There is an addiction to virtual communication or types of addiction typical for adults: online shopping, auctions, online casinos, studying information pages, watching movies. All this, no less than games, takes people away from reality into the virtual world. Computer addiction develops in 58% of cases within a year, in 25% within six months, in 17% after a year of active computer use.

Computer addiction is an obsessive need to use a computer and the Internet, accompanied by social maladjustment personality and psychological symptoms. A dependent person is characterized by an inadequate perception of himself and the world around him.

American psychiatrist Ivan Goldberg introduced the concept of “Internet addiction”, but preferred to use another term – “pathological computer use”. This is a broader term and is still used today. This concept includes all possible situations of using a computer, and not just online games.

There are three stages of development computer addiction:

1. Familiarity with the Internet and interest in its possibilities. Their application in relation to your life.
2. The computer is gradually replacing the main areas of life: working online (some people even know how to make money from games), buying and selling things, ordering food, virtual excursions, etc.
3. Almost complete or complete escape from reality into the world of the Internet and computer.

Regardless of the expressed signs of addiction or behavioral characteristics of the individual, it is customary to focus on losses in real life, and not on the time spent at the computer. And losses usually occur in the area family relations, daily duties, sleep and rest, playing sports, communicating and walking with friends, reading printed publications, hobbies, sex life.

Risks

Gaming or computer addiction in adults threatens, among other things, divorce. Occur frequently financial difficulties such as unreasonable spending of funds on a computer and the Internet (computer upgrades and fees for Internet services), due to taking out loans and getting into debt (especially relevant for casino games).

Loss of access to the Internet or failure in a game can cause a condition in an individual, leading to nervous breakdowns and emotional disorders. There have been cases of death due to chronic lack of sleep.

In the course of real communication and social interaction, a person learns and gains experience and knowledge. With computer addiction and the accompanying social isolation, the individual loses the ability to interact with people. A person can communicate and assert himself in a circle of similar addicts, but in other respects he becomes untenable. For him, categories such as reflection and self-identification disappear, the ability to put oneself in the place of other people and imagine how others see the individual himself is lost.

For those people whose profession involves working on a computer (programming, writing articles, creating videos and photos, etc.), addiction borders on workaholism, that is, one addiction turns into another and vice versa. You don't have to just play on the computer to feel disconnected from reality. In terms of health consequences, all types of computer addiction are equally harmful.

Features of computer games

Most games are built in such a way that a person looks at the virtual space through the eyes of the hero, that is, maximum identification with the character occurs. It is this entry into the role that causes the loss of connection with reality and with one’s true “I”. A conflict gradually develops between the virtual self and the real self.

Signs of addiction

Signs of pathological computer use in adults include:

• feeling good or euphoric while spending time at the computer;
• inability or unwillingness to stop working or communicating on the Internet (in the real world there is nothing more interesting, more valuable or important);
• a systematic increase in time spent at the computer (increasing tolerance), the inability to plan a session at the computer, and, accordingly, other elements of life;
• unsuccessful attempts or unrealized desire to control spending time at the computer;
• a lot of time is spent not only on work or play itself, but also on computer-related activities (searching for programs and browsers on the Internet, increasing computer power, distributing information into folders, communicating on thematic forums);
• neglect of family, friends and work;
• , feeling empty and out of work at the computer;
• lying or concealing real activities (computer activity);
• ignoring physiological needs, skipping meals or eating irregularly;
• sleep disorders;
• neglect of personal hygiene;
• using a computer despite a pronounced deterioration in health, problems in the family or professional sphere, or the care of loved ones.

In addition, they will hint about Internet addiction:

• the urge to check your email or web page or game profile every minute;
• anxious anticipation of a new access to the Internet, which happens, for example, immediately after work and against the backdrop of ignoring the individual’s everyday responsibilities and physical needs;
• complaints from others that a person spends too much time on the Internet;
• complaints from others (family members) that a person spends a lot of money on the Internet (many modern games require investment).

Physiological symptoms include dry and red eyes, blurred vision, muscle spasms and pain, joint problems, headaches, and back pain.

The diagnostic criteria are two: computer use causes distress; causes harm physical, psychological, familial, economic, social and interpersonal.

