Some teenagers and adults start to detox, or go into complete withdrawal, after admitting they are powerless over their addiction, but they aren’t hooked on alcohol or drugs. Addicts are undergoing withdrawals to break their dependence on video games.

Society seems to be gradually adjusting to the idea that video games are here to stay and that they did not take part of a societal catastrophe. One of the remaining issues is being called an “Internet Gaming Disorder,” or IGD. Introduced as a prospective factor for more in depth study by the American Psychiatric Association, IGD correlates with what people often call “video game addiction.”

This is a clinical impulse control disorder, but it can be seen in the same sense as compulsive gambling. Compulsive gaming also meets the criteria for drug or alcohol addiction, which is: The person needs more and more of a substance or behavior to keep him going, and if he does not get more of the substance or behavior, he becomes irritable and miserable.

“I don’t think video games are bad because it is a part of our culture, but just like anything else, too much of one thing is bad for you, no matter how fun it may be,” said Anthony Miron ’18.

For some individuals, playing video games can become very troublesome to the point where it can interfere with basic life functioning. To make the situation even worse, scholars and clinicians claim that video games are as addictive as heroin.

ADHD symptoms also predict video game addiction in the future. Gaming addiction signs include playing for an increased time, thinking about gaming during other activities, gaming to escape real life problems, lying to everyone to conceal gaming, and feeling irritable when trying to cut down on gaming.

It is not clear that this is something that appears solely from video games, or if it is due to a different underlying disorder. Excessive gaming may seem relatively harmless compared to the dangers of something like a drug overdose, but video game addiction can ruin lives. Children with IGD have no time to socialize, do homework, or play sports. IGD in adults can jeopardize relationships and jobs.