Study – one in every 12 young gamers show video game addiction
Dr. Douglas Gentile has released the findings for his latest study, which sought to observe and determine the presence of video game addiction in gamers aged 8-18 years. The result? One in every 12 young gamers show unmistakable signs of gaming addiction.
Dr. Douglas Gentile has released the findings for his latest study, which sought to observe and determine the presence of video game addiction in gamers aged 8-18 years. The result? One in every 12 young gamers show unmistakable signs of gaming addiction.
The study, entitled, “Pathological video game use among youth 8 to 18: A national study” made use of a sample of 1,178 American youngsters from the said age group. Dr. Gentile preferred not to use the word “addiction” since it’s not even a proper medical term. But he did verify that pathological game use shows the same symptoms as that of “addiction” such as:
- Lying to family and friends about video game usage
- Using video games to escape from problems or bad feelings
- Becoming restless or irritable when attempting to stop playing video games
- Skipping homework in order to play video games
- Doing poorly on a school assignment or test because they spent too much time on games.
So says Dr. Gentile in his study’s abstract:
Pathological status significantly predicted poorer school performance even after controlling for sex, age, and weekly amount of video game play. These results confirm that pathological gaming can be measured reliably, that the construct demonstrates validity, and that it is not simply isomorphic with a high amount of play.
One in 12, huh? I personally thought that the number would be greater, but it’s great news that the number isn’t as big as I thought. How about you guys? Any of those symptoms sound familiar?
Here’s an easier, less-scientific way to find out if you’re hooked:
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