The fact that we are talking specifically about the problem of addiction is also evidenced by the withdrawal syndrome, which is observed from a couple of days to a month after the individual has stopped “communicating” with the computer. Manifestations of withdrawal syndrome include:

• psychomotor agitation and anxiety;
• obsessive thoughts about what happened during this time on the Internet;
• finger movements simulating computer activity (voluntary or involuntary);
• fantasies about what is happening on the Internet or what awaits a person when he returns.

Symptoms disappear as soon as the person returns to their previous computer activities.

Personal characteristics of addicts

It has not yet been established exactly what comes first: personal characteristics or computer addiction, that is, the question is open whether the computer causes the following personal changes or whether these features are prerequisites for the development of computer addiction:

• perseverance and perseverance in achieving goals;
• high ;
• disregard for social norms;
• developed abstract and creative and a penchant for;
• focus on the process of activity, not on the result;
• coldness and unemotionality in communication;
• lack of empathy;
• conflict;
• lack of responsibility.

It should be noted that these traits are considered not only in the context of gaming or network addiction, but also in conditions of dependence on a computer for the sake of self-realization and self-development. If we assume that these traits are primary, then it is not surprising that computer addiction arises - in real life, it is difficult for an individual to fully socialize with such a very contradictory set. Then a person finds work online, friends online, educational courses online, etc.

Often the development of addiction is preceded by the opportunity and ability discovered by the individual to regularly replenish knowledge and master new ones, which serves as a source of self-esteem. Along with this, an unexpected awareness of the individual’s own intellectual potential, new interests and hidden abilities or forgotten talents occurs.

Causes of addiction

There are several reasons for pathological computer use:

• low, tendency to depression;
• inability to plan independently free time and life;
• dependence on the opinions of others;
• feeling of insecurity and incomprehensibility;
• the hardships of work, study, family, that is, dissatisfaction with one’s life;
• search for new sensations and feelings, something new;
• the desire to receive support, to be understood and accepted, the opportunity to speak out, the desire to get rid of real troubles;
• the desire to stand out from the crowd and improve your computer skills, to become a “guru” in the world of technology and the Internet.

How to fight

Whatever activity a person does at the computer, if we are talking about addiction, then the purpose of such activity is the same - escaping reality, creating the illusion of safety and security, restoring balance and inner harmony. The more a person gets bogged down in the computer world, the weaker his ability to exercise volitional regulation becomes.

Thus, getting rid of computer addiction involves complex work, starting with identifying the specific reasons for leaving reality. These problems are individual, but all addicts are united by a weak ability to adapt, impaired ability, and a low desire to avoid decisions and avoid problems.

To cope with the problem, you need to remove the roots of computer addiction:

1. Eliminate the discomfort experienced by the individual in Everyday life, that is, increase resistance to and stress resistance.
2. Work to increase responsibility and determination. As a rule, computer-dependent people are endowed with increased sensitivity to life's difficulties, do not know how to withstand the blows of fate, and deny their own importance in the development of life.
3. Achieve a change in mental state and mood from negative to positive. That is, find interesting activities for the individual in the real world and form.
4. Work on overcoming.

It is impossible to cope with the problem of addiction on your own - the patient himself has an altered consciousness, those around him rarely have the appropriate competencies. For determining true reasons desires to escape from reality and their elaboration, I recommend that you seek a personal consultation with a psychologist.

Prevention

The goal of prevention is to help a person realize responsibility for his own health and life, to make the individual informed in matters of decision-making and their consequences, as well as in matters of risk in the computer world. It is easier to prevent computer addiction; every person can do it. Prevention of gaming and computer addiction involves:

1. Formation of media culture and development of personal resistance to the aggressive influence of the computer environment (more about this in the article).
2. To hone practical skills, they are suitable for increasing psychological stability, reducing anxiety levels, increasing self-confidence, correcting self-esteem, and overcoming difficult life situations.
3. Self-realization and satisfaction in the real world, respecting yourself as a person, following your interests.
4. The ability to express and regulate your emotions, relieve tension.
5. Improving self-organization skills. Start small - making a plan for the day and sticking to it.
6. Ability to rest and turn off the computer on time. At first the computer becomes a means to an end, but gradually it becomes the end itself. Set your daily limit on the computer, turn it into something meaningful just for you. If the work involves a computer, then indicate your daily earnings, which will be sufficient. If you are addicted to networks and games, then translate this into the damage they cause - you missed dinner with your family, you don’t have time to read a book. At the prevention stage, you can still cling to this; at the addiction stage, no “translations” will help.

