Virtual life: Can video games harm health?

The evolution of electronic games has begun for many with a portable "Well, wait a minute!", where a wolf with varying degrees of dexterity collected eggs in a basket. Officially, this game was called "Electronics IM-02" and had two levels of difficulty, and played it, including because after a set of incredible thousands of points a cartoon was supposed to start showing - a well-informed classmate said. Today’s games are of a completely different level, and the interest in them is much higher; they sometimes crowd out friends, work, study, or relationships. In China, Great Britain, and Korea, rehabilitation programs for people addicted to games have appeared. And WHO experts have included a play disorder in the draft of the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases. We understand why people play, what dangers are connected with the passion for video games and how to determine that the game has become not a way to relieve stress, but addiction.

Who plays and why

There are over 2 billion video game lovers in the world, and the market continues to grow. The gaming industry is already worth more than film and television combined. In Russia, more than a quarter of the population plays video games - more than 46 million, and half of the players (45%) are women. In addition to adults, children play for whom it is not only one of the best forms of entertainment, but also a source of conflicts with parents because of the time spent in front of the screen.

The Bloomberg report in the Next Jobs series, released in June 2018, talks about the life of a professional gamer. The attributes of success came to him for a reason: progaming is hard work, which includes many hours of training, but it can bring a decent income. However, few people manage to turn video games into a profession: most play for fun. Twelve-year-old Gregory spends three to four hours a day for Battlefield 1 and Fortnite — he tells us that he constantly wants new sensations that he hasn’t experienced in real life. Video games for him is not only an important way of socialization, but also a way to throw out aggression. Sergey, 42, talks about similar sensations: games give him a chance to try things that are not available or taboo in ordinary life - for example, controlling an airplane or shooting a weapon. By the way, as a child, Sergei also played “the wolf and the eggs,” but after dialing 999 points, he didn’t manage to open a cartoon: contrary to the urban legend, the display “Electronics” was not designed for this.

Diabetes and aggression

In the summer of 2014, Telegraph and the Daily Mail reported almost simultaneously on the results of a study conducted by the University of Oxford among 5,000 adolescents from ten to fifteen years old. A quarter of them did not play every day, and among the rest three groups were singled out: who played less than an hour a day, one to three hours, and more than three hours. It was stated that, compared with teenagers who did not play video games at all, those who played every day, but little (less than an hour), were more satisfied with life and had almost no emotional or behavioral difficulties. However, the most interesting was found out with a more detailed analysis.

For those who played for less than an hour, there was some benefit - while playing one or three hours a day was completely indistinguishable from teenagers who did not play at all. But for those who spent more than three hours a day playing games, the results were negative: teenagers were less social, were less satisfied with life and suffered from emotional and behavioral problems. So there was some kind of connection between games and psychosocial adaptation, but many questions remained for the study: for example, the difference between groups was 1.6% and, if desired, it can be explained by hereditary factors or differences in lifestyle. In addition, only games on consoles or computers, without smartphones or tablets were taken into account - perhaps, if they were taken into account, the results would be different. Finally, the assessment was carried out according to questionnaires that were filled by teenagers themselves, which means that one can doubt the objectivity of assessments of sociability, emotional and behavioral problems.

The data once again confirmed that there is no connection between the time spent on games or TV, and emotional or behavioral difficulties.

No sooner had the children had an argument in favor of spending time behind consoles, as The Guardian published scary data that three hours a day at the screen lead to an increased risk of diabetes. Scientists examined almost four and a half thousand boys and girls of nine or ten years old, evaluated a variety of parameters: height, weight, body fat percentage, glucose levels, insulin, cholesterol, blood pressure. On the same day, when measurements were made, the children filled out a questionnaire with the question: "How many hours do you spend every day watching TV or playing video games?" After analyzing the data, a large amount of time was found to correlate at the screen with a higher content of fat and insulin resistance - but one cannot say that it is the games and the screens that are to blame. Perhaps it was a sedentary lifestyle and reduced activity, and the same results could be obtained in children spending all their time on books.

Often they talk about the possible risk of hostility and antisocial behavior. At the beginning of the two thousandth, researchers were confident that the games increase aggression in children, but today other calculations are leading. A study published in May 2018 notes that the role of shooters in the development of psychopathology or crime among young people is very small or non-existent. This data confirmed once again that there is no connection between the time spent on games or TV, and emotional or behavioral difficulties, and this applies to both boys and girls.

Of course, if you devote a significant part of your life to games, they can be harmful - just like any activity, if you don’t know the measures. For example, there is a case when the tendons of the palm of an adolescent became inflamed: doctors associated inflammation with the effects of constant vibration, since a teenager spent seven hours a day at the PlayStation. On the other hand, using games, you can treat amblyopia, an impairment of vision that cannot be corrected with glasses or lenses. So, video games with a suitable age rating are safe for children if they spend no more than a couple of hours behind them. Responsibility for the situation in any case lies with adults: perhaps the best way to prevent the development of addiction is to make the child's life interesting and provide emotional support. But all this is true in relation to any other sphere.

