So, you love playing online games? Most of us say YES! But if your gaming habit becomes too much, it can have a negative effect on your life outside of your video game console. It’s important to take time away from gaming once in a while to reset and refresh.  

However, if gaming starts to take over your life, you may be at risk of developing a gaming addiction. These signs might point to you needing a break from gaming: You always seem to have games with you.  

Even when going out for the day, you’ll probably think of playing one or two games online games along with you in order to keep yourself entertained. You only play that specific genre of game; there’s no variety whatsoever – every game is exactly the same as every other one.  

You lose interest in things such as movies and books – unless they happen to be based on games or online games specifically, which is another sign of addiction to action.  

Now the question is what has this habit led you?  

This is called Gaming Addiction.  

But first, why is gaming addiction dangerous? 

Let us learn the effects of gaming addiction.Online games have been used as a healthy outlet for the psychological and emotional effects of war, high-stress jobs, and other negative life experiences. It’s perfectly normal to feel anxious or stressed at times, especially if you have a job that involves a lot of responsibility or pressure.  

But if your anxiety or stress becomes too much, it can lead to a variety of problems, including: Worried about losing your job if you take time off? Feeling guilty for taking time off when others might not have the same opportunities as you? Feeling depressed or anxious about the reality of your life?  

These are all symptoms of what’s called “serious gaming addiction” and these are the effects of online gaming addiction. Also : serious, pathological gaming addiction is a legitimate mental health disorder. 

 This happens when gaming takes over your life in a negative way – you spend so much time gaming that it negatively impacts your relationships (friends, family, social life), your work (you don’t show up on time, you miss assignments, you don’t do your best),. 

your health (you have poor sleep, you eat junk food, you don’t exercise, you’re putting stress on your body that could be prevented, you’re putting strain on your body that could be prevented), and your long-term financial situation (you’re not saving for the future, you’re not investing). Let us look at the gaming addiction statistcs to look into the effects of gaming addiction.

• The prevalence of gaming addiction among teenagers has increased by 4% since 2007.  
• Over two billion people play video games worldwide, and the number is likely to surpass three billion by 2023.  
• The global prevalence of gaming disorder has been found to be 3.05%. As many as 60 million people (or more) suffer from gaming disorder.  
• Males between the ages of 18–24 are most at risk for gaming addiction 

Signs You’re Addicted to Gaming 

1. You get upset when you can’t game 

You’ve probably noticed that when you can’t game, you feel really bad. This is a sign that you feel guilty and bad about yourself. You’ve probably noticed that when you’re gaming, you don’t think about the negative consequences that come with it – but when you stop, you notice that you’re actually a bit shocked by the reality that you’ve been ignoring.  

If you’ve noticed that you get upset when you can’t game, this is also a sign that you’re addicted. You probably wouldn’t feel bad if you weren’t doing it – and you feel bad because you know you should feel bad. 

2. You find it hard to stop playing

You’ve probably noticed that when you want to stop gaming, you really really want to just shut your eyes and go back into the game. If you’re addicted to gaming, you probably wouldn’t feel like to stop playing.  

Today, gaming has become a mainstream phenomenon with millions of people operating gaming devices at the same time. This is why it’s no surprise that gaming has begun to take over our culture as well. But this popularity has also led to the rise of another common problem: gaming addiction. Gaming addiction is a growing epidemic that affects more than just video gamers.  

People who are addicted to gaming spend an inordinate amount of time playing and become distressed when they can’t do it anymore.

3. You Feel An Urge To Play Just Before Bed

All human beings have a natural desire to be social, and that includes gaming. Gaming can be a great way to relieve stress or simply to pass the time, but if it starts to interfere with your sleep or cause you to feel an urge to play just before bed, it might be a problem.  

This is especially true if you struggle with insomnia or even if you do well with sleep but find that gaming somehow helps you fall asleep better. People with gaming disorders also commonly report that they feel restless if they’re not able to play. This can be a sign that the compulsion to play is impairing your normal life one of the effects of gaming addiction.

4. You Have A Bad Day If You Don’t Play 

People with gaming disorders often report a dramatic increase in the amount of time spent gaming when their disorder is active. This can lead to a greatly reduced quality of life, both at work and at home. Gaming addicts may report playing almost nonstop and even skipping meals or sleep to make time for their devices.  

When you think that you’re experiencing a bad day if you have to take time off of gaming, it’s likely that you have a serious problem. If you truly feel a pang of sadness or boredom when you haven’t spent hours playing, it’s possible that your gaming could be a problem. 

