The Impact Of Video Gaming And Facebook Addiction

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The Impact of Video Gaming and Facebook Addiction The American Society of Addiction Medicine defines addiction as “a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry”. All addictions can be dangerous and harmful to the addicted person and others around him or her however, Facebook and especially video game addiction can be particularly detrimental to both children and adolescences. What makes video games so addictive? Dr. Charles Ungerleider (media literacy specialist) explains that “they’re very compelling with increasing complexity, so a child becomes more facile, yet wants to know more and apply new skills.” Video games also make young people, who often feel powerless in their daily lives, suddenly have the ability to command armies, drive cars and wreak havoc on a virtual world with no real life consequences. Further, computer and video games offer a way to interact with others in “virtual worlds” without the distress of face to face interactions. This encourages people who find it a challenge in the “real world” to make friends hence these individuals will more than likely become addicted to playing video games. Not all gamers are addicts however, as many teens can play video games a few hours a week, successfully balancing school activities, grades, friends and family obligations. Nevertheless, for some, gaming has become an uncontrollable compulsion daily. Video gaming becomes an addiction when it starts to interfere with a person’s life such as their pursuit of goals. Whether they play on an Xbox or online, gamers spend so much time in that other world; they begin to do physical damage to their bodies. One such consequence is migraines which in severe cases can cause the sufferer to vomit. Someone who plays video games for extended periods of time is more prone to migraines due to the intense concentration required

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