Hi All,
I am completely new to this site, having only discovered it 2 days ago. Yet, all that I read here convinces me that my children (2 boys, age 10 and 14) are both addicted to computer games. I need a way to describe the symptoms of computer game addiction to my 10-year-old. I looked on the site for the "self-Test" but couldnt find it. What are the main symptomes of gaming addiction? I want to go over a concrete list with my son so he can see how his behavior fits the profile of addiction. Then, I can start the process of weaning him from Minecraft, until I eradicate it completely from the house and all our computers. I read several entries from this site to my 14 year old, and the entries were so unnerving to him that he immediately deleted his Steam account from his computer. He's ready to give up Minecraft as well, but I want the 2 boys to do it together, so my 10-year-old can have the support of his older brother (whom he idolizes) as we go through the withdrawl process. So: list please? or, where do I find the self-test?
Hi mweinfield, welcome to OLGA! Please try the following link:
http://www.olganon.org/?q=self_tests_on_gaming_addiction
We will communicate more if you think your boys need help. Please let us know if you would like us to share our experiences. All the best!
"The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past. You can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches." "The first step toward change is acceptance." "Once you accept yourself, you open the door to change. That's all you have to do." "Change is not something you do, it's something you allow."- Will Garcia
To everyone who has posted, I want to humbly say "thank you." My husband and I are just at the beginning of this journey with my boys, and I so fervently hope to be able to help them before they fall completely into the gaming abyss. My 10 year old is much more addicted than my 14 year old. My 14 year old had bought himself a couple of Warhammer books, and it was only when my husband and I began looking at it that we thought to search google for "Warhammer gaming addiction". What we read was chilling, and it led us to OLGA. We've returned the books but OMG we feel that my son dodged a bullet. It really opened my eyes to the behavior of both my boys. I still feel shaken and am committed to getting all the games off our devices / computers and out of the house. I worry b/c esp. My 10 year olds friends are all gamers so the temptations and the "computer-talk" will be all around him during the school day, but I'll cross that bridge once we're game free at home. Thank goodness winter break is upon us! I'll have those two uninterrupted weeks to try to bring the boys out of their virtual worlds and back into the real world.
This YouTube video may help as it helped the kids that heard this message:
**WARNING** Gaming Images in Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS6AHwrKb3g
Andrew P. Doan, MPH, MD, PhD
My Gaming Addiction Videos on YouTube: YouTube.com/@DrAndrewDoan
*The views expressed are of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the U.S. Navy, DHA or Department of Defense.