Is 'video game addiction' a useful concept?
Some people certainly play an awful lot of games, and therefore have little of a life outside of them; but that doesn't in itself mean that games are harming them. Maybe that's just how they prefer to live. Maybe games are just filling a void that would otherwise be occupied by something else. However, some people do report suffering problems as a result of their gaming and wishing they could cut down on it. Such self-declared problematic use is surely of some concern. Now, a survey has examined the factors associated with problematic gaming, and the results are rather interesting. The study examined a representative sample of the US population aged 18 and over. 37% of respondents played games for at least 1 hour per week; those who did were asked detailed questions about the games they played, and how much they played ...
