One of the most effective ways to address and treat video game addiction is by getting the person to acknowledge the problem. Sometimes it’s not denial, but just lack of self-awareness.
I know this personally because, despite not being formally diagnosed, I’ve been addicted to video gaming.
Related: Some Can’t Stop Playing
The popular MMO (massively multiplayer online game), “World of Warcraft,” once invaded my life and consumed my free time without my realizing it. My wife (fiancée at the time) was very aware of it, though, and persevered to make me realize it.
I had spent more than six months of my life sitting at the computer, existing in a digital world.
At the time, my normal day consisted of getting to work around 7 a.m., working until 4 p.m., then getting home and at my PC by 4:30 p.m., where I’d play the game until 2 a.m., sometimes later.
Rinse, repeat — nearly every day.
The game keeps track of your playing time, and by the time I hit the point where I realized I needed to stop, the timer reading made me ashamed. When I finally stepped away, I had spent more than six months of my life sitting at the computer, existing in a digital world. Yet I still didn’t see any problem with it at all.
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Working with the video game industry as a writer has posed its challenges, especially when I’m constantly playing different games to provide coverage, or to stay knowledgeable about the industry.
Still, nothing affected me (and my loved ones) like “World of Warcraft” did. (Must acknowledge that it’s not the fault of game itself, despite many people who have played it for far, far longer than I once did, but rather a lack of awareness and education overall.)
Today, with the information I now have, I’m happily married with two children who enjoy gaming as much as I do. Only with them, there’s limited play time and other rules to ensure they’re not falling into the same issues I once faced.
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