Why Are Video Games So Addicting?
And how to escape the vicious circle
The other day, while browsing on Medium, I stumbled on a curious article. The writer told the story of how video games had taken a huge toll on his life, having decided for this reason to give up gaming.
It’s not the first time I happen to read such an article. Much to my bewilderment, there are plenty of writers who turn to Medium and share their troublesome feelings toward video games.
These stories follow the same leitmotiv:
- A male writer, usually in his late 20s or early 30s, reflects on his experiences in gaming.
- The writer gave up or is about to give up video games.
- These aren’t just lighthearted stories, but deep and meaningful reflections as if the writer went through a serious addiction.
- None of the writers had a clear explanation of what caused the addiction. They knew that video games activated a mechanism in their brain, but couldn’t elaborate any further.
For this reason, I wanted to shed some light on a topic that doesn’t get talked about enough on Medium, but that some writers have found the courage to confront.
Video games are very dear to me. I’ve been a gamer on PC since I was a kid, for well over 15 years — 75% of my lifetime. I love video games, but I’m also aware of the dangers that lurk in the shadows. I have been addicted to video games in the past, and whenever a writer on Medium comes out talking about the addiction, I can relate to what they say and I feel obliged to help in some way.
So let’s turn off our PCs, put down our controllers and dive deep into the reasons why video games are so addicting.
1. Rewards and progression
There used to be a time when video games were pretty simple and straightforward.
Think about DOOM. The genre-defining shooter offered to the players nothing but mowing down demons from another dimension in a series of levels.
And people loved such straightforwardness.
But as time passed, players demanded more. They weren’t just content with a simple adventure. They were looking for something that really paid off.
That’s when developers started asking themselves how to make their games more engaging — or addicting — so as to keep players hooked up to the screen as much as possible. The answer was implementing a new mechanic to video games: rewards.
How do rewards work?
When a player performs certain actions which have positive effects, the video game compliments the player with some kind of in-game reward.
To better explain this, I am resorting to a couple of very renowned video games: World of Warcraft and Call of Duty.
In WoW, you team up with your friends and set up to raid dungeons bursting with deadly creatures. Completing one of these dungeons will reward the players who took part in the raid with unique in-game items such as swords and armors to strengthen their game characters.
In CoD, players pick up their favorite guns and face each other in various arenas. If you’re good enough to take down multiple enemies in a single life, the game rewards you with new tools and weapons, such as powerful grenade launchers or an attack helicopter.
To sum it up, outstanding performance is rewarded with tools to perform even better and to gain a greater advantage over their opponents.
Why is it so important?
Game developers realized that rewards can keep players captivated by a video game for longer periods.
But there’s a critical tradeoff.
When a player receives a reward, dopamine is released. It’s our brains’ natural reaction: whenever we are rewarded for our efforts, the brain produces dopamine and we feel satisfied.
This sets off an insidious domino effect where players can stay hooked to the screen for long periods, just to feel that hit of dopamine again. And the more you play, the longer it takes to reach satisfying levels of dopamine production.
Once again, game developers are fully conscious of this effect. In the last years, reward systems have become incredibly sophisticated, and a clueless user could spend hours on a video game without realizing the passing of time.
The implementation of reward and progression mechanics often goes on par with online, multiplayer games. In a competitive environment, prevailing over your opponents is a top priority, and rewards work according to this goal.
Rewards are the first step into video game addiction.
2. The grind mindset
Talking about online games, another major factor that makes you addicted to video games is the grind mindset.
What’s the grind mindset?
Grinding as a technical term refers to performing a repetitive task to level up or obtain in-game items.
But this definition pertains to a smaller aspect of how video games are designed to increase replayability — in this case, by repeating the same task over and over again to obtain a greater achievement.
I borrowed the term grind to define a mentality that is omnipresent in online games.
The grind mindset drives the player to spend countless hours on a video game to progress as fast as they can.
In a certain sense, the grind mindset is a byproduct of reward systems. When players set their minds to rewards, they’re determined to obtain them at all costs.
If you played online video games as a teenager, the grind mindset is nothing new to you.
