Video Game Addiction Signs

16. Health problems going away after a while (sore neck, back, arms)17. Eating more and more meals at the computer while gaming.
18. Increased free time surfing game-related websites
19. Constant conversation with uninterested friends/family/partner about the game.
20. Attempts to get friends/family/partner to play
21. Purchasing in-game items for real life money
22. Feeling the need to "stand up for gamers" and proclaim that your life is perfect by listing all of your life's achievements, and yet you still game for 4-6 hours per day.

Ron Jaffe AKA Diggo McDiggity Discussion Board Administrator
On-Line Gamers Anonymous

Note that there is a more extensive, recent and, I believe, official list of gaming addiction signs at Take the Screening Below. Do YOU Think You Are an Excessive Gamer?.

I sent that link to my wife. Although tough, I think ... scratch that; I -KNOW- she needs a reality check. *prays*

Good luck compulsive and I want to add attempting to break the games rules as sign number 23. Alot of people are so addicted that they have become so good at a game they cannot find much fun to do on the game so they break rules for fun. Alot of the time it wont even benefit you or your charecter just a little fun.

I paid money for all the WoW hacks, then lied to Blizzard when they caught me using them. Eventually, these hacks sent my user name and password for my first account to some gold farmer in China who hijacked the account and ultimately got it banned for good.

Brown, R.I.F. (1991). Gaming, gambling and other addictive play. In J.H. Kerr & M.J. Apter (Eds.), Adult place: A reversal theory approach (pp. 101aEU"118). Amsterdam: Swets & Zeitlinger. Brown's core facets of addiction: These were summarized nicely by Dr. Douglas Gentile in his new national study on youth gaming... Salience - the activity dominates the person's life, cognitively or behaviourly Euphoria or relief - provides 'high' or relief of unpleasant feelings Tolerance - over time, a greater amount of the activity is needed to achieve the same 'high' Withdrawal Symptoms - the person experiences unpleasant feelings or negative emotions when unable to engage in the activity Conflict - other people, work, obligations, self (cognitive dissonance) Relapse and reinstatement - the person continues or starts again despite attempts to abstain

pls advice me. my son is now playing perfect world for almost 1 year plus. he is showing sign like defiant and now he has this girl who played the same game as his girlfrend even sms and talking to her over the phone. He even bought extra phone card just to talk to her. all his language towards me, his father and sister are rude and sometimes he called us names like idiot,stupid and many more. I am so worried for him and feel very sad that one day my worst fear will come true. pls somebody advice what should I do? thanks

U can also email to me of any advices reg my plight at samfyjune@yahoo.com and for yr info my son is 20 yrs old serving ns.

I have played games for as long as I can remember. It started with the atari 2600 and over time, I was able to sample just about every game system that came out. My parents weren't rich but, they never hurt for much either, so I had games to play all the time. My parents did not however buy me random games until Christmas time. I spent alot of time playing games but, still I was able to shut it off or "unplug" as my mother calls it, to go ride my bike and play with my friends. I guess I would say that I gravitated toward children my age that had a common interest in video games and I can only think that the fact that I could do something I love and still socially interact with other children was my idea of euphora.

I just recently broke up with my girlfriend of 2 years because she gave me an ultimatum. She said "me, or the game!!!" Now... I don't want you to think that I chose the game per se. I felt as though I had given up everything else I enjoyed in my life to make our relationship less complicated. No going to the bar for a few drinks after work with the guys, no myspace, no facebook, etc. I was fine by that until she gave me the ultimatum. She said I played it too much and I had cut back to almost never playing it when she was around. I would only play it when she was working and that still bothered her. She gave me an e-mail with oganon in the subject. She told me I need help. Here is my problem with that and maybe I am in denial but, if I can shut it off and make it so the game isn't intruding on the time my girlfriend and I share, then is my game time out of control? Further more, if I can honestly say that from time to time I get bored of playing the game, does that mean that I have the ability to walk away and do "normal" things? If I have never missed time from work because of my playing habits, am I addicted? Years ago I would agree that I was addicted to games. I played the game Final Fatasy 11. It is a mmorpg and is very similar to world of warcraft. It had very addictive content, I could log on at 9 am and find myself playing until midnight, 2 am, 3am... In my own opinion I was addicted. I have since then avoided any mmorpg games as to avoid falling into the same rut. I now play games that if I want to pause it and shut it off, then I can.

Recap; I don't miss time from work, I spend time with kids doing homework and taking them to the park, I keep up on house hold chores, I don't skip meals.

I will stay up late if I am enjoying myself, I might put a chore off for an hour or 2 but it still gets done and I am good with time and money management. I monitor how much time my kids play games and if they are slipping in school, I take it away from them for the entire school year.

