Pena 1 Abel Pena Professor Bevill ENGL 1302-06 21 October 2016 ~ Video Game Addiction ‘When video games were first introduced in the 70s, they captivated people of all ages. Since then, the amount of people who game has risen drastically. According to a report by the Entertainment Software Association, ISSimilliOnUARIGHGans playqvideogamesand42%i0F Americansplay.video eames hours onmorepenweeky A large amount of Americans play video games; so host docs this affect players?-Fhe most popular type of videogames is socal, which integrate some sort of interaction between real world players. A study conducted by Douglas A. Gentile showed an/estimated. 72% of'American households play video games-while9% ofthe [SERRE RASA Vie une asics social and physical problems with long term and short-term effects. Many players who are addicted to gaming suffer from serious social problems. These players will spend a large amount of time away from friends and family isolating themselves from social interaction. The video games players play fulfill the social needs they have, further isolating themselves from social contact and indirectly leads to a decline in their social skills. A ‘Study published in the journal of Addiction/and Health Goimparing the social skills of students ‘addicted to computer games with normal students found that those who were addicted had lower ‘SOCAUISKillsethansthosewholdiciiitRiAHeASHOWing that those who are addicted avoid social relations and affect their social skills. Another social problem addicted players have is the decline of relationships they may have with family and friends. A study conducted by SelenPena 2 This \why someone would become addicted to video games\Vjdeo games satisfy the social needs and substitute positive social relationships that damage players social skills further. Weak relationships with family or friends lead to players seeking more of a video game where there are more likely to find positive and rewarding relationships with other players and characters in games. This continued behavior will lead to players further neglecting social outings with friends and family to play more of their video game. Those who continue to neglect their real world responsibilities can end up seriously damaging their social skills, social development. Those addicted to video games can spend more than 24 hours a wee& () playing games, which also leads to financial and academic problems. Those who play Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG’s), which usually require a monthly subscription to play, drain players financially over the course of however long the player is interested in the game, which can be years due to the never ending nature of MMORPG’s which do not have a definitive end as more content is regularly released, sucking players into playing ‘more and more. The amount of time players spend neglecting their responsibilities and obligations at home can lead rofeeheenie ‘outcomes academically. In a stidy6yDOUBlas sure ne vie gas dein om plier) aed players’ obsessive use of video games negatively affects player’s social skills, relationships and may lead to financial and academic problems down the road.Pena3 Those who are acted to playing veo games spend long hours in font of televisions and monitors which oftent{imes leads to physical problems. A study conducted by Eshrat Zamani analyzing the physical effects of gaming addicti This shows a strong correlation between those with a gaming addiction and physical problems. ‘These problems are worse depending on the current health of the person wel} poor HEN cing sessions often consist of \diction that can become the physical health in teenagers draw them to video games, the player sitting in the same position for hours, an unhealthy source of chronic back problems(According to Video Game Addict Video game addiction leads to many social and physical problems. At first, these problems may seem insignificant and minor while the user is unaware of the strain they are putting on themselves. These minor problems may lead to more serious and problematic consequences if these problems are not addressed before they get out of hand. Addicted gamers may experience a decline in Those affected by video game addiction should seek help and consider these consequences when deciding if gaming is something they should continue doing,