5. You Feel Depressed When Gaming Is Stopped 

People with gaming disorders often report that they feel depressed when gaming is stopped. This is common because gaming is often a way to escape from the real world and connect with a fantasy world. When it stops working, it can feel like the real world has been rejected. 

 This can be especially true if you have a compulsive disorder because even the smallest break from your gaming can feel like a failure. It’s important to remember that people with gaming disorders do not choose to feel depressed when they stop gaming. Depression is often a side effect of the disorder that they struggle with due to online gaming addiction.

6. You Struggle With Sleeping At Night 

People with gaming disorders often report that they have a difficult time falling asleep if they haven’t played for a few hours. This is often due to an increased stimulation in the brain caused by gaming. When gaming is stopped, a person may feel very anxious and find it difficult to relax.  

This can lead to a cycle of shorter and shorter sleep because the person is too anxious to fall asleep. This cycle can be hard to break because it’s a direct result of the effects of gaming addiction. 

7. Screen time increase 

Gaming can also cause an increase in screen time. This may be due to the need to increase the stimulation level in the brain to calm down after gaming. This can lead to an unhealthy obsession with technology. It’s important to remember that increasing screen time is not a sign of progress.

A gaming disorder doesn’t fix itself by increasing your screen time. Screen time is actually a good indicator of a problem when it goes up without a similar increase in other areas of life such as work or family time. 

8 ways to deal with gaming addiction: 

1. Look After Your Physical Health 

Gaming can be a fun way to escape into a fantasy world – but it can also have a negative impact on your physical health. When you spend too much time gaming, it can seriously impact your sleep – and this is bad for your physical and mental health.  

The more you game, the more it can impact your sleep. This is because gaming takes away the time you spend relaxing in bed – when you do get to relax, it’s often interrupted because there’s a game that needs your attention. 

 So when you don’t get enough sleep, you’re putting yourself at risk for serious physical health problems, including Poor attention and focus (which can lead to dangerous driving and job accidents) Pre-existing medical conditions becoming worse (such as increased heart rate or blood pressure) Depression and anxiety (which can lead to increased anger, which in turn can lead to dangerous accidents) 

2. Limit your playing time 

Try limiting how long you play to a few hours a day – and don’t play later on in the evening when you should be sleeping (or at least, don’t play after you’ve finished dinner, as this is often when you’re most tired).  

This will make it much easier to avoid gaming for longer than you need to. You can also try to keep gaming times between 9 pm-6 am to make it easier for you to reset and refresh. If you find that you can’t go more than a few hours without gaming, then that’s a sign that you’re addicted. It’s important to take regular breaks from gaming to reset and refresh – it doesn’t mean that you have to stop gaming forever. 

3. Know your gaming habits 

If you love gaming, knowing your habits can be a huge help in determining if you’re truly addicted. The first step is to keep track of how much time you spend gaming each day. Start by logging your daily gaming sessions, as well as how long you spend between each one. Then, try to take an objective look at how much time you spend compared to other aspects of your life.  

For example, if you find yourself feeling restless while you’re on your “gaming break,” you might have a problem! If it turns out that you spend less time with friends than you do with your games, you might have a problem. Or, if you spend more time off than you do on, you might have a problem. If these are the kinds of things, you’re finding out about yourself, you might have a problem. Knowing when and how you spend your time can go a long way in helping you know whether or not you have a problem. 

There are many apps that block online games on your phone and mobile. For your phone there are apps like Freedom, BlockerX, Stay Focused, and Fami Guard.  

4. Play games with friends 

If you love gaming, why not try to incorporate it into your social life? Pick a couple of games you could play together with friends. Whether you all play tabletop games, online games, or sports together, gaming has a ton of benefits when incorporated into a social lifestyle.  

When you’re with friends, you’re not focused on gaming — so you have time to do other activities and re-energize. Plus, gaming with friends helps your social skills because it forces you to learn how to communicate with others while avoiding a singular focus.  

This can be invaluable in the real world. When you play games with friends, you also get a better understanding of others’ personalities. So, gaming can help you become a more well-rounded individual. 

5. Track your playtime 

While it’s good to get a general idea of how much time you spend gaming, you can get a small sense of how much time you’re spending by tracking your playtime. Start by logging what games you play and how much time you spend playing them. Also, keep track of how long you take to finish each one. Once you have this information, you can compare it to your other daily activities.  