Am I addicted, or is it just a passion of mine that I really can control? I have quit for months at a time to show my girlfriend that its not an addiction, that I can control how often I play, that I enjoy playing games and thats the short and the long of it?!?

Any feedback I get will be carefully considered and appreciated greatly. I need to know if I need to get counsiling or if she needs control issue counsiling.

Only you can decide for yourself if the gaming is trully an issue for you.

It seems your girlfriend felt there was something missing in your relationship and at least in her opinion it was missing because of your gaming.

If that means you have a problem with gaming or just need a new girlfriend I don't know. I guess you have to look at "why" your gaming bothered your ex enough to give you the ultimatum...

She would say that it was scaring her how much I played and that it was interfering with our relationship but, I had stopped playing during anytime she was home and like I said, it still wasn't good enough. I may put chores off a bit but never neglect to do them so she can't blame it on that. She would go to work and I would start my day by vacuuming (we had 3 cats together) all the rooms (2 of which had litter boxes in them). Once done vacuuming the house I would do the dishes that were either left from dinner the night before or that morning. After that I would make sure the outside chores were complete (which my oldest son 12, started mowing the lawn which was something my girlfriend and I thought would be good for him because he would learn responsibility) After that, my girlfriend didn't really want me doing laundry and we both had an agreement in that area. I have in the past asked her if she wanted help in the kitchen and she has always said no. So, in my opinion, the chore situation is taken care of. I hate to analize each part of my relationship in reference to the video games because it would seem as though I am doing my best in avoiding the fact that I may or may not be addicted to games. I enjoy games and can get bored of playing them. I still hold a great social life, I don't miss work. I feel like my girlfriend has clung to something to blame our lessening passion in our relationship. I feel like she forgets that no matter how in love you are, you will eventually become comfortable and the "new" eventually wears off. That doesn't mean that the love has to lessen. I loved her very much and told her every morning before I left for work and each night before we shut off the light to go to sleep.

She would say that it was scaring her how much I played and that it was interfering with our relationship but

We are not here to validate her decision or yours. You have to decide what is right for YOU just as she had to decide what was right for her...

She seemed to think it was affecting your relationship, you go to great lengths to justify why you don't understand why it was ... It doesn't matter, in her mind it was and for her that is all that is important.

At that point you can either decide you do have a problem and do something about it or you can decide the problem is hers and you need to find somebody who accepts you for who YOU are, gaming and all...

The fact that you are here "asking" about it, to me sounds like you have doubts ... Sometimes you can say, where there is smoke there is fire...

I guess I was seeking advice for my situation to see if others found my gaming habbits excessive. I don't think I am addicted because I can choose real life over the game anytime but, I may be in denial. I dont know...

There is no set amount of gaming that is excessive. If 15 minutes a day causes you to disapoint the ones you love and interferes with some part of your life than 15 minutes is excessive...

Bottom line, YOU have to decide. If you decide gaming is a problem for you then we can help you with some advice on how to deal with that problem. If you decide it is not a problem then good for you, enjoy your gaming and your life you don't need us.

If you at anytime in the future change your mind and decide gaming has become and issue, you are always welcome.

Bobby32x, I am a game addict. I playED games for more than 10 years and I had a "slap in the face" from my fiancee on Feb 1st. Liz and diggo's first two coments signs? I've been all over them, and honestly, if I haven't, the mere fact that my fiancee told me that if my (gaming) life started to interfere with her life she would leave me, would be enough reason for me to end my gaming. Why? I trust her. I know that she doesn't want me to stop gaming beacuse I could be earning more money, or I could be fixing more stuff at home. She told me that because she was worried about me. She told me many times already, that I play too much, and I'm wasting my life away.... but I never listened....Games are fun. They are. But, if the one you love is worried about you, that's the cue for you to start worrying about yourself.

yep - that screening tool changed my life :) it was the one thing that completely turned me on my head and made me realise to my intense RELIEF that I actually had a SERIOUS problem. To Lizwool who wrote that page - bless you and thank you.

i use to love games now i hate them and can't stop playing them i don't want to leave to house and i hate my life most of the time i go to AA meetings but i have stop drinking but have so many other problems i know im addicted to games and its a horriable i have alot of friends in real life but i would rather cut my phone off and not talk to anybody why are we even in this world?

e hey there ihategames: you took a big step posting your feelings.

Many of us are like you: I am.

You hate the fact that you are wasting valuable hours of your life tapping away at a mouse alone in front of a computer; but the compulsion is strong.

I reckon you are stronger :)

Welcome.

