Daniel Crush

Games Addiction Report

I have been commissioned by Channel 4 to produce a documentary program on an issue

that may affect the lives of young people. The topic that I have decided to go with is ‘Games
Addiction’ which will be targeted towards teenagers and adults. I have chosen this target
audience as I believe that it’s the age range that this topic is most likely to affect and be
influenced by a documentary. Games addiction is a serious topic that can affect the lives of
many teenagers and their families. It refers to the excessive use of computer and video
games which leads to interference of the so-called ‘normal life’. There have been many
reports and instances whereby a user will play a game constantly, isolating themselves from
the real world, having very little social interaction. Furthermore, during this report I will
have to consider where I have got my research from, what time the documentary should air
and how it will be produced.

Secondary Research

Worldwide Web: The first type of research that I will be

collecting will be from the worldwide web. Before looking
at signs and symptoms of games addiction, I will be first
covering a simple definition of the matter. Games addiction
is described as an ‘impulse control disorder’ which is similar
to pathological gambling, rather than the use of intoxicating
drugs. The addiction has been referred to as an over and
excessive use of computer and video games.

Video game addiction is a very real problem for many people. According to the ‘University of
New Mexico’, recent studies suggest that 6 to 15 percent of all gamers exhibit signs that
could be characterised as an addiction. Although this disorder can have quite significant
consequences to those that are suffering it, it’s signs and symptoms can sometimes can be
very difficult to recognise.

There are a range of factors that cause an addiction to video games. The main one being
that the developer’s and designer’s aim of their game is to make them addicting, to
encourage more people to play the game. Another way that they accomplish this is by
making the game challenging to make the user come back and play the game, but not so
hard that it would make them give up.
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Moreover, there are many warning signs that signal a person is becoming addicted to a
game. These can be emotional and physical.

Emotional Symptoms:

 Feeling a need to play when they are unable to

 Having thoughts of previous activity or the anticipation of playing the next online
session

 Lying to friends and family about the amount of time spent playing a game

 Isolating yourself from others in order to spend more time gaming

Physical Symptoms:

 Fatigue

 Migraines due to eye strain and intense concentration

 Poor personal hygiene

Furthermore, there are some other short and long term effects of being addicted to video
games. Some of these include avoiding sleeping or eating properly in order to continue
gaming. The short-term effects may include fatigue or hunger, but these can quickly develop
into more serious issues, such as a sleep disorder or diet related health issues. In addition to
that, those who isolate themselves to a video game may miss out on family events or
outings with friends. As well as that, games can be very time consuming and therefore
leaves gamers little time to focus on their education or career.

An article has been produced by the ‘BBC’ on the 2nd January 2018, addressing games
addiction and how it is now classed as a mental health condition by the ‘World Health
Organisation’. It mentions that the condition, ‘gaming disorder’ will be under ICD, also
known as the ‘International Classification of Diseases’. In addition, some countries have
already identified it was a major public health issue, including the UK which have set up
private clinics to treat the condition.
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A lead technology addiction specialist at the

‘Nightingale Hospital’ in London, ‘Dr Richard Graham’
welcomed the decision to recognise the condition.
Here’s what he had to say about the matter:

“It is significant because it creates the opportunity for

more specialised services. It puts it on the map as
something to take seriously.”

But he added that he would have sympathy for those who do not think the condition should
be medicalised.

“It could lead to confused parents whose children are just enthusiastic gamers.”

He said he sees about 50 new cases of digital addiction each year and his criteria is based on
whether the activity is affecting basic things such as sleep, eating, socialising and education.

He said one question he asked himself was: “Is the addiction taking up neurological real-
estate, dominating thinking and preoccupation?”

Furthermore, a recent study from the University of Oxford suggests that, although children
spend a lot of time on their screens, they generally managed to intertwine their digital
pastimes with daily life. As well as that, it was found that boys spend a longer time playing
video games compared to girls of the age rating of 8 to 18.

Another researcher, ‘Killian Mullan’ said: “People think that children are addicted to
technology and in front of these 24/7, to the exclusion of other activities – and we now
know that is not the case.”

“Our findings show that technology is being used with and in some cases perhaps to support
other activities, like homework for instance, and not pushing them out,” he added.