Erasing borders

Of course, there is a danger that video games will blur the boundaries of reality, prompting them to solve real problems with gaming methods. On this account, a study was conducted among Swedish young people from fifteen to twenty-one. Participants were found in game forums and conducted in-depth interviews with them, including questions about dreams, ways to solve problems using game elements, and intentional integration of game elements into ordinary life.

Players told that they are really introducing aspects of games into their daily lives, and they do it without thinking. Most often it was mentioned the desire to solve real problems like a character or with the help of game elements. Some talked about the feeling that they could press a button and turn back time, for example, in case of trouble or accident. Others have seen bystanders certain characters. The level of involvement was different, but some went so far that some actions would have done exactly the same as in the game.

The study has raised more questions than answers, but one thing is sure that the authors are convinced that games do not so much influence people in order to push them to serious aggression, such as murder.

In addition to this, the subjects under study had involuntary movements or impulses toward them - for example, I wanted to press the button of the controller when it was not in my hand. In other cases, they visualized their thoughts in the form of game menus. Some life situations coincided with the game, and then there were actions like in the game - for example, dancing like a character. Some of the respondents intentionally integrated the elements of the game into everyday life and used the virtual experience for the jokes, trolling, or practical jokes of those who could understand their sending. This time, researchers have identified quite a few elements related to violence, aggression, risky behavior, and criminal thoughts - even to the imagination of killing a teacher that causes irritation. Many participants added that they would never use violence in real life, but, nevertheless, imagined such a scenario.

After analyzing all the data, the researchers decided that not all emotional states were provoked by games, and the number of participants was small (only forty-two); It is quite possible that the players' comments were just their dreams, and not evidence of modified thinking. For example, one of the participants talked about the advantages of a tractor searchlight for lighting his room. Instead of a powerful lamp in his hands, he imagined using the moving beam of a gravitational cannon from Half Life for evening trips to the refrigerator. Some may argue that this indicates a change in interaction with reality. On the other hand, it is an imaginary situation that may occur with an imaginary hero in a series or book. Another participant said that when he packs things, he places them like blocks in Tetris to make a tedious lesson more fun - and you cannot say whether this is changed behavior or just a fun way to spend time. In general, the study has caused more questions than answers, but one of its authors is sure that the games do not so strongly influence people in order to push them to serious aggression, such as murder.

Research continues to give mixed results. In a German study, it turned out that even violent video games do not dull the manifestations of empathy (although there were only fifteen participants). But according to the results of a meta-analysis of 98 studies with almost 40 thousand participants, the connection between games and social indicators was still and cruel games increased aggression - but at the same time pro-social games gave the opposite effect. To better study all these patterns, we need longer and more serious research.

How can I help

Signs of gambling in a child or an adult may include so-called red flags: first, a strong desire to play video games, online or offline, continuous or episodic. Secondly, the violation of control over the start of the game, its duration, frequency, the ability to finish at the right time. Thirdly, this is the predominance of the desire to play over other interests and daily affairs, the loss of friends. Finally, people with possible addiction continue to play, even when a conflict related to this situation occurs. If these symptoms persist for more than a year, you can talk about the diagnosis of a gambling disorder, and if the symptoms persist, it can develop faster.

If gambling has developed in a child, it is worth analyzing the reasons with it - perhaps the problem is a lack of recognition or respect. If he is on the sidelines at home or at school, and a recognized leader in the game, then the choice of how to spend most of the time is obvious. It may be worthwhile to think about what games the child has as favorites, in order to understand what he lacks in life. Aggressive games are often used to relieve nervous tension - and in this case, the output can be sports or walks, as well as the search for the root causes of stress. Also, clear rules worked out together with the child can help - for example, the time behind the prefix. According to a study conducted in Iran, the less parents communicate with their children, the more the latter have a desire to play.

It is more difficult with adults: you need to understand whether there are any serious diseases that are disguised as gambling, and people often do not want to go to a psychotherapist because of shame, feelings of guilt, fear. An exit to start can be a private consultation or a call to the hotline. When confirming the addiction, it should be treated. The range of methods is wide - from gestalt therapy to horse riding. The best results are given by psychotherapy, family or individual. The benefits of medication are not yet clear; As part of a comprehensive treatment, antidepressants can be prescribed, for example.

In some countries, attempts are being made to regulate the volume of games or to help those who are faced with this addiction - for example, in Korea, even the state program Nighttime Shutdown, or Cinderella's Law, has been created, which does not allow children under 16 to play from midnight to six in the morning. In the United States and Great Britain there are special rehabs - for those who feel that their passion for games has blocked the way to other spheres of life.