P.S. You are lucky to have RL friends - If you don't mind, I suggest that hanging out with them would be a great idea - play a REAL game with them, face to face and in the Real World like chess or football - just an idea :)

Here's the signs that I recognised in my own behaviour:

1) Unable to prioritise any form of task above the gaming, the only time I did was when I risked getting found out, i.e. girlfriend getting in from work and dishes not done, not showered etc.

2) Unable to stop thinking about the game and the next achievements / milestones you will go for.

3) Spending time procrastinating and reading through the forums of a game or watching YT videos of it when you're supposed to be doing something else.

4) Neglecting basic bodily functions such as going to the toilet or even feeding yourself in replacement for more game time.

5) Thinking about the next time you will get to play videogames and what you will play.

6) Getting up and going straight on the videogames console before even eating breakfast.

7) Began having restless nights in which I would wake up 10-15 times a night and all I could dream about were the repetitive sounds and images from these games.

8) Unable to stick to a set timeline.

9) Setting "times" with family timer, computer lockdown etc. then even after scrambling the passcodes, going online to find factory setting "reset codes" to eliminate the timer.

10) Telling yourself that tomorrow will be better, that you can moderate it, that in the long run you will be able to live a harmonious life with it.

11) Repeatedly boxing the machine up and unpacking it again the next day.

12) Starting to get attracted to members of the online community you play with, even when you've never met them or seen what they look like.

13) You begin to become afraid of leaving the house even when you weren't before.

Can't really think of any more? It's pretty much an account of my "addict life" to date.

Hi

Just new to this community and wanted to go through and have a look at the site,read some sad stories and some I have thought "wow",I love games and have friends that are addicted to gaming.

I wouldn't say I was as addicted to gaming as some of my close friends as it tends to frustrate me more when things don't go right when playing some games I just have to walk away from it and cool off.

Welcome to OLGAnon Ronin!

Yes, welcome Ronin to OGLAnon

I am new here. I have been in another 12-step program (NA) for almost 10 years (yay!), so I know the power that comes from admitting you are powerless over your addiction, that your life has become unmanageable. For a long time I have been in denial about the amount of time I game, the lost opportunity and lost connection with the real world. I used to devour everything on Penny Arcade because they show that, hey, you can be a gamer *and* successful and socially active etcetera etcetera.

Except that I use games the way I used to smoke pot in the end: by myself, in an attempt to fix my feelings, way too much. Also, just like pot, they stop working as a way to lift my mood. After 200 hours of Skyrim, I just wasn't having fun any more. I have always stayed away from MMORPG's since I know they are like crack to me. I had a stint on raiding in Puzzle Pirates that started to control my life so I gave all my ships away in a tournament and quit. Then I stuck to the "soft" console/ipad/phone gaming thinking that those were easier to control.

Until last wednesday, when I had the day off from work, played Skyrim all day, and Triple Town in the bathroom and during lunch, then picked up my daughter from daycare, played Skyrim in front of her (with all the age-inappropriate dead body frisking that is kind of creepy and part of powering up), and after I put her to bed played Ascension on my iPad until midnight. Then I woke up with an anxiety attack and finally put two and two together.

I told my NA sponsor I want to take my first step on video gaming addiction. I am stoked that I can finally leave this chapter of my life behind me. I have an addictive nature so maybe there will me something else that replaces my video gaming addiction. My career could use some workaholic addiction for sure ;)

Seriously, I hope I can spend more quality time with my daughter. I don't want her memories of her dad to just consist of me standing in front of a tv screen with my controller in my hands.

Thanks for listening,

Vesalian Prime.

Hi VP. Welcome. Like you I have a daughter of I guess 3 years old and another 1 of 1 year. I think with very young children your balance in gaming may have been shifted as you may be around more often with the PC lurking. But it doesnt matter how. Its that you will recover now you noticed the addiction as this is a hidious addiction as you dont need to take substance to get high. But we have been posting last weeks all kind of recent research and the use of videogames is the same as using cocaine, so the word "high"is the only correct one as the same dopamine in your brains gives you the pleasure. But like Pot or cocaine or alcohol you must use every day more to get the same effect as your body will learn to get used to it.

Now you quit you may wish to take some time off as the withdrawal will strike you. Your body is used on the caliming eegect of the dopamine, so will counter by increasing blood pressure and hart rate at times it expects activity after the console, ipad or PC. I am just 1 day sober so I know.

I know from experience that once you are sober and you would play just a little, like 30 minutes...the detox starts all over again as your body even when not in detox..is expecting for quite some time.

I am sure you will manage. I understand the program, but my love for my family and children is stronger and getting me there.

