Counseling Corner
The Counseling Corner is here to provide you with strategies for dealing with day to day issues.
Is it possible to spend too much time playing video games?
I spoke to some game playing teens about this and here are some things they said are good about playing video games:
-educational
-keeps me busy: While I am playing video games, I am not out partying
-fun and stimulating
-Social (playing with friends)
-practice problem solving
-exercising my fingers (seriously?)
Here is another actual quote from a teen who is not feeling so good about his video game playing habits.
”Video games are ruining my life. If I’m not playing, I’m thinking about playing. I have, like, no real friends.”
How do you feel about your video game habits? Do you agree with any of these teens? Or are you somewhere in between?
Parents often get upset fast about this topic. Teens often get defensive fast about this topic. The reality is that this generation faces questions that many adults could not even imagine, when we were teens watching three channels on the T.V. As a counselor, I do not imagine that I have all of the answers. But I do have some good questions.
1. What are you missing out on in “real life” while you are playing video games? If you play in moderate amounts, maybe you are not missing much. Are you getting enough real time with family and friends? Are you getting some physical exercise? Are your grades where you want them to be? Are you involved in the world around you- volunteering, hobbies, tossing the ball with your little brother?
2. Are you using video games to escape from things you should be dealing with? Yes, it is easier to sit and play video games than to try to lose weight and get healthy. Yes, it is easier to sit and play video games than it is to talk to your parents about family problems. Yes, it is often easier to sit and play video games than to stick your neck out to try a new hobby or make a new friend. But is that all you want out of life- “easier”?
3. Is your video game playing causing extreme conflict with your parents? Yes, teens do have to struggle towards independence. And yes, that can mean parental conflict. But how much conflict is over this issue? Are your parents making any good points? Part of becoming independent is solving your own problems. Show them your growing maturity by self evaluating and self remedying any excessive or ridiculous amount of time you are spending on video games. You will show them how mature you are by making the decision yourself that four hours a day of video game playing is too much. Turn it off and take the dog for a walk. See how things might change between you and your parents when you take control of the problem. Or maybe you are playing a “reasonable” amount of time. Go back to the above questions when you talk to your parents about this!
4. If you play video games most of the time, or much of the time, when you are not in school, could you be addicted to video games? What does that even mean? Well, video game addiction is being increasingly recognized by researchers and other professionals. In Amsterdam, Netherlands, there is a video game addiction treatment center, where “addicts” are going cold turkey to break their dependence on video games.
Here’s part of an article on the idea of video game addiction , published online on WebMD (ww.webmd.com).:
Keith Bakker, director of Smith & Jones Addiction Consultants, tells WebMD he created the new program in response to a growing problem
among young men and boys. “The more we looked at it, the more we saw [gaming] was taking over the lives of kids.” Detox for video game addiction may sound like a stretch, but addiction experts say the concept makes sense. But can a game truly become an addiction? Absolutely, says Kimberly Young, , PsyD, clinical director of the Center for On-Line Addiction, “It’s a clinical impulse control disorder,” an addiction in the same sense as compulsive gambling.
So, there’s something to think about before you push that button to turn on the Xbox or Playstation. If you have any concerns that your gaming may be taking over your life- try taking control of your gaming and your life, and see how it feels.
If you have questions or concerns about yourself or someone you care about, contact the Youth Agency counseling department for referrals, information and support. Counseling@youthagency.org