As with other addictions, withdrawal symptoms often occur. Among the most common are:
- A feeling of emptiness
- Depression
- A disruption in sleep pattern
- Excessive amounts of time spent sleeping
- "Brain fog:" Difficulty with focus, concentration and completing complex tasks
- Fantasies and dreams about the game
- Restless, unfulfilling, taunting dreams
- The urge to go back to gaming and try to control the time played
- Thinking about the game for extended periods of time
- Irritability or restlessness
- Relief
- Uncontrollable feelings or rampant mood swings
- Anger and verbal abuse, sometimes extreme*
- Excessive crying
- Anxiety
- Fear
- Sadness
- Loneliness
- Boredom/inability to find an activity of interest
- Lack of motivation/direction
- Difficulty facing obligations, procrastination
- Feeling as though a return to gaming will make you feel better
- Physical illness ie. colds, allergies
- Nausea
* Warning: In rare, extreme cases, sudden removal of the game has resulted in violence and even death.