I strongly advise not to go to alcoholism. I have been there and that withdrawal was much harder then gaming withdrawal as I know understand on top of dopamine withdrawal from work addiction, you also need to get rid of excessive stress what is not funny.

As you mentioned we are all people that get easily addicted. Its true. So mind that in the time you have now spare to be careful what to do. Do not go sit endlessly on internet, do not watch TV all day. Only watch what really interest to relax. Play board games. do excercise..go outside..read some books and this forum. You may have dark feelings and even depression but thats the high aount of dopamine in your system. All your body wants is more dopamine what can cause you the first days not to enjoy anything..But in a few weeks that effect is gone and the first days its worst..after a week thing will look better. - A small price to pay .

ps please feel free to open your own topic.

vesalian.prime wrote:

Seriously, I hope I can spend more quality time with my daughter. I don't want her memories of her dad to just consist of me standing in front of a tv screen with my controller in my hands.

Thanks for listening,

Vesalian Prime.

Yay!!

Gettingalife wrote:

vesalian.prime wrote:

Seriously, I hope I can spend more quality time with my daughter. I don't want her memories of her dad to just consist of me standing in front of a tv screen with my controller in my hands.

Thanks for listening,

Vesalian Prime.

Yay!!

I love this too. A daughter will grow up and leave the house in a very short time. I hope the memories she has of her dad will be wonderful ones. I've heard it said "we don't raise children, we raise adults."

My husband became an alcoholic and his relationship with his kids (they are now adults with kids of their own) has been very shaky. He loves them, but he was not there for them during the times in childhood they needed him. He wishes now he could go back and change things, but he can't.

If you have a choice to be there for your daughter, please choose to. The alternative is hard to live with.

help me please i cant stop playing games!

Hello. I've known I was addicted to World of Warcraft for a while now. I have tried unseccessfully to quit 2 times now. I have played the game for approx eight years. I met my fiance there. The people that played were my family. Tonight, I said goodbye to everyone in the game and had my fiance change my password. Right now I am expierencing the shakes, hot and cold flashes and I've had to vomit twice. Gaming additctions are not fun things to have. I don't have a life outside World of Warcraft. I don't know what I am going to do with myself now. I am scared. My fiances sent me a link to your site and reading it has helped calm me down a little. I felt so alone and "stupid" for feeling like this over a game. It is nice to know I am not alone or stupid and addictions to game are real.

Thank you

Wythori

Wythori wrote:

Right now I am expierencing the shakes, hot and cold flashes and I've had to vomit twice. Gaming additctions are not fun things to have. I don't have a life outside World of Warcraft. I don't know what I am going to do with myself now. I am scared.

Welcome! Although you have me beat in terms of length of playing (3 years for me...wrath baby here), Although the severity and time for detox differs for everyone, what you are feeling is normal. It will pass. I promise.

Although it's normal to have worries about the future and what you will do now, try to not go there. It just makes things worse because then you unbring in unnecessary anxiety and fear. Try to just focus on today....this very minute if you have to....and again, I promise that it will pass. Turn to whatever will help you stay game-free this very minute....God, exercise, reading, whatever...

Quitting for me has been a process, and it's getting easier. At first, though, I had OLGA set as my homepage, and I still wind up checking in 4-5 times a day. It helps me remember that there are other succeeding in staying away from gaming.

We're in this together.You can make this your new guild if you want. :P

Atreide

Oh, and you can start a blog here too. I do that to channel my thinking knowing that others in recovery may read it and have some insight. And, every night, there is a chat meeting here. Those are a great way to get through another hour and usually come out with a new insight or two. There are also Skype meetings, but I haven't gone to any of those.

Hi Friends I just found out about this site and I really want to recover from my addiction to video games, I'm Mexican and I use the google translator to write to you and sorry for my spelling.
Just a week ago accepted and recognized that he was addicted to games and this day I started to work to recover from this addiction.
I'm Addicted to War PS3 games like Call of Duty Modern Warfare and Battlefield 3, now delete my PSN account to no longer play, and I have a day without playing, I hope to find support in this community and to overcome my addiction.

From small games played on machines and now I have 30 years, am married and I have a 1 year old son and I really do not want it to be like me, so I overcome my addiction to games.
thanks

Welcome pantera087. You make a great first step by coming here and admitting you have a problem.

I am sure there are Spanish speakers on this forum who can respond to you in your native language. Gaming addiction is a global phenomenon.

These links may be helpful to you when you just quit gaming:

What to do when you crave gaming: http://www.olganon.org/?q=node/5565

Withdrawal symptoms: http://www.olganon.org/?q=game_addiction_withdrawal_symptoms

Buena suerte !