“Just like we adults do, children spread their digital tech use throughout the day, while
doing other things.”

Internet Forums: I am also going to be doing some secondary research on internet forums
to see the effect that games addiction has on families. An example that I found on the
forum, ‘OLGA’ was about a mother and her 25-year-old son that’s suffering from games
addiction. He has no job, no friends and just spends his time in his room playing video
games, with no form of interaction. She began to mention that, “He began gaming when he
was a pre-teen” and that she “didn’t think it was something to worry about back then”. She
also goes on to say that, “I’ve tried taking the computer away from him but then he ignores
me and stays in his room”. The forum allowed anonymous people to respond to her post to
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give her advice on how she could help her son

overcome his addiction. After a few months, she
managed to help the situation and her son by
“cutting down the internet gradually to nil”. She also
mentioned how “The idea was keeping him away
from gaming and internet long enough so that his
brain would have a chance to recover.”

Primary Research

Questionnaire: Below is a screenshot of the questionnaire that I have created and handed
out to 10 different people. It’s on the topic, ‘Games Addiction’ and it will give me an insight
into how many people play games and for how long. When I got the results back, I found
them to be quite interesting. Furthermore, to be able to compare and analyse the results
properly, I turned them into graphs and statistics which can be found at the end of the
research under the heading, ‘Conclusion’.
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Interview: I interviewed some of my classmates to get their thoughts on games addiction,

and how it may have affected them in their younger years. Here’s the interview of a former
game addict who wished to remain anonymous.

Interviewer: From what age did you suffer from games addiction?

Interviewee: “I was about 14 years old, I used to come home from school and turn on my
Xbox to play games. I used to play for hours, right from when I got in up until I went to bed.”

Interviewer: When did you realise that this was becoming an issue?

Interviewee: “After one year of this lifestyle, I just felt like there was more to it than this. I
would be constantly arguing with my parents, I didn’t have many friends and I would be
losing sleep every night just so that I could play more games. It’s actually quite funny as I
have only just been aware that I did actually suffer from this disease, because at the time, I
just thought that I liked spending my time playing games and it being a hobby. But to think
of it now, it wasn’t a hobby, it would distract me from other things such as my education
and daily life.”

Interviewer: When playing, would you get annoyed or frustrated?

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Interviewee: “Yes, after a few months I would get more and more frustrated at the games I
played, especially if I lost. This is when I knew I had to stop playing these games. My parents
would also get annoyed at the noise I would cause, yelling at the games.”

Interviewer: On average, how many hours a day would you spend gaming?

Interviewee: “I would say about 8 hours on average. Obviously, there were some days
where I would spend more time than others, especially at the weekends. There were also
times where I stayed up for 24 hours, gaming and doing nothing else. It wasn’t good for my
health.”

Interviewer: How has your life changed from overcoming this addiction?

Interviewee: “It’s definitely changed for the better. There were times where I would waste
money on FIFA points. I would spend over £200 at a time and it was basically the only
money I owned. Combining that with the amount of time I spent gaming it would be
constantly putting me in an angry mood. But now, I socialise a lot more and spend more
time outside exercising. It’s surprising how exercise can lift your mood.”

Quantitative Research

Programmes Ratings: I have also researched the sales figures of the most sold ‘Xbox One’
games of all time. As you can see from the screenshot below, this information was taken
from the ‘VGChartz’ website and it shows that the top selling games are all shooters, with
the exception of ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ at the top of the charts. Furthermore, it’s important
to note that the figures are in millions of units sold since launch.
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The top selling game was, ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ and it had a total of 7.6 million sales globally.
Followed closely behind was the game, ‘Black Ops 3’ with 7.2 million sales globally.
Furthermore, what we can take from this is that a lot of these top selling games are all 18+
rated and a lot of people playing these games will be underage. This could be another factor
into games addiction and why people are getting addicted to these games at such as young
age.

