According to experts, about 30% of people, which like computer games, abuse finding in virtuality, and 10% - are in the process of psychological condition – addicting games. So can we consider computer games as a sort of drug? When and from whom the usual psychological discharge becomes an addiction?
The phenomenon of psychological addicting games has a place - say psychologists. To many people fascination with computers is not beneficial, and some of them are in serious need of psychological help. Their addicted condition is visible to the naked eye: reduced mood and activity, deteriorating state of health until the depression, elevated levels of anxiety. For these people the real world is boring, uninteresting and full of dangers. Consequently, they try to live in another world - a virtual, where everything is permitted, where they set the rules of the game. Disadaptation, inadequate perception of themselves and world around are the main features of addicting games. However this addiction realizes surrounding friends, relatives, acquaintances, but not the gamer.
The main criteria for defining the disease, experts believe the following: unwillingness to distract from the game; irritated when forced to distraction, inability to plan for ending the game session; spending a lot of money to provide the continuous updating of computer games and devices; forgetting about home affairs, work, studies, meetings and agreements in the course of the game on the computer; neglecting own health, hygiene and sleep in favor of more time on the computer, the abuse of coffee and other similar stimulant; willingness to be satisfied with an irregular, random and monotonous food, not looking up from his computer; sense of emotional recovery during the game, discussing the game with more or less knowledgeable in this area people.
Psychologists say that the addicting games appear much quicker than any other traditional addiction: smoking, drugs, alcohol, etc. In average, it takes no more than six to twelve months for its formation. All games are not identical involving in their process of mental functions, strength and depth of impact on the identity of the person on the psychological mechanisms of addiction. In this regard, the most dangerous are the role-playing games.
Psychologists pointed out five types of biases that drive the gamer: 1. Addiction to finish the game (through the game and open all the alternative endings). 2. Fondness for competition (a typical example - Counter-Strike). 3. Fondness for Excellence (gamer is constantly polishing his skills in a particular game).4. Fondness for the study (the game world is investigated to infinity). 5. Addiction to the table of results (the desire to get to first place in the results table makes gamer to play again and again).