Video games significantly impact the human mind

Eliza Goldwasser Commentary Writer

Picture this: a ten-year-old is glued to his TV. You ask him a question, and he replies with a simple, “good,” and gets back to his game. You continue to ask questions and continue to receive simple, distracted answers.

This distraction is endemic among teenagers. They are glued to their devices, unwilling to put them down for hours, addicted to these electronic games.

Data collected from the 2021 Common Sense Census states that teenagers between the ages of 13-18, on average, spend more than eight and a half hours a day using technology for entertainment purposes.

When technology is occupying one-third of one’s day—and half of the waking hours—there is a serious issue.

The World Health Organization defines gaming disorder as “a pattern of gaming behavior characterized by impaired control over gaming,” which can cause serious harm to the social/ emotional health of adolescents.

According to the Newport Academy, a healthcare system specializing in treating teenage disorders, gaming disorder can be diagnosed in a person if they cannot resist the impulse to play games.

Gaming becomes the most important activity in their life, and if they continue their gaming habits, it can result in negative consequences.

Dr. Neil Graham, MD, a Morton Grove-based pediatrician, has seen many instances of video game addiction in his practices.

“Not paying attention to ADLs, or Activities of Daily Living, which are

TIME SPENT ON VIDEO GAMES: STUDENTS VS. TEACHERS

A voluntary school-wide e-mail survey of 249 students and 50 teachers shows the average amount of time each day that students and teachers spend playing video games. Over 50% of students say that they play video games for over 1 hour every day, while 98% of teachers say they play for 1 hour or less.

things like bathing, eating, and sleeping attributes are telltale signs of this disorder,” Graham said. “Some of these kids get so addicted to video games that they stay up all night, won’t bathe, and won’t leave their room. They’ll lose weight because they’re missing meals, and that will affect pretty much every aspect of their life.”

Isolating oneself and prioritizing gaming over standard living is extremely detrimental to both the mental and physical well-being of a teenager or child. Unfortunately, these are not the only negative effects those with gaming disorder face.

“When the video games are discontinued…these kids, and it’s almost always boys, will explode,” Graham said. “They’ll have a tantrum and they’ll destroy property. They’ll threaten to kill themselves. Sometimes, they’ll act violently toward their parents or siblings. It’s almost like a negative withdrawal effect.”

Graham also compares the severity of having a video game addiction to drug and alcohol addiction.

“Drug and alcohol addictions are much less common than this video game addiction, specifically with adolescent boys,” Graham said.

Video games constantly reward the brain with an influx of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that allows the person playing to feel pleasure and a sense of satisfaction.

When the brain delivers dopamine every time someone plays a video game, it becomes harder to replicate the feeling in other areas of life, therefore, creating an addiction.

However, like most digital activities, video games are multi-faceted and often do have positive attributes.

Michael Tegethoff, a member of the E-sports club at Maine South, notes that video games can benefit one’s life.

“Video games are a nice way to relax and have fun,” Tegethoff said. “After going through the school day and homework, it’s nice to have something to take your mind off it and relieve your stress. And because there is such a wealth of different games, there is always a game out there for someone.”

There is also a social aspect of video games that can provide an important outlet for teenagers.

“Taking [video games] away from them completely could be a potentially negative thing because that’s how they communicate with their friends,” Graham said. “I know in [my son’s] case, that’s really a big part of his friendships.” Being able to understand social cues is an important part of development for adolescents.

Although there are forms of communication embedded in video games, Graham also believes that they can be missing crucial features of interacting with others.

“There are certain social and developmental milestones that cannot be obtained without being in the same room as someone,” Graham said. “Reading someone’s body language, reading someone’s tone, reading someone’s facial features… As humans, it’s in our DNA, it’s hard wired, to learn how to interact with other people by these in-person cues.”

Being able to reach a huge variety of people can be an amazing thing, but it can also feel overwhelming and isolating to know someone on a gaming level, but not a personal one.

Although gaming disorder may seem outlandish and silly to some, it is a real addiction that can be prevented by establishing boundaries.

“I get my homework done and then after dinner and my chores I play video games,” Tegethoff said. “I also try to keep a hard deadline of 10:15 to finish by so I can get a good night’s rest for the next day.” He also tries to limit how much time he spends on video games during the school day.

It is important to regulate video game usage when kids are just starting out.

“Prevention is key,” Graham said. “Early on, when kids are getting into gaming, this can be as early as six or seven years old, the parents need to understand what the technology is and how to put limits and controls on the devices.”

Video games as a whole allow teenagers to unwind, but like anything, too much can turn into an addiction.

“Too much of a good thing is bad for someone,” Tegethoff said. “For example, while sweets taste good, you shouldn’t have too many of them. It’s the same with video games. Even though they feel good to play, you shouldn’t play too much.”