I’ll use my personal experience as an example.
As a teenager, I spent so much time on competitive shooters. I would come back from school, have lunch, and immediately turn on my PC to play as much as possible.
I had the grind mindset. All my thoughts, all my energy was focused on progressing the game, on becoming the better player in the arena. Winning a game meant a greater release of dopamine. Losing a game, instead, lead to frustration, but also motivated me to keep grinding even more.
That’s how online games keep you hooked on the screen. Regardless of the outcome of a match, you’ll always end up playing even more, and you’ll eventually reach a point where grinding is the only thing that comes to your mind when you wake up in the morning. And like any addiction, it sucks up all your mental energy.
You can’t get rid of an addiction to video games without getting rid of the grind mindset first.
3. Escapism and immersion
Have you ever wondered why video games have such a mesmerizing effect on your psyche?
It’s because they’re a safe haven from the struggles of real life, a deep immersion in a detached and amusing reality.
Life is a tricky game that requires a lot of effort. The most important things such as relationships, work, and physical health are hard to obtain.
And sometimes, things can slip out of your control. The outer world is far too complex for us to have a firm grip on everything, and sometimes we can find ourselves in hapless situations in which we had no business being involved in the first place.
But video games, they will welcome you with open arms like an angel — or a devil — and will usher you down the endless void of its virtual worlds.
There’s a brilliant term to define this attitude: escapism.
The Oxford Dictionary provides the following definition:
The precursors of escapism can be traced back to literature, music, and later movies. But those mediums don’t cause any chronic addiction.
Video games, instead, stepped it up a notch by allowing users to experience an unprecedented feeling of immersion, so strong that you can’t get enough of it.
This is why so many people are willing to compromise an average or unsatisfying life with the continuous consumption of interactive media. Do you work an awful 9–5 job? Your grades at school aren’t good enough? No problem, as long as you have your favorite video games at your disposal.
Such escapist behavior makes you crave more gaming time, thus, sucking you down into the pit of addiction.
How to get rid of an addiction to video games?
Establishing a healthy relationship with video games takes time.
Knowing all these elements will already make the task easier. You’ll be able to recognize which games make you addicted, and which moments in video games make your brain release more dopamine. Being conscious of these elements will give you an edge.
Starting small is important. And whenever someone asks how to build a healthy relationship with video games, I always give two simple tips that are so easy to put into practice.
1. Play single-player games only
Because online multiplayer games are the most addicting. They’re the ones that contain reward systems and that will grow a grinding and escapist mindset.
Single-player games also produce similar effects, but to a much more limited extent for the simple fact that a single-player game will eventually come to an end.
A single-player experience lasts no longer than 10–20 hours, and it rarely goes up to 30.
Online games, on the other hand, can virtually keep you hooked forever.
Once you get rid of multiplayer games, you’ll be amazed by how little time you spend in front of the screen.
2. Set your own rules
You can’t obtain amazing things in life without discipline.
Think about writing: many people set themselves a daily writing goal of a certain amount of words and have their favorite spot and time of the day to write. In a nutshell, they are disciplined.
Video games work the same. Without control, you can indulge in video games as much as you want and set off the addiction mechanism.
Discipline can prevent all of this from happening. Set your own rules, and find which ones work best for you.
In my case, I don’t touch video games before dinnertime, so that I can be as productive as possible throughout the day. On top of that, I have set a threshold of 2 hours of daily playtime, maybe 3 hours on the weekend. Anything more than that would be excessive for me.
Once you find discipline by sticking to your own rules, video game addiction will be a thing of the past.
Conclusion
Video games are astonishing role models of interactive media, but their capability of causing addiction reveals a double-edged nature.
The way we perceive video games should therefore change accordingly. The first step to avoiding addiction is by recognizing that video games aren’t mere pieces of entertainment, but powerful tools that can keep you hooked on the screen for a long time.
There’s no need to demonize video games by treating them like they were some kind of drug, but the right mindset will help you to genuinely enjoy gaming while staying away from addiction.
What was your experience with video games? Have you ever been addicted? And how did you cope with it? Let me know in the comments :)
