Video game addiction is no longer one of those things we can just neglect as an actual problem – it is now diagnosed as a mental health issue, and it affects the lives of millions of people around the world.
The addiction is defined as when someone is unable to control the number of hours they play video games, to the point that it may negatively affect another aspect(s) of their lives, ostensibly by taking up a significant amount of their time. The World Health Organization has officially labeled it as a Gaming Disorder, identifying the negative impact it often has on people, as it affects the lives of 3-4% of players worldwide.
With the coming generations becoming increasingly involved in internet consumption, potential addiction has become an area of concern for many parents, especially for games specifically targeted towards children.
Thus, it is important to raise awareness about the possible dangers of video game addiction and its rapid spread among youth. Everyone needs to educate themselves, understand the causes of the disorder, spot the symptoms early on, figure out how to prevent it, and know how to treat it.
Video Game Addiction Prevalence
Since its inception in the 1950s, the video game industry has turned into a multi-billion dollar industry. In 2019, it averaged $120 billion in revenue and was expected to reach $196 billion by 2020. Microsoft has declared that there are over two billion gamers in the world who have, over time, formed their own community.
With such a significant number of players worldwide, many questions surround the idea of video games. Often, they are linked back to increased aggression among the younger players. To that end, video game addiction is sometimes compared to gambling addiction due to its competitive nature, and the adrenalin rush people experience from winning.
In the past, video games were only available in arcades and making them inaccessible for most of the time. Nowadays, video games are available on portable devices, making them super accessible and potentially harmful. With their intricate storylines and multiplayer dynamics, they offer people, particularly introverts, to escape from dealing with their friends or family.
While statistics on video game addiction vary as the symptoms are not easily measurable, it was shown that compulsive gaming has taken a toll on many people’s lives. Today, males aged 18-24 are most vulnerable to becoming addicted to video games.
It has also been found that the most addictive types of games are mainly massively multiplayer online games (MMO’s) and role-playing games (RPG’s) – meaning there is a constant exchange of virtual interaction, and they allow people to live a life they desire. Over 22% of gamers play multiplayer games for 61-80% of their day. Among the video games that are most addictive are Fortnite, League of Legends, World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, and shockingly, Candy Crush (more on that later).
Video game addiction is also known to occur simultaneously with other disorders. Studies have shown that around 9% of elementary and secondary kids classified as pathological gamers have used gaming as a coping mechanism for depression.
Other gamers with anxiety use gaming to escape their recurring stressful thoughts by focusing on their playing games. Similarly, those with social anxiety manage to deal with others in the game without living through their anxiety in real life.
In fact, studies have shown that internet gaming disorder is directly linked with a social anxiety disorder.
Aside from depression and anxiety, gaming addiction has also been linked to physical illnesses such as muscle/bone conditions and obesity.

Another study found that ADHD is also linked with problematic video game addiction, with users playing excessively as they cannot manage their time properly. Finally, gamers with Autism have been known to play due to the repetitive nature of gaming compulsively. Autistic gamers aged between 8-18 play over 2.4 hours a day, and those playing RPGs tended to display problematic behaviors.
Video Game Addiction by Country
With video gaming being one of the more popular and modern activities these days, many people across different cultures and countries are susceptible to addiction. Starting in the United States, video gaming has spread worldwide rapidly, where it currently influences a diverse amount of ages and socioeconomic classes.
For example, excessive gaming in many Asian nations has led governments across the continent to regulate and control video game usage. They fear the potential negative effects on adolescents’ physical and mental states.
In the Asia-Pacific region, video gaming became very popular with the rise of arcade games in the seventies, evolving today to become one of the biggest gaming markets internationally. The gaming market in South Korea is huge, with a turnover in 2016 of around $10 billion. South Koreans have even taken video gaming to a professional level, with gamers competing on famous television shows for large amounts of money, for an audience of around 10 million.
With such a prominent local industry, kids are almost definitely aspiring to be part of it one day – a slippery slope to potential addiction. In Singapore, the issue has become significant enough that the Singapore National Addictions Management Services has had to interfere and offer their outpatient services to those addicted.
Around one in every ten children in Singapore is addicted to video games. Hence, the Singapore government set up a classification system together with the Singapore Board of Film Censors, over the course of two years, to help regulate video game playing.
