Problem Gaming
Like most things in youth culture things in the gaming world
have moved fast in recent years and this has in most cases lead to
a gap in knowledge and values between adults and young people about
this issue. This means gaming, whether on PC, console or mobile
device, can often be a point of conflict in a lot of homes. So if
you have ever heard your parent say something like "just pause it
or turn it off and get outside and do something" or if you have
ever heard your young person say something like "I can't just pause
it, I don't want to go outside and my mates are online" or if you
want to know more about this industry and issue keep reading!
Did You Know?
The Gaming industry is bigger than the music or film industries
and professional competitive gaming, known as esports, is a rapidly
growing global phenomenon worth almost a billion dollars, with
professional players earning potentially millions of dollars a year
while tens of millions of viewers log-in to watch them train, play
and compete. As well as this the weapon-skin gambling industry
grown out of such games is also worth billions of dollars and
furthermore free-to-play games earn sometimes more than a million
dollars a day despite being 'free to play'. Even in New Zealand we
have national high school esport competitions developing from which
players have already been drafted to overseas teams to play
professionally. For more information about the gaming industry and
some of these facts, please see our resources below about esports,
Massively Multiplayer Online games and the Monetisation of
Gaming.
Why Game?
Games are awesome. They are fun, challenging, immersive, and
interactive, and can be incredibly social. Some franchises have
developed amazing worlds and detailed characters with in-depth and
interesting stories.
As well as these things games can provide:
- A sense of purpose and goals - games provide clear milestones
and tracks for progression. They create a sense for players of
having a meaningful impact on the game world.
- A sense of achievement and mastery - games provide competition
and challenge, and give clear feedback about achievement and
success.
- A sense of belonging and community - games create a sense of
being needed and valued by others in the game world, including
opportunities for leadership and team work.
- A sense of freedom and escape - games are fun, and also enable
players to become fully immersed in the game and escape difficult
feelings such as stress.
- A sense of identity - games provide players with an alter-ego,
and the opportunity to create a new identity for themselves without
judgement.
When is it a problem?
None of the above needs games can meet are wrong or bad but it
can become a problem when gaming becomes the ONLY or primary way to
meet these needs. This is when more and more time is often spent
gaming, people can become disconnected from any face to face
friendships or activities, commitments such as school begin to
suffer, sleeping patterns can change and all of this can impact on
mood and relationships as well as behaviour when not gaming.
Games themselves are designed to keep you playing for longer and
often also designed to try and get your $ through
micro-transactions in the game (through loot-box mechanics for
example or other psychological techniques). To learn how to keep
your gaming in balance and to be aware of the crafty tricks game
developers use to hook us gamers, have a look at the Being Game
Savvy resource below.
Resources:
If concerned
If you are concerned about your own or someone else's gaming
please give us a call or complete the My Gaming questionnaire to
have a conversation or a think about this issue.
Last updated:
November 6, 2018