The main rule for preventing gaming and computer addiction is to live the life you want. Of course, there are generally accepted social norms that must be observed. But where you have the right to choose and vote (work, relationships, hobbies, self-realization), you need to use it.

And, of course, it’s important. People run away from themselves much more often than from reality. Actually, this is why reality does not turn out the way we would like - there is no self-love and understanding of oneself.

Dependence computer games– a new type of psychological addiction in which a computer game becomes a leading human need.

It seems this type addiction is not as bad as alcoholism or drug addiction, in which toxic substances become indispensable for normal metabolism. But this is only at first glance, because psychological dependence on a computer is no less strong than any other. In addition, modern computer games are becoming more and more “advanced” and imitate reality more and more perfectly, so everything more people become their hostages.

Some statistics

Statistics on the prevalence of this dependence differ significantly among different researchers. Doctor of Psychological Sciences Alexander Georgievich Shmelev believes that about 10-14% of people who use computers are “avid gamers.” At the same time, Harvard University psychologist Maresa Orzak cites much less comforting statistics: she believes that among people who play computer games, 40-80% suffer from addiction.

There are some gender and age aspects of such addiction. The intensity of passion for computer games is more pronounced among boys than among girls. Young men, on average, spend twice as much time on computer games. The older and more educated a person is, the less time he spends on computer games (completely different goals appear, and it becomes a pity to waste time).

Causes

The reasons for addiction to computer games are as follows:

• lack of bright and interesting moments in real life. Everything is so everyday and ordinary that a person is looking for a simple and often cheap way to diversify his life. This is how he begins to join the virtual world;
• a hidden inferiority complex, different in childhood and adolescence, is a consequence of the fact that a person “underplayed” in a timely manner, so he tries to make up for lost time;
• Quite often, such addiction develops on the basis of sexual dissatisfaction, when relationships with the opposite sex do not work out, and a person tries to “switch” to something;
• sometimes the first step towards the development of this addiction is “extra” time. For example, people who are forced to stay at their workplace from 9 to 18, when this time is just needed to “sit”, begin to get involved in computer games or aimlessly wandering around the Internet.

Psychology

The mechanism for the formation of computer addiction is based on withdrawal from reality and the need to take on a certain role. In most cases this is a means of compensation life problems. At the same time, a person begins to realize himself in the game world, and not in the real one.

Now there are many computer games, fortunately, not all of them are equally dangerous. Conventionally, they can be divided into role-playing and non-role-playing. By determining which category it belongs to, you can assess how dangerous it is.

Role-playing games are distinguished by their pronounced influence on the human psyche. At the same time, a person “gets used to” a certain role, identifies himself with some character, while simultaneously escaping reality.

Among role playing games There are 3 types:

• with a view “from the eyes” of the character;
• with an “outside view” of your hero;
• leadership games.

Games with a view from the eyes are the most addictive. The gamer completely identifies himself with a certain computer character, enters the role as much as possible, because he “looks” at the virtual world through the eyes of his hero. Literally a few minutes after the start of the session, the person begins to lose touch with the real world and is completely transferred to the virtual world. He identifies himself so much with the computer hero that he can consider the actions of the computer character his own, and the virtual world itself begins to be perceived by him as real. At critical moments, he may fidget in his chair, trying to dodge shots or blows, and turn pale.

If you look at your hero “from the outside,” then the power of entering the role is less compared to the previous type of games. Despite the fact that identification with the computer character is less pronounced, emotional manifestations associated with the game are still present, as can be seen during the failures or death of the computer hero.

In leadership games, a person controls several (or many) characters. He does not see his hero on the screen, but invents a role for himself. Pronounced “immersion” is possible only among people with a developed imagination. The psychological dependence that forms during leadership games is quite pronounced.

Symptoms

There are a number of signs of addiction to computer games:

• One of the main symptoms of computer addiction is severe irritation that occurs in response to the forced need to withdraw from a favorite activity. When the game resumes, you can immediately notice the emotional upsurge;
• a common symptom of computer addiction is the inability to predict the end time of the session; the player will postpone it again and again;
• the computer becomes the center of an addict’s life, so when communicating with others, the most interesting topic for him will be a discussion of his favorite computer game;
• as the addiction progresses, a person’s social, work and family adaptation is disrupted - he forgets about work, household chores, studies, and loses interest in them;
• the presence of psychological addiction is also reflected in a person’s habits: in order to spend more time at the computer, he increasingly eats without leaving the monitor, neglects personal hygiene, sleep time is reduced, and the computer sessions themselves are lengthened.