Facing a similar issue, Hong Kong is also heavily involved in the regulation of video gaming. The three nations joined forces in setting up a rating system to promote specific games to adolescents only within certain age ranges. If game distributors fail to comply with the system, they undergo drastic consequences.

There is also a growing concern over the prevalence of video game addiction in the United States.
Having originated there, the video gaming industry has definitely become prominent over the years. As the government and other entities recognize the dangers of video game addiction, there have been several attempts to regulate US usage. Even since the eighties, schools were banning the placement of arcade games on their grounds.
In 1994, a rating system was placed to control games’ distribution to children of specific ages by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. Therefore, it is now more crucial than ever to regulate video game usage among teens, especially with the spike in school shootings in the US – since video games have been linked to higher levels of aggression among children. In the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, it was argued that violent video games could sometimes be perceived as ‘killing simulations,’ desensitizing children to violent acts in the long run.
Across Europe, video game addiction also exists. Studies have been conducted across Germany, France, the UK, and Spain, and it was found that around 4.4% of players were problematic gamers. Undergraduate university students are especially at risk, with the video game market growing at a rate of 15% every year, reaching 21 billion euros as of 2018, according to the Interactive Software Federation of Europe.
The Netherlands-based clinic ‘Yes We Can’ has been receiving many children to combat their addictive behavior as they specialize in aiding gaming addiction.
Here are some stats so you can better understand the international impact of video gaming:
- A 2017 study of children in Hong Kong shows that a total of 10% of children between the ages of 9-11 play around 20 hours of video games a week.
- With over 72% of US homes containing video game players, it is estimated that there are 150 million players, with around 19,000 feelings distressed if they don’t regularly play games.
- 54% of all Europeans aged 6-64 play games, and it’s becoming a problem, especially amongst teens.
- In Europe, there are more male problematic gamers than female.
- A Rotterdam study suggests that around 12,000 children play over eight hours a day, with 1.5% of addicts falling between 13 and 16.
- China has officially passed a new law that bans children from gaming over 90 minutes a day – and they’re only allowed to play up until 10 pm.
While video game addiction is mainly affecting the adolescent age bracket, it can also affect much younger children and adults. Video game addiction also affects many cultures, and both genders significantly.
In an American study conducted with 3,034 participants, it was found that 9% showed signs of addiction, 4% played 50 hours a week, and the average participant played around 20 hours a week. For a cross-cultural comparison, in China, it was found that addicted high school students in China appeared to have authoritarian and strict parents mainly. In contrast, those with more liberal parents in the United States tended to perform much lower in school than their peers.
Here’s a quick run-down of some of the numbers out there:
With the accessible nature of video games nowadays, it is easy for children even as young as six years old to become addicted. Parents are becoming increasingly worried about the effect of video games on children, and rightfully so. Many children are already struggling with mental health issues, including social anxiety, depression, and others.
Video Game Addiction Among Children
In general, many students reported that they often look for someone to talk to but cannot find one, so they may look to video gaming to relieve the stress they may be feeling in their lives and escape through virtual reality.
As we all know, games are not just sold in a vacuum. Still, they are also very prominent on social media, and so problematic social media use may coincide with problematic video game use.
Warning signs of video game addiction in children are unfortunately many, among which is decreased performance at school with declining grades and failing classes. They may feel extreme fatigue and regularly fall asleep at school and not complete assignments or homework on time. They might also lose interest in extracurricular school activities such as sports and social clubs and may isolate themselves from their friends and families to play video games.
Another interesting fact is that although underage males are predominant among video game addicts, females are not far behind. When it comes to most other addictions, it’s usually one gender affected significantly more than the other.
Male vs. Female Gamers (Age Groups)
It’s important for all parents to closely observe their children’s behavior at home and among their family and social circles, along with their performance at school, to be able to detect any issues early on.
A recent study reported that the average daily screen time among 2000 children aged 8-18 was 7 hours and 38 minutes. Take a look at how video gaming and internet use can affect children:
Even though many websites tend to set age limits, it was found that a significant amount of children under the age of 11 have been signing up without their parent’s knowledge, and gaining access to online games through platforms like Facebook.
Video Game Addiction: Specific Game Prevalence
As the world develops, so do technologies, sciences, and other aspects of life that people were not exposed to previously. With the new mediums to game through in the form of tablets, smartphones, and computers – we’re more susceptible than ever to mental issues and disorders as we control our use of them.