Qualitative Research

Responses to News Coverage: Another type of research I did for ‘Games Addiction’ was
looking at some people’s responses to news coverage. After ‘Games Addiction’ was officially
classed as a mental health condition, many people took to Twitter to tweet their thoughts.
Moreover, most of the responses were quite negative towards the news of it being classed
as a mental health condition. The first tweet was by ‘@3L1TENDO’ saying:

A Twitter user named ‘@C9Ally’ who is an eSports player who describes himself as ‘Ally the
Destroyer’ tweeted:
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Furthermore, another tweet was by ‘Vincent Ally’ who is a 21 year old from ‘Ohio’ that
suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. He enjoys playing video games in his spare time
but believes the ruling undermines other serious health conditions.

Another Twitter user going by the name of ‘@whalepeasant’ wasn’t very happy about the
news:

Discussion: I also found an online discussion/debate on games addiction and whether it

should be classed as a disorder.

"Quite possibly, labelling excessive screen use as an addiction may just be a proxy for
expressing concerns about the impact disagreements about screen time are having on
family dynamics," as a recent UNICEF report about children's access to digital technology
put it. "Careless use of addiction terminology downplays the very real consequences of the
behaviour for those who are seriously affected, while overstating the risk of harm for those
who at times engage in somewhat excessive, but ultimately not harmful, use of digital
technology."
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In calling the WHO's proposed definition a "junk

diagnosis," Stetson University Psychology Professor
Christopher Ferguson argues in a Huffington Post piece
that "of course, any fun activity can be overdone... but
there’s little evidence to suggest video games are more
addictive than other behaviours... 'gaming disorder' is
indicative of a larger trend to increasingly pathologies
normative behaviours, whether for moral reasons
(because older adults would prefer kids look at trees or play canasta than play video games)
or financial (because there’s money to be made) or political (to regulate behaviour or
speech)."

Similar concerns led a group of 28 experts in the field, including Ferguson, to write an open
letter to the WHO in 2016 urging them not to let a "moral panic [surrounding] the harm of
video gaming" lead to "the treatment of abundant false-positive cases." Citing the low
quality of current research and lack of consensus on symptoms, the group worried that
listing the disorder would "cause significant stigma to the millions of children and
adolescents who play video games as part of a normal, healthy life."

On the other side, a group of researchers led by Nottingham Trent University's Mark
Griffiths recently noted that even critics of a clinical listing for gaming disorder note that
"some gamers do experience serious problems as a consequence of the time spent playing
video games." If that's the case, they argue, "how can such an activity be seriously
problematic yet not disordered?"

Griffiths and his colleagues also point to a growing body of epidemiological and
neuroimaging studies on large populations that suggest some similarity between the effects
of problem gaming and "substance-related addictions" on the molecular and neurocircuitry
level. While Griffiths and his colleagues have acknowledged that there is little consensus on
the issue, they argue that listing the disorder would help add some consistency to the
diagnosis and provide clarity for further research.

The game industry, as represented in the US by the Entertainment Software Association,

doesn't agree. "Just like avid sports fans and consumers of all forms of engaging
entertainment, gamers are passionate and dedicated with their time," the ESA said in a
statement. "The World Health Organization knows that common sense and objective
research prove video games are not addictive. And, putting that official label on them
recklessly trivializes real mental health issues like depression and social anxiety disorder,
which deserve treatment and the full attention of the medical community. We strongly
encourage the WHO to reverse direction on its proposed action."
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A finalized WHO listing for these two gaming disorders probably won't settle the long-
running debate over the issue. But it could represent a major step forward for those who
see overuse of gaming as a risky behaviour for a small portion of the population and for
those seeking treatment of these kinds of symptoms in themselves or loved ones.

Audience Research

Audience Classification: For the short documentary on ‘Games Addiction’ that will be
presented on Channel 4, I will have to choose a specific target audience. The target
audience that I will be aiming this product at will be teenagers and adults as the
documentary will take place from 9:00PM to 10:00PM. I’ve done this so that any adults (and
teenagers) can learn from this about the effects that games addiction can cause and how
they can prevent it; say if they have a child. As well as that, the adults that watch the
documentary may want to pass this information onto their child in a simpler form, to
educate them on the addiction. This is because younger audiences may not understand the
issues surrounding the subject. As for the gender of the target audience, the documentary
will be aimed at both males and females as both genders can suffer from games addiction.

