Generation Z has been raised with video games — in fact, almost two thirds of their parents play them. Recently, the World Health Organization declared that obsessive gamers suffer from a new addiction called “video game disorder.” Some psychologists fired back, arguing this diagnosis ignores more serious mental health problems. San Francisco teenager Jiahao Chen wanted to know: are his friends just having fun playing Fortnite, or can zealous gaming really be an addiction?
Up until a few months ago, I loved video games. But I didn’t just love gaming; I was obsessed. I remember racing home everyday after school to play League of Legends. I gamed for hours and hours everyday, up until at least midnight.
In League of Legends, I had a mission. It was up to me to help my virtual team destroy the towers guarding the enemy’s base. My purpose everyday was to climb the rank ladder.
But every morning, I had to go down a few levels, back to the real world.
I was so focused on showing off my skills to my team in League of Legends that I barely spent any time doing homework. I was so tired after gaming all night, every night, I’d fall asleep during class. My grades dropped lower and lower, until I got a C in algebra.
Gaming, Hobbies, And Self-Destruction
Thomas Plante, A psychology professor at Santa Clara University, says very few people game to the point of mental and physical self-destruction like I did. But he says an inability to stop compulsive behavior that causes self-harm can be signs of a disorder or a dysfunction.
“For some people, a certain number of people, they can’t stop engaging in the behavior even when it’s destructive,” Plante says.
Psychologists are divided over whether “gaming disorder” is a real diagnosis. “Certainly anything that is obsessive that interferes with social, occupational, or school functioning . . . most of us mental health professionals would consider a disorder,” Plante says.
Roughly two thirds of American households play video games, and that makes it tricky for parents, teenagers, and psychologists to draw the line between an addiction and a hobby. “These things are all designed to be addictive,” Plante explains. “Companies make money to not only sell their product but keep people engaged in the product.”
My Obsessive Gamer Friends
Six months ago, I forced myself to quit gaming. I started sleeping at night rather than during class. Like magic, my grades went back up again. I rarely play video games anymore. I tried playing League of Legends a few weeks go, and I hated every second of it.
