From what I have heard, video gaming addiction is a very controversial topic being that many doctors do not buy into this addiction. For a little background of myself, I have been an avid gamer since I first received my NES Nintendo system back in 1985 and since then I have never really stopped playing the wide range of video games there are to be enjoyed. With some basic science and psychology courses under my belt I finally understand why I am the way I am.
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| The original nintendo controller. |
There is something called a natural high when a person experiences some aspect of life and a chemical reaction in the Central Nervous System occurs. This chemical reaction can be a release of endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and others. But here is the kicker, depending on the type of game (type of experience) one of those chemical reactions occurs and that is what the gamer becomes addicted to thus needing to play more and more for longer hours. For example let us say we are playing a first person shooter game (FPS), this is where you have a weapon to kill your enemy using your hand eye coordination as the skill to beat the enemy, and you are the only player left alive on our team while the other team has all five of their players still alive. You then proceed to annihilate the enemy team one by one through a series of maneuvers that keeps you alive, hiding behind a wall and jumping out at just the right moment because you heard the enemy’s footsteps, until you are the last player standing thus winning the game for your team.
In this scenario, each enemy kill represents a chain of minor dopamine drips that keep building up until the final game winning kill where the big drip takes place and a full body rush occurs. Your fellow teammates cannot believe you beat those odds of 5:1 and are amazed and complimenting you on your skill thus adding more pleasure to the experience. Now if you are human I assume you like feeling good because I know I do and as simple as a video game may seem there is another side to the pretty graphics and lore. The video game industry may as well be selling cocaine or heroin.
Citation:
Nintendo controller picture obtained on 10/24/10 from the World Wide Web. www.mrtees.com/images/Nintendo-Controller.gif