One could argue that video games are basically a form of consumer technology that must be regulated. Otherwise, a person may be unable to focus on pretty much anything else.
As mentioned earlier, in terms of the most addictive forms of games, MMO’s tend to take the reins because they include a certain level of interaction that allows people to escape their nervousness. RPGs come right after, as they allow people to live a different life entirely online. Those who may feel dissatisfied with their real lives may find solace in their virtual ones.
Possible addicts don’t have to fear rejection, failure, and there are basically no consequences to their actions online. Of course, since they vary in their creative nature, players may prefer some games over others. Here are the video games people are most addicted to worldwide:
League of Legends: This game is a team-based online competitive one, similar to Fortnite but with players playing in teams instead. Forming a team may translate in real life to people forming their own community to enable their addiction. Now, players are not just under self-pressure to perform, but also their team members. It is also dangerous because the player now has other people to blame for their performance, not just in the game, but in real-life – for example, if they’re spending too much time online rather than succeeding in their lives.
Fortnite: This game is a solo-competitive online-based one. The game became insanely popular instantly, and gamers are now playing professionally, with some making a living off continuous competitions (one gamer even said that he makes around $500,000 a month. In the video below, Fortnite’s UX designer describes the techniques developers use to make games like these more addictive.
With high rates of divorce worldwide being attributed to Fortnite, not only is this game affecting the lives of children, but family lives may deteriorate because a spouse may not be able to focus on anything besides their gaming.
World of Warcraft: This game is a combination of MMOs and RPGs and is not only the most popular MMO, but it is also the ideal example of how an online community can form. It is quite special in that it not only allows players to feed into their competitive nature, but they also make friends as they play.
People could be whoever they want to be – that they can’t be in real life. Since no one can know who they really are, all their issues, social anxiety, and stress can remain undetected behind the screen.
Call of Duty: This game is a first-person shooter, and games like these are often quite violent. As mentioned earlier, there have been studies directly linking violent games to offline aggression in players. With increased adrenalin, players have known to show behaviors indulging instincts in our ancestral hunter-gatherer societies. This biophysical change drives the addiction as well, and the stimulation may drive intense behavior.
Candy Crush: In a shocking turn of events, Candy Crush is right up there with these games in terms of addiction levels – we all know someone who simply cannot stop playing! With the continuous accessibility of these games to people of all ages and on all different portable devices, micro-transactions (such as in-app purchases) have become slippery slopes.
Here’s a little bit more information on these most popular games:
- At its most popular moment, World of Warcraft had an active-player base of around 12 million users.
- Fortnite amassed over 125 million players in its first year when released in 2017, reaching up to 200 million players today.
- There were over 200,000 cases of divorce in the UK in 2018, with the leading cause being Fortnite.
- League of Legends has an active player-base of 80 million, with 27 million daily.
- It is estimated that the Call of Duty franchise has grossed over $9.7 billion since its release.
- One man reportedly spent $10,000 on Candy Crush’s in-app purchases from 2015-2016.
- Candy Crush is wildly popular among people of all ages, with over 270 million players worldwide, and 9 million people playing three or more hours every day.
The toll that video game addiction takes on the lives of all those affected is undeniable, and it includes severe psychological and lifestyle impact.
Video Game Addiction: Treatment/Future Statistics
It all depends on how one uses video games because they can be used in cognitive rehabilitation clinics and educational tools in specific instances. However, those undergoing compulsive gaming can destroy their lives; clinics in many countries recognize the issue and develop programs to treat it. There are many inpatient and outpatient facilities (which may include partial hospitalization) that offer all sorts of programs to help with treatment.
First, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on the behavioral modification to basically guide gamers away from their obsessive behaviors. In the first phase of the treatment, patients undergo psychoeducation sessions to develop therapy goals to think more long-term.
In the second phase, they are taught to use the internet moderately and in a healthy manner. In the final termination phase, they are taught what to do if they are in danger of relapsing using specific techniques. Usually, CBT is combined with other therapy methods to provide a more effective outcome.
There’s also group therapy, which can provide a significant amount of moral support and motivation for patients, knowing that others are suffering as well out there. It is already widespread that gaming addicts have lost contact with many friends and even family due to their isolating behavior. There is also family and marriage counseling to attempt to fix addiction problems that have caused relationships between the addict and anyone else.
