Addiction is one of the worst things that can happen to a loved one or friend.

I should know, one

of my ac dec teammates developed a horrible addiction to a terrible substance. No its not a drug
from the streets but
For those who don't game as much, Valorant is a tactical 5v5 shooter game where you receive a
rank such as Silver 1 based on how good you are and you can rank up and down. However, this
game is brutal.
It puts you through an emotional blizzard every game through terrible teammates and toxic
players, So why does he play it, why do they spend so much on this game?
For one, games are designed to be addictive. They constantly release fresh content so the
game doesn’t get stale. This means even after you have exhausted the game and played every
scenario possible, they will release fresh content to give you new areas to explore constantly.
They also implement reward systems that stimulate your dopamine causing you to feel
rewarded and motivated to chase more rewards such as ranking up from bronze to silver. These
rewards also come at irregular intervals, meaning you might lose 10 games in a row, make your
teammates mad, whiff an easy shot, and lose a supposedly easy game. You never know when
the next time you win will be, the next time you feel that satisfaction and reward. This causes
you to endure all this pain for just one win. Similar to slot machines, you lose and lose but keep
playing for an eventual win because you never know when it will happen till you go bankrupt.
This is a concept called intermittent reinforcing. Intermittent reinforcing isn’t typically applied to
innocent video games but to abusive relationships. An example of intermittent reinforcing in a
relationship would be a husband beating his wife, but when he wants to win back her affection
he takes her out to dinner or buys a dress. This is why it’s so hard for victims of abuse to just
leave a relationship, just like how it is so hard to quit a video game because they feel like every
reward is the start of an upward trend where things will get better for them. Of course, that’s a
crazy comparison, comparing domestic abuse to video games, but the concept of intermittent
reinforcement is present in both scenarios. Video games also lead to the development of many
social relationships as most video games are multiplayer. This means people will stay on to see
their friends and meet people. This causes them to feel more rewarded when playing the game
causing them to stay on more as they make meaningful relationships. These relationships would
affect them even when they aren’t playing together as each person is constantly trying to get
better to impress their friends or teammates. For instance, e-users will often play video games
to hang out together. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to 5th wheel on Valorant only to
hear DEFEAT at the end of every single game because two of my teammates are off acting cute
with each other.

By acknowledging the various factors contributing to addiction, we can work towards creating an
environment that encourages responsible gaming while helping those who need However, it's
crucial to note that video game addiction can also be a symptom rather than a standalone issue.
Underlying factors such as loneliness, anxiety, depression, or a lack of fulfillment in one's real
life can contribute to the development of addictive gaming behaviors as a way to cope.