Worldwide concern over video game addiction

Around the world, parents worry that their children are becoming addicted to video games and are neglecting other interests.

Dr. Mark Griffiths of Nottingham Trent University, an expert on video game addiction, expresses his views about video game addiction in a BBC World News article: Video Games, Cause for concern?

Playing computer games too much might also have harmful physical effects on children. To learn more, read the BBC article: Computer games pose injury risks.

What are your views on this issue? Is this a problem in your country? Should parents worry about their childrens' passion for playing these games? What do you think are some of the most serious effects of this addiction on young people? Post a comment.

Comments

[JH]

Have you all considered engaging your partners? Have you considered that sometimes you should let him or her play without starting a fight? Have you considered other activities that you both may be interested in? Sports, hobbies, cycling, fishing, gardening, I dont knwo - other stuff that you both like?

[JH]

I also have a husband who plays online games. It is ok for him to play it but not all the time. He plays LOTRO (Lord of the Rings) on weekdays and weekends, many hours a day. Many of his closed friends are LOTRO online game players.
Sometimes, I just want to spend time with him, i.e. go shopping, fix things together around our house, watch TV or play family games together. I mean I can do these things with other people but does he (as my husband) really wants me to, so he can play games all day. Does he want me to find a spare husband, who can be there for me when he is busy playing game? A spare husband who will be there when I want someone to talk to, someone to eat/cook with, someone to clean and fix things around the house together, someone to go shopping or spend time with, someone who cares about me. Will it be fair to do this if my husband chooses his LOTRO game and friends over me?
We fought many times about it and he got better for a while, then back to normal. I’m sick of fighting with him as I know that he will never change. Sometimes I feel very lonely and bored and just want to go back to my parents who live in another country. I feel like our marriage (relationship) doesn’t mean anything for him anymore. I cannot spend time with a person who has no purpose in live. I nearly have enough. Can someone please advise me what I should do?

[world of warcraft gold]

Computer game addiction can be serious, it can affect your real life productivity. Actually, I use to play World of Warcraft almost around a clock. But after I got failing grades on my exams, I realized that I need to set up time limits on my gaming habits. Controlling one's self, setting up goals and time management for everyday are some factors for us to get off the addiction. I think parents should do this to their child. Then, they can also try to put video games in a family area, so they can see how, and how often, their child are playing.

[goegre]

video games are addicting because they have blood and violnce and that is messing up kids brians. I used to like halo now i dont. they don't get as much fun like playing hockey or soccer. soon then there will be no more reality

[McDonald]

Video games are addicting because they have blood and vilence and that is messing kids brains up and then they follow the vilince and do it in real life

[goegre]

i agree with u all

[goegre]

i agree with you all

[goegre]

i agree with you all

[Jonathan Hawkings]

i think that computers are the future and are not becoming an addiction. in the next few years everyone will resort to computers and also gaming products. An addiction is being on it all the time computer games are not played 24/7 unless its by some fat game geek kid/adult from america who has no life.

[Abandoned]

My 27 year old husband just left me & the kids for his XBOX GAME, and wants a DIVORCE!

He ignores us, & does not interact w/us hardly at all because of this fixation. He let me know that he's gonna find him a woman that will "let me play the game!"

He even went so far as to put hands on ME in order to "protect" his game when he thought I was gonna do something to it! I couldn't belive that he felt that his WIFE was worth harming & the XBOX (that I regretably bought for him) was more worthy of protecting!!

But, let him tell it, excessive playing of violent games (mainly Call of Duty 4) doesn't have an effect on HIM!

This is so sickening & sad!

[nori dequito]

it is very addictive talaga

[Great Andy]

Actually, I like videogames. I was a Nintendo game fanatic. Sometimes I stayed up until early in the morning, playing videogames. I got a blister on my thumb. However, I am an adult, so I was able to control myself. Videogames are not bad. The problem is that some people spend too much time playing video games. It is harmful, especially for a child. I think parents need to limit the time their children can play videogames.

[Jiro]

It is surprising to read the report that video games cause such terrible physical injuries nowadays. However, I feel more fearful about the mental effects of playing video games than the physical effects. Nowadays, we hear about violent incidents by young people in Japan. I am afraid of the bad effects of video games.

[Ilsoo Yoon]

A lot of new technology is developed, and many kinds of bad effects are coming out. Negative effects of video games or computer games are also a big problem nowadays. Children spend too much time for playing games, and parents really worry about their children's health. Many children might have negative physical and psychological effect because of playing violent games too long.

[Justin]

Most console game machines have parents password lock system. Parents can control their children's console machines. It can help prevent from our children becoming addicts. Many parents want to protect their children, because, some video games show serious violence and crime. We remember the Columbine tragedy.

[Eugene Rhim]

Video games give us exiting times, but they can be harmful for us, especially for children. If people play video games too much, they become inactive. They also don't think and can become violent. These games are addictive, so they make people lose control.

[Jun, Mi Hyang]

Most young people are very interested in video games and like them. Also, they are refreshed through them. However, video games poison them and they lose sight of the reality. They have to control themselves when they play video games.

[Adel]

I think video games are bad because many children are likely to be addicted to them easily. They spend too much time playing them, so they can't do their homework and study. Moreover, the games are sometimes very violent and affect children negatively. I think this is a serious problem.

[Yumi]

In Korea, that problem is a hot issue because video games have a bad effect on people's health. Playing video games too much hurts people's eyes. This is especially true for young people who play the games a lot. In addition, young people can become hooked on video games easily because they can't control themselves.

[Lee Kyoung Bok]

I think this is a really big problem. People who are addicted to video games are not often distinguishing real life from illusions. In my country, it is more serious than in other countries. Some game characters are sold at a price which is about ten or twenty thousand dollars; also some people kill other people because of fraud. These phenomena create serious problems for young people. I think the government needs to control game companies.

[Ki]

Some people say video games are the best way to reduce your stress even though they have bad effects. However, we cannot ignore the bad things because most children play them. No parents in the world want their children to be bad.

[Seon Mi]

A proper amount of playing video games gives us fun, but spending too much time on video games is not good. If children play video games too much, they will become more aggressive and show delinquent behavior such as not doing homework. I think that when children depend on video games for a long time, their parents have to make them stop playing them.