John spends 16 hours a day in front of a computer screen.
To maximize time for his video games, he prepares meals in the one bowl he owns and eats in front of his screen. The 29-year-old doesn’t regularly shower or clean his apartment. John’s gaming chair has a permanent imprint in the shape of his body from the many hours he sits there.
Everything in his life is molded around his gaming. He failed to finish university, spending his time playing video games rather than going to class. His current job — testing video games — is likely the only one he could hold down. Most of his friends are online, some in different time zones, which keeps him up late into the night gaming with them.
“He says his goal in life is to make more money… so he has more time to play video games,” said Jane, John’s worried sister.
Jane and John are not their real names. Canadian Affairs has agreed to protect this family’s identity so they can speak frankly about what they believe to be John’s gaming addiction.
Gaming addiction is not recognized as a medical condition, yet it can carry all the hallmarks of other addictions. While public treatment options are rare, medical associations and professionals have begun to advise parents on limiting screen time for minors to prevent addiction and promote health.
Gaming addiction not currently a recognized disorder
John was 17 when his family first started noticing John couldn’t leave his computer.
For the past 12 years, his family has tried everything to help him curb his extreme gaming habits. But nothing has convinced John he must stop playing. His family has watched with desperation as his playing has slowly degraded his mental and physical health.
In the last year, John developed excruciating chest pains.
“He felt like he was gonna die,” said Jane.
Test after test came back negative for cardiac issues and other physical causes. Instead, the doctor diagnosed John with generalized anxiety disorder caused by video gaming. The doctor prescribed pills for the anxiety, recommended he work with a therapist and advised John to severely limit screen time to improve his health.
John was not diagnosed as a gaming addict. Gaming addiction is not recognized as a psychiatric condition in North America, even though the US Surgeon General recognized as far back as 1982 that video games could lead to addiction.
“[Gaming addiction] is a huge and growing problem,” says Jeffrey Derevensky, child psychologist and director of the International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors at McGill University.
“What we do know is that there’s a certain percentage of young people who are getting overly involved in gaming, and this has become quite problematic for those individuals, which has led to addictive behaviours.”
Currently, gambling is the only non-substance related disorder with which people can be diagnosed, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
“I’m convinced that the American Psychiatric Association will include [internet addiction] in the next year or in the next revision in the DSM,” Derevensky says. “I sit on the advisory committee to the World Health Organization… and what we’re seeing is that this is a worldwide phenomenon.”
While gambling addiction is considered a disability in Canada and treatment is publicly funded, there are few treatment programs for internet or gaming addiction in Canada, and the private options can be expensive. Only Quebec funds a project for internet addiction treatment, Canadian Affairs recently reported.
The lack of recognition and treatment options can leave families feeling isolated.
“Parents sometimes feel a lot of self blame or self doubt or shame about their sort of challenges and managing this with their adolescents,” said Jill Chorney, a registered psychologist at the Mental Health & Addictions program at IWK Health Centre in Nova Scotia.
That certainly rings true in John’s family. They have not reached out to other resources, such as support groups or family therapists. Jane says their family feels responsible to care for John on their own.
“I think [my parents] feel like it’s their problem to fix,” said Jane.
John’s family has struggled with limits they believe would help him stop playing video games. His parents tell him to practice healthier habits, but constantly bringing that up just creates a rift in their relationship, Jane said.
“All their conversations are only about… ‘You need your sleep’ and things like that,” said Jane. “And it’s just always been annoying” to him.
Starting a conversation
Derevensky says McGill’s centre for youth gambling problems and high-risk behaviours is receiving a great number of calls from parents and healthcare providers asking how they can help their families or patients treat video game overuse.
The Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS) and the American Pediatric Society (APA) currently advise parents to start early in limiting screen time and monitor their kids for signs they are spending too much time online. When gaming interferes with school or social life, that is a red flag.
There’s all kinds of advice on the need to limit internet use but little guidance on how to do so, says Andrew Sofin, a registered family therapist and president of the Canadian Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
“Great guidelines, but then how do you sit down and talk about that?” he said.
For minors, Sofin advises against confrontation. Families should gently ask their children about their internet use and how it affects their life, he says. The goal is to lead the kids — not tell them — to see the problems their gaming is causing.
“It’s starting the conversation where you’re first saying, ‘I need you to be part of the solution. I can’t just impose the solution on you,’” said Sofin.
Managing gaming needs to be a family-wide effort, says Chorney.
“It’s not just about having limits and a plan for our teens,” said Chorney. “We have limits and plans for our whole family. And as the adults we model that we can use screen time constructively too.”
Matthew Johnson, director of education at MediaSmarts, advises against using spyware on kids’ devices. Instead, parents should let their kids know what apps they’ll be monitoring. The aim is to help build trust between family members.
‘This doesn’t define him’
Jane and her parents have seen emerging signs of improvement since John’s last doctor’s appointment. John is making an effort to spend more time with family. This summer, John’s parents added a pool to their home and John comes a few times a week to swim and be with family and friends.
“That’s really helping him to connect with the family … (it’s) an actual activity with other people,” said Jane.
She sees beyond John’s addiction although she’s not sure he will ever be free. She sees a gentleman and a kind brother who is more than a guy who can’t stop playing video games.
“This doesn’t define him,” she said. “He’s more than this.”
Editor’s note: This article was updated to include statements from Jeffrey Derevensky.
I wonder whether John himself thinks he has a problem? It’s interesting to me that there are some things you can do 16 hours a day — like endurance sports or white-collar occupations — and people consider you a champion, a hero, or a go-getter