Are you taking the same amount of time to finish work as you do to finish your games? Are you taking the same amount of time to finish other activities as you do your games? If you’re not taking the same amount of time to finish your daily activities as you are to finish your games, you might have a problem. This can help you see if you’re spending too much time gaming and want to come out of online gaming addiction.

6. Try new and challenging games 

Every gamer has played games that are too easy, too hard, too short, or too long. No game is perfect, but it’s a great idea to try different types of games while you’re tracking your playtime. Doing so can help you break out of your routine and try out new things. 

 It can also help you discover new gaming genres, which can help you expand your gaming horizons and learn new things. When you try games with different difficulty levels, you can see if you’re having a hard time getting through them. Are you struggling to get through games with a lower difficulty level? Or, are you able to breeze through games with a higher difficulty level?  

If you’re having trouble getting through games, you might have a problem. Knowing the kind of games you like and how you like to play them can help you know if you have a problem. 

7. Take the time off to recharge 

Living in a fast-paced world can make it seem like there’s not enough time in the day. However, that’s not true — it’s just a matter of how you use the time you have. Gaming comes with a ton of benefits, but it can also become extremely stressful. Gaming addiction can leave you feeling overwhelmed, and that’s when you might realize that you have a problem.  

Take time off from gaming to re-energize. If you’re taking breaks from gaming, take one every hour or so, then you are on the right track against gaming addiction. During these breaks, do something that gives you a break from gaming such as taking a walk, brushing your teeth, or eating a snack. Doing so can help you re-energize and get away from the game for a little bit.

If you’re taking longer breaks than you should, try spacing them out so you don’t become too anxious while you wait for your next gaming session. Taking breaks during your breaks can help you avoid becoming too anxious while you re-energize. 

8. Take Breaks and Reset 

Gaming can be a really fun way to spend your time – but it can also become a way of life that steals away your time and energy from other things. However, it’s important to take breaks from gaming every now and again. This allows you a chance to reset, refocus, and refresh. You need to make a conscious decision to take a break from gaming.  

Don’t be afraid to say “right, I need to stop gaming right now” and make a conscious decision to reset and refocus on other things in your life. If you can do this, gaming will be a lot less likely to steal your time and energy. You don’t have to take a break from gaming forever – you can take a break of a few hours, a day, a week, or even a month.  

Whatever break you choose to take, make sure that you do it properly. You need to take a break from gaming, to break free from the traps of gaming addiction. but you also need to take a break from the things that aren’t gaming. You need to make sure that you reset and refresh by taking some time to relax and unwind, by doing things that aren’t related to gaming. This allows you to reset and refocus on your life outside of gaming. 

Help For A Gaming Addict In Recovery 

There are many different types of treatment options available that can support those struggling with gaming addiction, and it is important to work with a qualified therapist or counselor who specializes in treating people with addictions and mental health disorders. A qualified professional can help you set goals and get you on the road to overcoming your gaming addiction. They may also suggest a Game addiction test ( sometimes customized ) 

They can also help you understand the warning signs and symptoms of addiction, and offer guidance and support as you work to overcome them. It can be helpful to start by seeking help from a loved one or trusted friend. Often times it is difficult to speak up about gaming addiction because of the seriousness that people give to this problem.

They may be able to help you by offering a sounding board for your concerns, listening for signs of addiction, setting limits and boundaries for your behavior, and being there for you when you need someone to talk to. It can also be helpful to seek help from someone who is not personally close to you, such as a counselor or therapist who specializes in treating gaming addictions. 

Conclusion 

Gamers may become addicted to online games, but is gaming addiction of this type real? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Gaming addiction is becoming a serious problem that affects millions of people, both young and old. People who are addicted to gaming spend an inordinate amount of time playing and become distressed when they can’t do it anymore.  

If you love gaming, then that’s great! However, if you feel like it is taking over your life, you might have a case of gaming addiction. Gaming can be a fun way to spend time with friends or simply relax. It can also be used as a stress reliever when things in your life are stressful.

However, if you find yourself being the victim of online gaming addiction, you might have a problem. Knowing when and how you spend your time can help you know if you have a problem. 

It’s important to remember that you are not alone, and there are many resources available to help you better understand and overcome your gaming addiction. It’s important to seek help immediately if you have developed an addiction to online games.

There are many different types of treatment options available to come out of gaming addiction, and it is important to work with a qualified therapist or counselor who specializes in treating people with addictions and mental health disorders.