Fortunately, this addiction does not develop all at once; it goes through a number of stages. The sooner you notice its presence, the easier it will be to deal with it.

Stages of addiction development

There are 4 stages of addiction to computer games:

1. The initial stage is mild infatuation. It comes when a person has already played several times, and, as they say, “got a taste for it.” Such a pastime gives a person positive emotions. At this stage, the game is situational in nature, a person plays occasionally, only under certain conditions, when there is free time, but he will not play to the detriment of something important.
2. The next stage is passion. The transition to this stage can be determined by the emergence of a new need - play. At this stage, a person already plays systematically, and if this is not possible, then he can sacrifice something in order to make time for his favorite activity.
3. And finally, the addiction stage. In the pyramid of values, play is elevated to the top level.
4. Over time (this may occur after several months or even years), the attachment stage begins. A person’s gaming activity fades away, he begins to become interested in something new, and social and work contacts can be established. However, a person cannot completely “say goodbye” to the game on his own. This stage can last for many years. The emergence of new games can provoke a surge in gaming activity.

Dependency can manifest itself in one of two forms - socialized and individualized.

The individualized form is the worst option; it is characterized by loss of contact with others. A person spends a lot of time at the computer; he has no need to communicate with family, friends, or those around him. For such people, the computer and everything connected with it is a kind of “drug”; it is necessary to regularly take the next “dose”. Otherwise, withdrawal occurs in the form of depression and increased irritability.

The socialized form is characterized by the preservation of social contacts. People suffering from such addiction prefer online games. For them, such an activity is not so much a “drug” as a competition. This form is less harmful to the psyche compared to the individualized one.

Consequences of this dependence:

• self-esteem decreases, a person’s self-awareness is disrupted, over time he may view himself more as a computer character than a real person;
• people suffering from such an addiction get used to the fact that pleasure can be achieved without any serious actions or volitional efforts; over time, in the real world, they stop taking initiative, become passive, and personality degradation occurs;
• the consequence of addiction may be disruption of family and social adaptation. The gamer devotes more and more time to the computer, and conflicts arise in the family on this basis. Over time, friends may turn away if they do not share a passion for computer games;
• An ever-increasing desire for gaming is reflected in a person’s professional activity: he can play during working hours, when he needs to do some urgent work. Lack of initiative, the desire to leave work as soon as possible, and negligent attitude towards one’s work responsibilities inevitably lead to problems at work and even dismissal;
• In order to play some computer games, you need to pay for various services. The consequence of addiction to such games can be debt. In the hope of winning, a person can borrow significant amounts of money, take out loans;
• When sitting at a computer for a long time, not only a person’s psyche suffers, but also his physical condition. Deterioration of vision, overweight and disruption of the gastrointestinal tract due to insufficient physical activity and irregular nutrition, problems with the spine, hemorrhoids - these and other diseases can develop due to excessive passion for computer games.

Computer game addiction is a form of psychological addiction that manifests itself in a person as an obsessive passion for computer games. Such dependence is one of the forms of addictive human behavior, a way of escaping the existing reality by transforming one’s psycho-emotional behavior and requires competent correction.

Causes

Computer addiction in children has reached epidemic proportions. The average student spends 2 to 6 hours at the computer. About 70% of American children spend their free time playing games with scenes of cruelty and violence. In these games, killing is the goal and the main element of the game. Children confuse virtual reality with real reality, which is why more and more minors in America are opening fire with rifles and pistols at school.

Any addiction or mania is a consequence of deep psychological problems. With the help of computer games, a person tries to get away from a life situation that worries him or replace some missing element in his life (the attention of loved ones, social status, absence of a loved one).

Possible causes of computer addiction:

• Various mental disorders (psychopathy). Pathological character traits of a person, unsociability, complexes and modesty often lead a person to Internet addiction. Some patients use a computer to realize their childhood fears and fantasies;
• Lack of communication. This problem is relevant for children and adolescents whose parents are constantly busy earning money;
• Intrafamily conflicts. To escape family scandals, some people immerse themselves in the virtual world, which further aggravates the situation and leads to divorce;
• Social phobias. Man is afraid of real society, interpersonal relationships. Computer games allow you to escape reality and feel strong and significant. A computer becomes a person’s interlocutor, life partner and sexual partner.

