BY: CLAIRE KIM
In the eyes of a gamer, nothing is more important than winning a gold medal or beating their opponents. When they win, it’s kind of seen as an accomplishment, a moment where they can feel they have done something great, yet in reality, it’s pretty insignificant. Because of this intense passion to win, gamers have it hard to pull themselves out of the euphoria and take a break from sucking themselves into this gaming dimension. However, with just this vigor, gaming wouldn’t be such a major problem. What makes gaming so addictive, is this concept of feeling like a new person in a whole nother world. In reality, because we face so many hardships, pain, and heartbreak throughout our lives, the world on the screen seems so much more appealing, thus making us fall for the trap in an instant. Once we get hooked on a certain game, it’s hard to wake ourselves up before we are extremely addicted. From the many teenagers I have associated with, I have noticed how Fortnite has been the hottest issue for gamers. All they talk about is their eagerness to play, play, play and never seem to have any interest in current events or school that is much more important. Getting every chance they get, some even purposely leave class and play the game on their phones in the bathroom until they win, therefore wasting time yet not feeling guilty because they are so excited. This is a major red light that’s blaring at us of how games are really becoming a terrible addiction. What may initially seem like just a simple liking for games to use up time, can now be justified as really a waste of time and energy spent into something so trivial in comparison to other events in our lives. Even doctors are now noticing how the symptoms of this strong “gaming liking” has made several people fall into a similar category as those who suffer from a cocaine disorder. It’s really become a serious problem that should be examined before it can cause even worse side effects. Currently, doctors have stated that this liking can now be classified as a “gaming disorder” because it shows symptoms of depression and anxiety in many individuals who participate in this activity. What’s really hard about this specific disorder is how few resources there are to help them recover. While common disorders such as depression can be helped by getting involved in programs and scheduling appointments with a professional health doctor, it’s not as helpful for those with a gaming disorder because really there are no professionals or camps for this new health problem. As the number of people who are diagnosed as game addicts arise, it creates a bigger gap between the number of health officials who are actually able to help treat them. This is a huge dilemma for both sides because obviously, addictions are not that easy to recover from and gaming problems connecting to health has just been discussed within the medical department. It’s scary to see how gaming has taken over so many people’s lives that it has become a newborn health problem. However, on a more positive note, this can also be a realization for teenagers and young adults of how serious this desire is and how they should try to limit themselves on how much they should invest in games if side effects and mental confusion can come along as well.
claire kim. 