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Outline
Thesis: Video/computer games can provide people with an escape from the stresses of their
everyday lives, a sense of challenge and accomplishment, and a way to connect with friends and
family members, which leads to too much gaming or video gaming addiction.
1) Escape From The Stresses Aspect of Gaming
a) Video games can provide people with an escape from the stresses of their
everyday lives.
b) Games can give a sense of relief from boredom or anxiety and can help people to
relax and de-stress.
c) Games can also help people focus and concentrate, providing a sense of
achievement and satisfaction, hence leading to addiction.
2) Sense of Challenge and Accomplishment Aspect of Gaming
a) People might get addicted to video games because they offer a sense of challenge
and accomplishment that is hard to find in other areas of life.
b) Broad types of video games include action, adventure, role-playing, strategy, and
simulation games.
c) The satisfaction of overcoming a difficult level or defeating a powerful opponent
can be addictive.
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d) The fact that video games can provide a way for people to escape stress can lead
to spending too much time playing video games.
3) The Social Aspect of Gaming
a) Video games provide a way to connect with friends and family members by
allowing them to interact with each other in a virtual space.
b) Some examples of video games that provide a way to connect with friends and
family members include Animal Crossing, Mario Party, and Minecraft.
c) While video games can provide a way to connect with loved ones, it is important
to moderate game-playing time, as too much gaming can lead to addiction.
4) Impacts Of Video Gaming Addiction
a) The short-term effects of video gaming addiction can include sleep problems,
social isolation, and irritability.
b) The long-term effects of video gaming addiction can include depression, anxiety,
and social isolation.
5) Treatment Approaches for Video Gaming Addiction
a) Cognitive-behavioral therapy
b) Family therapy
c) Rehabilitation.
Introduction
It is no secret that video games are becoming increasingly popular among people of all
ages, and there are no signs of slowing down. The first video game was created in 1958 by
William Higinbotham and was called Tennis for Two. The game was played on an oscilloscope
and was very simple, only featuring two lines representing the net and a dot representing the ball.
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Despite its simplistic nature, Tennis for Two was a hit with visitors to the Brookhaven National
Laboratory, where it was displayed. A few years later, in 1962, a man named Steve Russell
created Spacewar!, which is widely considered the first video game for entertainment rather than
just scientific purposes. Spacewar! It was played on a Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1
computer and featured two spaceships battling it out in a game of asteroids. The game was a hit
with a small group of people who had access to it. It was credited with inspiring the first arcade
video game, Galaxy Game, which was created in 1971. It is a matter of fact that video/computer
games are here to stay since they continue to evolve with technological advancements, and many
people are getting addicted to them. Video/computer games can provide people with an escape
from the stresses of their everyday lives, a sense of challenge and accomplishment, and a way to
connect with friends and family members, which leads to too much gaming or video gaming
addiction.
Escape From the Stresses Aspect of Gaming
Video and computer games can provide people with an escape from the stresses of their
everyday lives. Games can give a sense of relief from boredom or anxiety and can help people
relax and de-stress (Jones et al., np). Games can also help people focus and concentrate,
providing a sense of achievement and satisfaction. For example, video games have improved
problem-solving skills and memory and increased focus and attention (Huang & Chuanyin, pg.
7). Games can help alleviate boredom by providing a fun and stimulating activity to focus on.
They can also help to reduce anxiety by providing a distraction from worries and concerns.
Games can help people to wind down and take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday
life. Games can help to improve focus and concentration by giving a task to focus on (Choi et al.,
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np). Video games can also help to increase attention span and cognitive skills and provide
players with a sense of pride, self-worth, and social connection (Huang & Chuanyin, pg. 7). The
fact that video games can provide a way for people to escape from the stresses of their everyday
lives, provide a sense of relief from boredom or anxiety, help people to relax, help people to
focus and concentrate, and provide a sense of achievement and satisfaction can be addictive and
can lead to people spending too much time playing video games.
Sense of Challenge and Accomplishment Aspect of Gaming
People might get addicted to video games because they offer a sense of challenge and
accomplishment that is hard to find in other areas of life. For some people, video games provide
an escape from reality that is more exciting than their everyday lives (Jones et al., np). There are
thousands of video games available for people to play today, broadly classified into different
genres: action, adventure, role-playing, strategy, and simulation. Action games are typically fast-
paced and require quick reflexes. They often involve fighting, shooting, or racing and are
relatively easy to learn. Popular action games include the Halo series, the Call of Duty series,
and the Mortal Kombat series. Adventure games typically have a more complex story than action
games and often require players to solve puzzles to progress. They can be either first-person or
third-person and usually involve exploration and discovery. Some popular adventure games
include the Legend of Zelda series, the Tomb Raider series, and the Uncharted series. Role-
playing games, or RPGs, usually involve controlling a character or group of characters as they
progress through a story. These Role-playing games often allow players to level up their
characters by gaining experience points and learning new skills (Choi et al., np). Some popular
RPGs include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Age series, and the Witcher series. Strategy
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games challenge the player to make decisions that will lead to victory. They often involve battles
or other forms of conflict and can be either real-time or turn-based. Popular strategy games
include the Civilization series, the Starcraft series, and the Total War series. Simulation games
attempt to recreate real-world scenarios or allow the player to experience something they
otherwise would not be able to (Choi et al., np). These simulation games can be anything from
driving simulators to virtual pet games. Some popular simulations include the Sims series, the
Rollercoaster Tycoon series, and the Farming Simulator series. The satisfaction of overcoming a
difficult level or defeating a powerful opponent can be addictive, and the social aspect of playing
multiplayer games can also be a factor. Some people become so engrossed in their game that
they neglect their real-world responsibilities, which can lead to problems.
