Look about six people to your left. Now five down to the right. OK, one of you is addicted to video games, says a study out of Australasia that ratifies a finding in one out of Iowa State University.
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Congress says that eight percent of those who play video games – one in 12 – show signs of addiction. However, the study noted that “video game addiction” is not itself [[link]] a disorder but “an expression of deeper issues” in those involved in the study.
An earlier study, later criticized for how it selected its participants, found [[link]] about 8.5 percent of players aged 8 to 18 were “pathological gamers.” The study from Down Under covered all ages.
https://kotaku.com/study-8-5-percent-of-kids-gamers-pathological-gamers-5219397
“Their whole lives revolve around this activity and there certainly seems to be a problem there – there is an addiction,” said Vladan Starcevic, an associate producer on the study. “And it seems to us that these people seem to … have other mental health issues, and it seems excessive video game playing is [[link]] a manifestation of these underlying problems.”
Again, 8 percent doesn’t sound like a bad number, until you consider the whole numbers. If eight percent of U.S. kids were addicted to anything, there would be treatment centers – or someone trying to make money off it.
Analyze That: Only 8% of Gamers Can Be Considered Addicted [Softpedia News]