Video game addiction usually co-occurs with other psychological issues that may vary from depression, anxiety, stress, bipolar disorder, or many others. Consequently, patients may need to undergo medication therapy through the use of antidepressant or antianxiety drugs. This facilitates an easier process for them to overcome their addiction.
If a patient has issues with substance abuse, they must naturally detox and get treated for drug use to combat any possible gaming addiction. In fact, there are currently many on-going clinical trials for medicine that alters brain chemistry to combat addiction, specifically by inhibiting dopamine and norepinephrine uptake.
With the rise in video game addiction rates over the past years being almost exponential, the future looks almost similar, especially with the rapidly developing technologies we’re experiencing every day. Partially due to its immeasurable nature, there is currently not much science backing the video game addiction condition. However, studies have shown that this will be solved in the future since many games are already developing their own social media sites, such as Call of Duty. This will facilitate easier collection of data.
Now labeled as an international epidemic, the UK has set up a new center as part of its National Health Services, which will help people with gaming addiction and be funded through its annual budget of 143.4 billion pounds in 2020.
It is also more likely that there will be many more female video game addicts in the future than there are today, given that the internet is gender-neutral (and games are moving to become completely online-based).
What Causes Video Game Addiction?
The causes of video game addiction naturally vary case-by-case; however, more general causes can be applied to everyone.
First, games are specifically designed to keep you playing using psychological tactics. They are inherent immersive experiences that allow people to become encompassed in a whole new world. Once they manage to provide players with a higher level of dopamine, their brains are exposed to this stimulation, and structural changes occur to it.
The gaming world gives players instant gratification coupled with measurable progress. They are designed to be just hard enough to get players to keep coming back for the challenge, but not too hard, so they do not quit. Manipulative game design is thus one of the leading causes of addiction because, just like other people, both designers and distributors are out to make a profit.
Another cause is brain chemistry. Increased dopamine levels in the brain when someone games are partially to blame because dopamine activates the brain’s reward center (called the ventral striatum). This is why compulsive gaming is sometimes compared to drug usage and gambling. Generating a feeling of pleasure, a person will most definitely look to repeat the action that continuously releases the extra neurotransmitter.
Percentage of Addicted Substance Users Compared to Addicted Gamers
Researchers studied a sample of 154 teenage boys who played an average of around 12 hours per week. Compared to boys that were infrequent players, the gamers had a significantly larger ventral striatum, a problematic area that is often related to mental health issues such as schizophrenia, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Even though they were found to be faster at making decisions, this reward center kept getting activated as they played – this can be attributed to more dopamine running through their brains.
It is also common for video game addiction to co-occur with other mental health issues and disorders. For example, combined with depression, addiction can be particularly difficult to deal with. Research has shown that playing video games can change emotional control and cognitive function in the brain, making it difficult for gamers to process emotions and regulate their thoughts and behavior. This means that those struggling with depression are particularly prone to video game addiction.
Since game designers create these games for prolonged and repeated play, game addiction can easily slip into the lives of those already struggling with mental health issues. Specifically, those with depression seek ways to increase their dopamine levels in unconventional ways, and thus they may take to gaming – in a way using escapism as a means to cope. Both depression and video game addiction can combine forces to create a vicious cycle, feeding one another. Much like substance and alcohol abuse instances, there are highs and crashes in video game addiction.
Video Game Addiction: Self-Assessment
So it’s important to ask, how can one assess the dangers of video game addiction, and if they are personally approaching them – before it gets out of hand? Gamers basically need to learn how to play games in moderation because trying to quit cold turkey may not always be a successful strategy. Here are a few tips and tricks:
Be Honest to Yourself About the Negative Consequences of Gaming
First, think about what it is you’re exactly losing by spending so much time playing video games. Are you suffering in your relationships with others? Are you failing in your studies or at work? What are the activities that you enjoy but are not doing because you’re busy playing games?
Set Clear Goals for the Future
Next, decide what goals you want to achieve in your life, but gaming always gets in the way. Long-term goals require time, effort, and resources – so if you’re spending all of them on gaming, how are you supposed to work towards them? It’s good to make a realistic timeline to follow so you’re more self-aware as the days go by.