The Social Aspect of Gaming
Many people enjoy the social aspect of gaming, as it provides a way to connect with
friends and family members, which can also lead to video game addiction. Video games provide
a way to connect with friends and family members by allowing them to interact with each other
in a virtual space. Some examples of video games that provide a way to connect with friends and
family members include Animal Crossing, Mario Party, and Minecraft (Choi et al., np). These
games allow players to interact with each other in a virtual space, which can be beneficial for
those who live far away from their loved ones. However, it is important to moderate game
playing time, as too much time spent gaming can lead to addiction. When someone becomes
addicted to video games, they may neglect their real-world relationships in favor of their virtual
ones. Neglecting their real-world relationships can lead to social isolation and loneliness.
Additionally, addicted gamers may lie to their loved ones to conceal their time spent playing
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video games. Therefore, video games can provide a way to connect with friends and family, but
it is still important to moderate game playing time, as too much gaming can lead to addiction.
Impacts of Video Gaming Addiction
Video gaming addiction was considered one of many addiction disorders worldwide after
the World Health Organization announced that video gaming addiction (VGA) was a disorder.
The short-term effects of video gaming addiction can include sleep problems, social isolation,
and irritability, while long-term effects can include depression, anxiety, and social isolation.
People addicted to video gaming may struggle to get enough sleep because they spend too much
time playing video games (González-Valero et al., pg. 3). Spending much time playing video
games can lead to fatigue and problems concentrating. People addicted to video gaming may
start isolating themselves from friends and family. They may spend more time alone playing
games instead of being social, leading to feelings of loneliness and isolation. Someone who is
addicted to video gaming may become easily agitated. They may get angry when they cannot
play games or do not do well in games. Someone who is addicted to video gaming may start to
feel depressed. They may feel like they are not achieving anything in life and that gaming is their
only escape, which can lead to suicidal thoughts. Someone who is addicted to video gaming may
start to feel anxious. They may worry about not being able to play games or about how they are
doing in games, which can lead to panic attacks. Video gaming addiction is a serious disorder
that can lead to several short- and long-term effects, including sleep problems, social isolation,
irritability, depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.
Treatment Approaches for Video Gaming Addiction
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A few possible treatments for video gaming addiction have developed and proven to be
effective approaches to mitigating video gaming addiction. One example is cognitive-behavioral
therapy (CBT), which focuses on helping people identify and change any negative thoughts or
behaviors contributing to their addiction (Gorman et al., np). Another example is family therapy,
which focuses on improving communication and relationships within the family unit. Family
therapy can be beneficial for people with a video gaming addiction, as it can help them to
develop healthy coping mechanisms and to learn how to communicate better with their loved
ones. Finally, there is treatment through rehabilitation, which can help the person overcome any
physical or mental dependencies they may have on video gaming. Finally, there is treatment
through rehabilitation, which can help the person overcome any physical or mental dependencies
they may have on video gaming. Therefore, a few possible treatments for video gaming addiction
include cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy, and rehabilitation.
Conclusion
Video games have become increasingly popular among people of all ages, and there are
no signs of slowing down. The first video game was created in 1958 and is called Tennis for
Two. Since then, the video gaming industry has kept evolving due to technological
advancements leading to new games and increased popularity worldwide, increasing the rate of
video gaming disorder. Some might be addicted to the challenge or the sense of accomplishment
that comes with playing them; others might enjoy the social aspect of gaming, as it provides a
way to connect with friends and family members, and some people might find that
video/computer games help them relax and escape everyday life's stresses. Video gaming
addiction is considered one of many addiction disorders in the world after the WHO announced
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that video gaming addiction was a disorder in 2019. The short-term effects of video gaming
addiction can include sleep problems, social isolation, and irritability. The long-term effects can
include depression, anxiety, and social isolation. However, there are a few possible treatments
for video gaming addiction, including Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), family therapy, and
treatment through rehabilitation. I believe that video games will continue to become more
popular and immersive. As technology advances, games will become more realistic, and people
can play them for longer periods. The popularity could lead to more people becoming addicted to
video games, but it could also lead to more people using them to relax and unwind. However, I
believe that video gaming addiction can be a very serious problem for some people. It can be
very easy to get sucked into a game and lose track of time, which can lead to neglecting other
important aspects of your life. If you spend more time playing video games than with friends or
family, or if you are skipping out on work or school to play, you may have a problem. There are
many resources available to help people with video game addiction, and I encourage you to seek
help if you think you may have a problem.
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