Socio-economic Classification: Socio-economic classification also needs to be considered for

the production of my documentary. It’s important for me to consider social and economic
classes for my documentary to ensure that it will be suitable for my target audience and the
different classes. Additionally, the social classes that I expect to watch my documentary
would range from D to E. The reasons for this is that I wouldn’t of thought that a higher class
family would have as many issues with games addiction compared to a lower class family,
that maybe struggle to afford days out and holidays.
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Market Research

Competitor Analysis: When searching online for other

documentaries on the topic, ‘Games Addiction’ I could only find two.
One was called ‘Web Junkie’ and the other, ‘Second Skin’. There was
another few on the site, ‘YouTube’ but only two as official
documentaries that are available for purchase. To find out what I
have to do to make mine stand out from the other two
documentaries, I will purchase them and watch them to see how I
can improve. The first documentary, ‘Second Skin’ was published in
2008 and is 1 hour and 35 minutes long. It’s an American
documentary whereby the director, ‘Juan Carlos Pineiro-Escoriaza’
investigates the realm of computer role-playing games, focusing on
die-hard players who had their lives altered by their gaming
obsession. The other documentary, ‘Web Junkie’ was published in
2013 and is 1 hour and 19 minutes long. Furthermore, it’s an
American-Israeli documentary whereby three young men are sent to
a treatment centre in Beijing to be cured of their gaming addictions.

Production Research

Content: The content of the documentary is vitally

important to ensure that it suits my target audience. It
will also reflect the time slot given for the documentary
that will be shown on Channel 4. For example, if there
is a lot of strong language and any material shown that
is not suitable for children, the documentary will be
shown after 9:00PM. Moreover, the documentary will
be suitable for my target audience which is adults and
teenagers, however, it probably won’t be suitable for children as they won’t understand the
topic and may get quite bored of it.
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Conclusion

To conclude, overall I think that my research has been quite successful for my short
documentary on ‘Games Addiction’. I found a lot of interesting information and opinions
from a range of people using different research techniques. I collected some information
online as secondary research and I also collected some of my own information from an
interview and a questionnaire. Furthermore, below I have some of the results from the
questionnaire that I did earlier on:

Do you play any video games?

Yes No

As you can see from the question, ‘Do you play any video games?’, 7 out of the 10 people
who answered the questionnaire said that they play video games. 3 out of the 10 people
didn’t.

How many hours a day do you

spend gaming?

0 1 to 2 3 to 4 5+

As you can see from the results of the next question, ‘How many hours a day do you spend
gaming?’, there was a mixture of results. 3 out of the 10 people said that they don’t spend
any hours gaming. 2 out of the 10 people who answered the questionnaire said that they
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spend 1-2 hours gaming a day. In addition, 3 out of the 10 people said that they spend 3-4
hours a day gaming, and finally, 2 out of the 10 people said that they spend over 5 hours a
day gaming. So, overall, the majority of the people who answered the questionnaire said
that they take time out of their day to game. Moreover, from looking at the results it’s clear
that many of us are spending too much time playing video games instead of getting out of
house exercising and doing something more beneficial.

How many 18+ rated games do

you own?

0 1 2 3 4 5+

The last question that I asked on the questionnaire was, ‘How many 18+ rated games do you
own?’. This time there was two stand out results. 4 out of the 10 people who took part in
the questionnaire said that they didn’t own any 18+ rated games. Furthermore, 5 out of the
10 people said that they owned over 5 18+ rated games. Only one other person said that
they owned 3 18+ rated games. Moreover, out of the 10 people who took part in the
questionnaire no one owed just 1 or 2 18+ rated games. From these results, it’s clear that
too many of us own 18+ rated games when we are under that age rating. This could be
contributing towards the growing numbers of people suffering from games addiction.

I also asked the people taking questionnaire what they thought the symptoms of games
addiction are. These are some of the responses I received:

“Playing that many games that it affects your sleep and daily life”

“Playing too many games”

“Playing a lot, not socialising”

“Feeling unhappy when not playing”

“Missing meals and sleep, doing nothing else apart from playing games”

“Lacking sleep due to playing, anger over losing, mood swings”