If you manage to picture how your life can be when you achieve that goal, it can motivate you to push yourself away from addiction.
Start Focusing on Your Health & Personal Well-Being
Another promising way to self-assess is if you plan your day out through a schedule. Sleep is important, so you need to be careful if you’re gaming all night. You’ll start to lose focus in all areas of your life, and it’s definitely a slippery slope to losing control.
Since many people relapse from quitting cold turkey, you can try ‘detoxing’ for a month or so instead.
Consult your Closest Ones
And finally, no one knows you better than your family and friends. Consult them, have honest conversations, and ask them what they think. Since they care about you, they are likely to tell you if there is an issue with your behavior and if they are worried. You should listen to them more often than not if what they say is making sense in this context.
Video Game Addiction Tests
So, how can you know if you’re addicted to video games? We’ve compiled a quick list for you to access online, even right now easily:
- The Center for Internet and Technology Addiction – Multiple Choice Quiz
- Anonymous – Online Survey
- Game Quitters – Video Game Addiction Test
- Illness Quiz – Customized Questionnaire
- Tech Addiction – Video Game Addiction Test for Parents
- CGAA – Video Game Addiction Self-Assessment
Video game addiction can affect anyone and is thus important to understand for almost everyone, especially to catch it early on.
Video Game Addiction Common Symptoms
While some symptoms are much more severe than others, it is less likely to display all symptoms. We’ve split them up into sections for you to understand better when someone you know, or even if you personally, are displaying signs.
Physical Symptoms:
- Extreme weight loss or extreme weight gain
- Dry and sore red eyes
- Unhealthy eating habits
- Headaches and migraines
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Disruptions in sleeping patterns
- Soreness in the neck, back, or fingers
- Personal hygiene issues
Psychological Symptoms
- Feeling depressed if you’re not able to play.
- If you’re often feeling guilty and regretting the time spent on the game
- Losing personal control when gaming
- If you feel regret that you’re ‘abandoning’ the online community by being unable to join them or contribute to their success
- If it’s difficult to avoid playing games daily
- When you feel euphoria and are calm when playing
- If you’re often making excuses and justifying your gaming habits
- When anxiety and stress ensue when there is a technological obstacle (i.e., something is wrong with the server or the internet connection is weak)
- If your perception of time becomes distorted
- When you lose interest in your favorite hobbies
- When you frequently dream and day-dream of playing the game
Behavioral Symptoms
- Lowered academic or work performance
- Gaming binges which may last over 10 hours
- When extension packs, microtransactions, and upgrades tend to take up a significant amount of money
- Being unable to quit after constant attempting
- Always choosing the game once the opportunity arises and spending a significant amount of time playing.
- Choosing to game oversleep
- Playing and eating simultaneously, or opting to skip the meal to play.
- Choosing to play rather than fulfill responsibilities
Relational symptoms
- Frequently lying to those around you about how much time you actually play, especially if they show concern at your gaming habits.
- Choosing to the game instead of going out to socialize
- Losing your real-life friends but gaining more online
- Becoming less interested in sex
- Spending less time with your family, friends, and spouse
- Tending to blame others for the number of hours you game
Video Game Addiction Prevention
As a parent, there are certain precautions to take to make sure your children are safe. There should be continuous time-limitations applied to your children’s gaming combined with constant supervision from a young age.
Have honest conversations with them that these games will always be there for them waiting, so they don’t need to be playing all the time. As parents, create new, fun activities to take part in so they don’t pursue gaming when they’re bored.
This method can also be applied to adults – everyone can find new hobbies to keep them away from gaming. Sometimes, it’s also healthy to change the physical environment that enables compulsive gaming. For example, it may be better for the gamer to stay away from peer pressure. They may feel around other gamers if they’re in the same social circle – even if it’s just temporarily.
Video Game Addiction Help Centers
Most importantly, whether you or someone you know is an addict, it’s important to combat this issue head-on. If it’s you, then make a conscious decision to help yourself – there are now countless facilities that can help you overcome your addiction professionally. Seek advice from your family and friends because they know you best, and listen to them if they have a valid reason to be concerned.
Parents, watch out for your children and make sure they are getting the supervision they need. Invest time in their free time to keep them on track.
Below, you can find a list of the most reliable prevention centers for video game (and other) addictions, arranged by US states in alphabetical order.