Game Overdose: Can you really be Addicted to Video Games?

An eleven-year-old boy strangled an elderly woman for the equivalent of five dollars in 2007, then buried her body under a thin layer of sand. He told the police that he needed the money to play online videogames.

Studies estimate that 10 percent to 15 percent of gamers exhibit signs that meet the World Health Organization’s criteria for addiction. Just like gambling and other compulsive behaviors, teens can become so enthralled in the fantasy world of gaming that they neglect their family, friends, work, and school.

If you aren’t sure if the addiction is real, maybe you haven’t seen the YouTube video is reportedly footage of one teen's reaction to the news that his mother has cancelled his World of Warcraft account. (http://addictionrecoveryhope.com/archives/stunning-youtube-footage-of-a-video-game-addict-world-of-warcraft)

Netaddiction.com offers a list of symptoms (and support resources) that may suggest you have a problem with video games addiction:

• •A preoccupation with gaming
• •Lying or hiding gaming use
• •Disobedience at time limits
• •Loss of interest in other activities
• •Social withdrawal from family and friends
• •Psychological withdrawal from the game
• •Using gaming as an escape
• •Continuing to game despite its consequences

Symptom list from Center for Internet Addiction Recovery (www.netaddiction.com)