. They shouldn’t have to deal with all the stereotypes and potential bullying that come with that label, just for playing videogames. On top of that, doctors would likely be flooded by worried or overprotective parents to treat videogame addiction, like moths to a flame, and that would not be an ideal situation for any of us.
All in all, videogame addiction should be a problem that we keep in mind, but it's not something that we should be classifying as a real mental disorder just yet until we have more evidence to back that claim up.
Citations:
Daugette, Abby. “The Psychological Benefits of Video Games.” Sekg, 15 Oct. 2019, www.sekg.net/psychology-benefits-video-games/#targetText=Further%2C%20it%20has%20been%20discovered,(PTSD)%20and%20Alzheimer's%20disease.
Ivan. “Study Finds Insufficient Evidence of Gaming as a Clinical Disorder.” VGC, 21 Oct. 2019, www.videogameschronicle.com/news/study-finds-insufficient-evidence-of-gaming-as-a-clinical-disorder/#targetText=A%20new%20academic%20study%20has,disorder%20in%20its%20own%20right.&targetText=Less%20than%20half%20of%20daily,three%20hours%20gaming%20each%20day.
Newman, Heather. “Researchers Release New Test For Video Gaming Addiction.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 31 May 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/hnewman/2019/05/31/researchers-release-new-test-for-video-gaming-addiction/#5ec5bc1c279c.
Perrin, Andrew. “5 Facts about Americans and Video Games.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 17 Sept. 2018, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/09/17/5-facts-about-americans-and-video-games/.
Snider, Mike. “Video Game Addiction Is Officially Considered a Mental Disorder, WHO Says.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 8 Aug. 2019, www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2019/05/28/who-officially-classifies-video-game-addiction-mental-disorder/1256352001/.
“Technology Addiction - Teen & Young Adult.” Sandstone Care, www.sandstonecare.com/resources/substance-abuse/technology-addiction#targetText=A%20behavioral%20addiction%20is%20characterized,similarities%20with%20obsessive%2Dcompulsive%20disorders.&targetText=Technology%20addiction%20includes%20an%20addiction,the%20web%2C%20among%20other%20things.
Comments
Post a Comment