Symptoms

The pathophysiological mechanisms of the formation of computer addiction and gambling addiction are the same. They are based on stimulation of various pleasure centers in the brain. Both teenagers and independent adults become addicted to computer games.

This pathological condition manifests itself in the form of a feeling of euphoria and psycho-emotional uplift during immersion in the virtual world. The patient cannot plan his time at the computer. In order to overcome sleep and stimulate mental activity, he begins to drink caffeine-containing drinks and other psychostimulants. For some adult gamers, the main food product is beer and various fast foods. A person who is mostly immersed in the virtual world does not observe the rules of personal hygiene: he forgets to brush his teeth, comb his hair, and take a shower. He eats poorly, sleeps poorly and leads a sedentary lifestyle.

If the computer breaks down, the patient is upset and may be aggressive with loved ones and people around him. Such a person begins to spend all his money on updating programs, computer consoles, and new games. He doesn’t think about his personal life, work or school; his world narrows down to completing the next mission in the game.

As addiction progresses, a person cannot give up computer games, although he well understands their uselessness. He constantly leaves the existing reality and immerses himself in the virtual world, takes on the role of a certain
character and lives his “computer” life.

The patient communicates with other people on various computer topics. Gambling addiction leads to an overload of the central nervous system; exciting impulses constantly enter the human brain.

After some time, the patient experiences a decrease in mood, general well-being, social activity, increased anxiety and impaired adaptation to society. As computer addiction develops, adults become dissatisfied with themselves, lose the meaning of life, and develop deep depression.

In adults with gambling addiction, libido decreases and various disorders occur in the sexual sphere. “Addicted” people, as a rule, have an unsettled personal life, are withdrawn, and taciturn.

Manifestations in adolescents and children

Computer addiction in adolescents is usually severe. They become angry and aggressive if their parents ask them to break away from the computer for even a minute. Signs gaming addiction in children is the fact that they begin to skip school, lie to parents and teachers. Some minor patients ask for or steal money in order to spend it on their favorite computer game.

Computer games make children violent because they have to shoot and kill, and for this they are rewarded in the form of points, bonuses and gifts. The immature psyche of a child is overloaded with game effects. In the minds of a modern child, virtual reality is no different from real life.

Computer addiction in adolescents has a negative impact on their health and academic performance. The child begins to drink and eat without leaving the computer monitor. At school, all his thoughts and desires are focused on the anticipation of playing at home.

Teenagers with gambling addiction abandon friends, start eating unhealthy food, and give up school. Many minor patients become aggressive and prone to violence. Some scientists claim that computer addiction in children leads to dementia.

Consequences

Computer game addiction has a negative impact on human health. Over time, his vision deteriorates, problems with the spine and joints appear. Many “addicts” suffer from headaches and insomnia. As a result of sitting at a computer for a long time, a person develops weakness, increased fatigue, and a decrease in appetite. Sitting at a computer for a long time leads to the development of cardiovascular diseases: angina pectoris and coronary heart disease.

Long-term consumption of drinks containing caffeine and other stimulants leads to exhaustion of the nervous system and arterial hypertension. Considering that “dependent” people eat poorly, they develop gastritis and gastroduodenitis, and a tendency to constipation.

Computer games in children develop those areas of the brain that are responsible for vision and movement. Gambling addiction stops the development of the frontal lobes, which are responsible for training memory, learning, and emotions.

Children addicted to computer games spend little time playing fresh air, do not play sports. Most often, such children have a pale appearance, “bruises” under the eyes, and a poorly developed musculoskeletal system.

Diagnostic criteria

Before seeking qualified medical help, you need to make sure that your family member has a computer addiction, and not just an excessive passion for video games. There are a number of criteria based on which you can differentiate the problem:

• The patient does not want to be distracted from the game and reacts aggressively to such requests;
• Lack of a critical attitude towards one’s behavior;
• The patient neglects his social responsibilities (study, work), does not participate in family affairs, and his social activity is sharply reduced;
• The patient loses interest in the world around him, and experiences emotional uplift only during a computer game;
• Neglect of personal hygiene and social behavior;

Besides deviant behavior the patient experiences sleep disturbances, headaches, discomfort in the back area. Also, due to prolonged forced positioning of the hand, the development of carpal tunnel syndrome is possible.

