BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat last week reported a rise in the number of people becoming addicted to playing video games. Addiction counsellors are also warning that they are treating more young people concerned about how video games are affecting their lives. As a result, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) has called for the video games industry to carry out more research into how addictive games can be, and their possible effects on people's health and wellbeing.
Start a discussion with young people about gaming. Do young people play video games? What sort of games do they play? How often do they play them? Several times a month? Once a week? Every day? Do young people think it is possible to become addicted to video games? Are young people more at risk of becoming addicted to gaming? Why? Talk about addiction. What does it mean to be an addict? How does addiction affect people's lives? How might someone be identified as an addict?
Counsellors say that young people who claim to be addicted to gaming show similar symptoms to gambling addicts or alcoholics. Do young people think that being a gaming addict is the same as being addicted to alcohol or drugs? What are the differences? Can someone only be considered an addict if they are abusing a substance? Is playing too many video games the same as substance abuse? Should gaming addiction be taken seriously?
Should games manufacturers offer gaming addicts support or pay for their treatment? Is it the responsibility of the gaming industry to raise awareness of gaming addiction? Should the industry pay for more research into how addictive gaming can be? Is addiction to video games the fault of the games manufacturers? Or is it down to the individual? Should games be sold with an addiction warning, like cigarettes? Ask young people what they think can be done to combat possible video game addiction. How would they tackle it?
Gaming trade body, the UK Interactive Entertainment Association claims that playing video games can be a positive experience. Do young people agree? What positive outcomes of gaming can they think of? Does gaming with others online encourage social interaction? Talk about multi-player interactive games consoles such as the Nintendo Wii. Do young people play these with their friends and family? Can this build and strengthen relationships?
