Most young people play video games sometimes. But when gaming starts to dominate a young person’s life, it can be a sign of addiction. Gaming addiction is common in Dubai and worldwide, especially among young people, seriously impacting their present and future well-being.
What Is Gaming Disorder?
Gaming disorder, or gaming addiction, develops when online or offline gaming starts to take over a person’s life, causing social, emotional and occupational harm. It’s characterised by compulsive or out-of-control gaming that continues despite these negative consequences. People with gaming disorder might:
- have excessive thoughts about gaming
- lose interest in hobbies and previously enjoyed activities
- engage in deceptive behaviours towards family members and friends
- use gaming as a coping mechanism for difficult emotions
- experience withdrawal symptoms if they try to stop gaming
Gaming disorder, or internet gaming disorder, is listed as a mental health disorder in the Classification of Diseases manual (ICD-11) and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Version 5 (DSM-5), respectively.
Studies that assess the prevalence of internet gaming disorder worldwide have found a range of different results. Most studies find that around 3- 6% of people live with a gaming disorder, but in some places and among some groups, this may rise to 19%.
Because internet gaming disorder is a relatively new disorder, research about its prevalence, causes and treatment is still lacking, especially outside of Europe and eastern Asia.
Understanding Gaming Addiction
Addiction is characterised by the repeated engagement in a behaviour despite its harmful consequences. People can develop addictions to almost anything that causes positive feelings, including shopping, smoking and gaming.
Addiction develops when an activity or substance activates the reward system, a network in the brain that helps to reinforce life-preserving behaviours like eating or sex. When we engage in these activities, our brains produce a small amount of the brain chemical dopamine, causing feelings of pleasure and making us want to do the activity again.
While this process is normal and even healthy, when we engage in a behaviour a lot over a short time, it can become maladaptive. As our reward circuits change, the urges that we experience to engage in an activity can become very strong and difficult to resist, even when an activity becomes harmful. This is known as an addiction.
Some products, including some video games, are specifically designed to interact with the reward system to encourage consumers to continue using it, maximising the time spent with the product or services. This means that users, such as video game players, are also at a higher risk of developing an addiction.
Why Are Young People Especially Vulnerable to Addiction?
Young people’s brains respond to internal and external stimuli differently from adults’. Compared to an adult brain, the adolescent brain has certain features – such as heightened impulsivity – that make young people more vulnerable to developing addictions. Young people’s brains continue developing until the age of twenty-five, so even young adults are at an increased risk.
Developing an addiction during adolescence can also change how brain structures and networks form, causing long-lasting neurological changes that impact brain functions and well-being.
How Common is Gaming Addiction Among Young People in Dubai and the UAE?
While there have been no large-scale prevalence studies of gaming addiction in the UAE, existing research suggests that gaming disorder may be relatively common in Dubai and the Middle East.
A study among children and adolescents in Dubai found that 56% of school children aged 13-15 years spent more than three hours a day on electronic games, rising to more than 63% among 16-17 year-olds. It also found that children who excessively use electronic games might face social, emotional and behavioural problems like anxiety, isolation and depression.
Another study explored symptoms of internet gaming disorder, inattention and impulsivity among 18–33 year-olds in the United Arab Emirates. It showed that among a group of gamers, both symptoms of inattention and impulsivity were separately associated with an elevated risk of internet gaming disorder behaviours.
A research paper based on university students in Oman found that 19% of students were at risk of gaming addiction. Students who spent more time or more money gaming were more likely to show signs of addiction. Those at a higher risk of gaming addiction also tended to show more signs of depression.
When Does Gaming Become a Coping Mechanism?
Children and adolescents with gaming addiction or problematic gaming behaviours are more likely than others to use gaming as a coping mechanism for emotional distress. Rather than playing games as a way to have fun, they may turn to gaming to distract themselves from difficult thoughts or feelings, including anxiety, low mood or frustration.
When young people use gaming as a way to distract from their emotions, it prevents them from developing healthy ways to manage and regulate their emotions that are necessary for stable well-being. It also creates a kind of emotional dependence on gaming, making it harder to stop or reduce gaming behaviours.
What Are the Consequences of Gaming Addiction Among Children and Adolescents?
When unaddressed, gaming addiction can have a devastating impact on young people’s mental health, relationships and well-being. As gaming increasingly dominates their thoughts and daily routine, young people may lose interest in activities they used to enjoy, neglect friendships and relationships and struggle to concentrate in school. Gaming disorder can also disrupt socio-emotional developmental processes, affecting mental health in the long-term.
Some of the consequences of gaming addiction may include:
- depression
- anxiety
- social phobias
- low self-care
- increased social conflict
- stress
- lower school achievement
- more absences from school
- concentration difficulties
- less sleep
- increased risk of suicidal ideation
Preventing and Treating Gaming Addiction
Gaming addiction can have a serious impact on young people’s well-being. But gaming disorder is both preventable and treatable, and with the right support, young people can recover and restore the harm caused.
Preventing Gaming Addiction
Preventing gaming addiction is a multi-faceted process that may involve parents, schools and mental health professionals. School-based psycho-education programs can offer important information about the reality and risks of gaming addiction, while providing tools to help young people cope with difficult emotions and daily stressors in healthy ways. Parents can also support these processes through open conversations and positive role-modelling.
Seeking professional support for underlying mental health problems, such as anxiety or depression, can help prevent young people from turning to gaming in the face of distress.
Treating Gaming Disorder
Treatment for gaming disorder usually involves cognitive-behavioural therapy, in combination with other treatment modalities such as group counselling, mindfulness training, arts therapy or somatic therapy. When gaming disorder co-occurs with other mental health disorders, treating these conditions simultaneously is crucial to meaningful recovery.
Research suggests that combination treatment plans that involve multiple different treatment approaches are the most effective for long-term recovery.
Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Gaming Disorder
Cognitive-behavioural therapy is a type of talk therapy that emphasises the interactions between our thoughts, emotions and behaviours. In CBT sessions, therapists and young people work together to identify unhelpful thinking patterns that may underpin addictive behaviours, replacing them with more positive ones. They may also develop helpful coping mechanisms to manage psychological distress without turning to online or offline gaming.
Trauma Therapy
Young people who have experienced trauma are more vulnerable to developing gaming addiction, and addictions in general. Traumatic experiences can cause ongoing psychological distress and disrupt emotional regulation strategies, making dependence on gaming more likely.
Addressing experiences of trauma is an integral part of recovery from addiction. Trauma therapies such as cognitive-reprocessing therapy, EMDR therapy and somatic experiencing can help young people reprocess and integrate traumatic memories and recover from trauma symptoms. Addiction treatment should include trauma therapy from the very start of a treatment program, facilitating a meaningful and holistic recovery process.
Trauma-Focused Recovery Programs with The Wave
The Wave offers specialist mental health support for young people and families experiencing eating disorders, borderline personality disorder, addictions and other mental health concerns. We take a whole-person approach to mental health support, combining exceptional clinical care with education, experiences and community projects. We support young people to heal from trauma, develop life skills and find their place in the world.
If you’re interested in finding out more about our programs, get in touch today. We’re here to make a difference.