If these criteria are met, the patient can be diagnosed as addicted to computer games.

Therapy methods

Computer addiction should not be viewed as
a completely independent disease. It is a consequence of more serious psychological problems. Therefore, it is important for a specialist to identify the root cause of the disease and fight it.

To treat the consequences of computer addiction, psychotherapy, medication, and hypnosis are used. It is important to take an integrated approach.

For this addiction, psychiatrists use autogenic training, behavioral, family psychotherapy, and psychosynthesis. Psychotherapy is aimed at correcting intra-family relationships, eliminating various psychological attitudes of a person (withdrawal and unsociability), treating children's fears and sexual problems in adults.

Gestalt therapy methods have been successfully used in adults. This is due to the fact that passion for computer games is a way to get away from a previously unresolved problem. And these techniques suggest how to “close the gestalt”, i.e. resolve the situation.

Symptomatic drug therapy is aimed at treating insomnia, irritability, anxiety and depression. Adult patients with gambling addiction are prescribed herbal sedatives to reduce the excitability of the nervous system. These can be herbal tinctures, but most often doctors prescribe tranquilizers or antipsychotics. Sleeping pills are used to normalize sleep cycles.

Antidepressants are mandatory medications in the treatment of computer addiction. They relieve psycho-emotional stress, normalize mood and improve overall well-being.

It is important to establish proper nutrition, which takes into account already formed digestive problems. The patient is additionally prescribed a course of vitamins and restorative medications.

Stages of psychological assistance

Specialized assistance has a certain stage. This structure has been identified as the most effective in treating computer addiction.

At the first stage, it is important to help the patient overcome internal resistance to treatment. This is a key point, without which further therapy becomes meaningless. The patient must recognize the problem and the need for outside help to resolve it.

The second stage is aimed at determining the depth of the problem. The patient, together with the attending physician, must identify all the pitfalls that may interfere with social rehabilitation. The doctor’s tactics in this case are supportive and guiding.

IN modern world With new technologies and achievements, people constantly deal with various information systems. The computer has become an integral part of life for each of us, some use it for information purposes, others for communication and hobbies. Of course, a personal computer acts as an assistant, performing cognitive and communicative functions. But then, when the time spent near the computer exceeds acceptable norms, a person becomes socially isolated and is only interested in the virtual world, it makes sense to talk about computer addiction.

Among all types of computer addiction, gaming addiction is the most common. According to statistics, approximately 5% of people around the world suffer from gambling addiction and need psychological help.

Psychology of gambling addiction

The gaming process itself is a natural activity; play has been present in human life since birth. Everyone plays: football players on the field, children in kindergarten, actors on stage. But with the birth of computers, a lot has changed; a cyber game is fundamentally different from a regular game, since a person is immersed in another world that is not similar to reality.

Computer gambling addiction is a departure from reality into cyberspace, a change in mental state, obsessions and thoughts. A person obsessed with computer games begins to confuse the virtual world with reality; in severe cases, cyberspace becomes the main environment of existence.

Gaming addiction

In its symptoms, gambling addiction is similar to alcoholism and drug addiction. Symptoms of gaming addiction:

– spending time at the computer more than 5-7 hours a day;
– outbursts of aggression in response to comments from others about gambling addiction;
– inability to escape from a computer game;
– eating at the computer;
– isolation from social contacts and society as a whole;
– agoraphobia;
– depersonalization;
– ignoring personal hygiene;
– use of psychostimulants;
– communication on topics exclusively related to gaming;
– identification of oneself with the main character, complete dissolution in the game;
– a state of euphoria during the gameplay;
– investing money in gameplay or gaming equipment.

Physiological symptoms of gambling addiction:

Dry eyes; pale skin, anemia;
back pain, spinal curvature; headache; insomnia;
exhaustion, starvation (in severe cases - dehydration);
acceleration of metabolism;
increased heart rate and pulse.
Exists a large number of a variety of computer games that are interesting in their own way to gamers, but the most dangerous for the psyche are online games. At first, a person simply identifies himself with the hero, then there is a complete dissolution in the virtual world and an escape from reality. People live in cyberspace: they fall in love, make friends, quarrel, and the emotional coloring of relationships online is much brighter than in real life.

