14 DAY TRIAL // A study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics conducted on children in Singapore shows that about 9 percent of them were considered to be addicted to gaming, meaning that they spent enough time with them in order to suffer negative consequences.
The number is actually pretty low given the excessive time spent with any form of modern entertainment which can lead to a level of dependence if not actual addiction.
The study also talks about addiction when the quality of life of a kid was actually negatively affected by playing video games and the study did not look at “addiction” in the classic sense used for drugs or alcohol.
The medical organization also says that the study shows that excessive time spent with gaming might actually lead to thins like poor grades in school (which is very predictable) but also to more complex diagnostics like depression and anxiety.
The study followed no less than 3,000 children in elementary and middle school in Singapore and also says that about 84% of those who were excessive gamers when the study started did not change over the two year period the kids were followed.
Those who dropped out of the excessive gaming group reduced their levels of stress and social phobia and boys have been found to be more likely to spend more time than they should with video games.
Douglas Gentile, a developmental psychologist at Iowa State University in Ames, has stated, “To be considered pathological, gamers must be damaging multiple areas of their lives.”
He added, “Kids who were more impulsive were more likely to become addicted; they had a harder time managing their impulse control. If they were socially awkward then they were more likely to be addicted and if they spent a greater amount of time then the average kids playing games.”
The Entertainment Software Association has responded by stating, “There simply is no concrete evidence that computer and video games cause harm,” pointing to other studies that show the benefits of gaming.