Video games, which are a popular entertainment tool especially among men, can cause addiction in some adults. This can cause people to experience problems in their work, family and social lives. Expert Clinical Psychologist Cumali Aydın pointed out that there are people who spend less time with those around them in order to play more games and who lie to the people around them in order to focus more on games.
Expert Clinical Psychologist Cumali Aydın stated that from past to present, many people have been busy with many activities in order to have fun and spend their free time, and that the advancement of technology and the tools that have entered our lives with this progress have also affected the way we spend our time, and continued as follows:
“Some of the technological devices that were most effective in this change were computers and telephones. Especially phone and computer games have become an important part of spending time and having fun. "Some users have pushed the limits of this entertainment too much, causing the entertainment to deviate from its purpose and even turn into a kind of addiction."
Withdrawal symptoms occur when deprived of gaming
Pointing out that some adults may be unable to control the playing time, Aydın said, “For example, he says he will play for 1 hour, but this time may go much longer and the situation may repeat many times. Even when he is not playing, he can continue to be mentally in the game and constantly dream about the game. May have difficulty in allocating time for activities other than the game. He may have difficulty making time for school, work and friends. When he is not playing, he may experience certain mental states; he may become bored, depressed, or even angry. In other words, when deprived of gaming, withdrawal symptoms may occur.” he said.
Causes problems in work, family and social life
Aydın also noted that these people will constantly increase the time they spend in the game in order to enjoy the game they play, and said:
“Unsuccessful quit attempts may occur when the player wants to quit the game completely. However, because they spend too much time playing, they are in conflict with their environment. They may spend less time with those around them in order to play more games, and they may lie to the people around them in order to focus more on games. In addition, they may continue to play games even though they have problems in their work, family and social life due to their intense gaming. "If we have many of the symptoms listed above for more than a year, we may be addicted to video games."
Gaming addiction can also cause financial losses.
Expert Clinical Psychologist Cumali Aydın explains that adults with video game addiction place games at the center of their lives and many of their attitudes revolve around this center, and says, "They spend most of their time on games, and continue to think about the game when they are away from the game. The virtuality of the game world ceases to be virtual and begins to replace the real world. Unable to spend healthy time with their families and loved ones, they begin to spend most of their time playing games. In this situation, relational conflicts may arise. However, they cannot devote the necessary time to their work, which may cause them to experience work-related problems and financial losses.” he said.
Emotional problems can trigger gaming addiction
Stating that there are many factors that can trigger game addiction in adults, Aydın said:
“These elements are as follows: being in a very asocial and introverted lifestyle in social life, not being able to use healthy coping skills against some problems that life brings, seeing video games as a shelter to escape from problems and relax, being at home, at school, at work and socially. "Factors such as frequent problems in environments and emotional problems due to conflicts in these areas, and the presence of individuals with game addiction in the person's environment can be considered as risk factors."
There is a relationship between violent games and conditions such as depression and aggressive behavior.
Cumali Aydın stated that many studies have shown that video game addiction causes some problems on people's mental health and said, “As a result of the research, violent games; It has been observed that there is a relationship between conditions such as loneliness, depression, anxiety, desensitization to violence, attention problems, aggressive behavior and asocialization. "It has been observed that such situations occur more frequently in individuals who play video games intensively." He made a statement.
What can be done to prevent video game addiction in adults?
Expert Clinical Psychologist Cumali Aydın explained what can be done to prevent video game addiction in adults as follows:
“First of all, a person should try to understand the factors that cause this behavior to occur. In other words, one needs to question when this behavior emerged, in what periods it became more severe, what happened in one's life during the periods when it became more severe, and what benefits this behavior provided in one's life. These and similar questions will make it easier to understand the reasons for the behavior. This will help us determine which points need intervention. However, one should limit oneself and try to comply with when and how much one should play the game. He should try to reduce the time he spends on the game by gradually reducing the time he spends in the game. Emphasis should be placed on social activities other than gaming and alternative activities to gaming behavior should be created. Examples of this include doing sports or attending any art course. They can socialize by spending more time with family and friends. Despite these, if gaming behavior cannot be controlled, it is recommended to seek support from mental health experts.”