There are several important aspects to the psychology of gambling addiction:

– loss of sense of time;
– constant feeling of novelty;
– distorted perception of one’s self;
– change in consciousness; antisocial character;
– feeling of virtual power;
– change in the volitional aspect.

The addicted player is so captivated by the gameplay that he loses his understanding of the passage of time and the concepts of “here and now.” Consciousness gradually ceases to distinguish the real from the virtual. There are cases where people addicted to computer games played for several days in a row, without sleep or rest.

Computer game addiction

Gamers (translated from English as “game”) can play the same game for several decades, as they are constantly updated (graphics change, new interesting stories are invented). A so-called feeling of novelty arises, when the game not only does not get boring, but is perceived every time as something unusual and interesting.

Computer gaming addiction erases personal boundaries, a person stops living his life, the virtual existence of the hero becomes dominant. Some gamers even changed the name in their passport to a gaming nickname and changed their appearance to be more like their character.

In gambling addiction, a distortion of consciousness occurs; the real world is perceived with difficulty, unlike virtual reality. The cognitive sphere of a gambler suffers to a greater extent: attention is scattered, thinking is slowed down, and memory is distorted.

A person with a computer gaming addiction becomes a “social disabled person,” and his thinking takes on an autistic character. Gambling addicts stop going to work, visiting crowded places, and communicating with relatives and friends. Computer gaming addiction is often accompanied by a fear of large crowds of people and open spaces.

In the game, a person thinks that he can achieve anything, his self-esteem is high and his intellectual abilities are at their peak. In reality, everything looks different, the individual becomes powerless: basic hygiene procedures become difficult to perform.

Normal human activity is carried out with the help of volitional efforts, the motivational sphere and the main goals set. In virtual reality, on the contrary, actions occur without volitional impulse, by inertia. The player seems to be under hypnosis, his consciousness is programmed to complete the game. Often such people have a glassy look “to nowhere” during gameplay, they do not hear speech addressed to themselves, and do not notice anything around them.

Computer gaming addiction consists of 4 main stages:

1. slight interest;
2. passion;
3. addiction;
4. attachment and complete dissolution in the gameplay.

Most often, children and adolescents are addicted to computer games due to immaturity of mental functions and greater suggestibility. However, there is currently an increase in cases of gambling addiction in adults. There is a tragic case where a 30-year-old man, after spending more than 4 days in the game, died of cardiac arrest. Sharp outbreaks of gambling addiction in adults are most noticeable during the period age crises, life failures and chronic diseases.

Gambling addicts experience the following mental changes:

– the level of anxiety increases;
– fears appear, panic attacks are possible;
– increased aggressiveness and irritability;
– signs of deviant behavior and sociopathy appear;
– the tendency to violence and murder increases;
– the likelihood of developing mental disorders increases.

Statistics and shocking data

Adolescent children, in particular boys, are most prone to gaming addiction from computer games. According to a survey conducted among American schoolchildren, 50% of girls spend more than 5 hours a day playing computer games. Boys, on the other hand, spend more than 7 hours playing every day, and their number is close to 80%.

Gamer

The largest percentage of gambling addicts live in Japan and China. There is a known case where a schoolgirl played an online game for more than three days and died from dehydration. One Russian man spent almost a million rubles on an online game and filed a lawsuit against the manufacturer due to “virtual theft of funds.” One American young man became so carried away by the virtual world that a large, intractable tumor formed on his right hand, in which he was holding a mouse while pinching the carpal tunnel.

Often computer games are a catalyst for the development of congenital psychopathology. One of the terrible cases that shook the whole of Europe occurred quite recently: a schoolboy dependent on computer games shot his classmates and teacher. Mental health The boy's symptoms were normal before the game, but after several months of gambling addiction he developed symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia. There are known cases when avid players of the aggressive genre became maniacal killers. A resident of Louisiana killed several people over the course of a week because they seemed to him like monsters from his favorite computer game. An eight-year-old boy living in the United States killed his nanny by playing a fairly well-known crime game.

Gaming addiction to computer games can leave a heavy imprint on the human psyche. The personality becomes antisocial, aggressive, uncontrollable, and ultimately completely degrades.

Tevenko Alexander Vladimirovich