«Gaming is as addictive as alcohol or nicotine»
Mr Eidenbenz, what can parents do if they notice that their child is neglecting friends and hobbies and only wants to play games?
Playing times must be regulated and limited. This is usually associated with conflicts. The most important rule is: parents must ensure that their children get enough sleep. And they can do this by limiting computer game time in the evening. It is also important that young people switch off the screen half an hour before going to sleep. This is because computer games are exciting and the light from the screen has a lot of blue components that activate and keep them awake. If children and young people get enough sleep again, they are more likely to be able to juggle everything: school, friends, hobbies, family commitments and gaming.
When is it time to seek professional help?
When a family realises that they cannot solve the problem on their own, when the parents no longer know what to do. Many mothers and fathers who come to us feel that they have failed because they were unable to control their children's play behaviour on their own. However, when parents seek help, they show that they care about how their children are doing and that they are prepared to do something for their children's future. It is usually best if they take the first step together with the young person. Contact points for this are regional addiction or youth counselling centres. They can help and, if necessary, refer them to another specialised centre.
How do you proceed in the Radix centre?
At the first meeting, we sit down with the family and see what the problem is: How often does the young person play? What other activities are suffering as a result? Does he still meet up with his friends? Is he doing his homework? And so on. Then we start to set rules together with the family. These are often time limits for gaming. Sometimes four to five sessions are enough, sometimes it takes longer. It's important that the family is involved. Because the young people themselves often don't have a strong awareness of the problem. They think: I'm just playing a bit, others do it too. If the parents then say: «We have a problem and we would like to solve it together, and it is necessary for you to come along», the young people can accept and understand this better. They then join in for their parents.
Since this year, the new diagnosis «Internet and Gaming Disorder» has been included in the diagnostic manual for psychological disorders. What do you think of it?
There are different opinions on this. Research shows that computer games have considerable addictive potential and are dangerous for some users. Game addiction is comparable to substance-related addictions such as alcohol or nicotine, including the difficulty of quitting. In this respect, the diagnosis is justified. For many parents, it is also helpful to know that their child has an addiction. Then it is not simply lazy and undisciplined, but in a certain sense sick and in need of help.
The topic of online addiction: Why can games be so addictive?
Computer games are designed to keep the consumer hooked for as long and as often as possible. They are constructed in such a way that they make the user dependent to a certain extent through regular and random rewards, as in gambling. For example, the difficulty of the games is customised to the user with different levels. This means that the player is never under or overchallenged. This can trigger a feeling of flow, which can be addictive in addition to the successes. The potential for addiction is compounded by the constant availability of mobile devices. It is astonishing that most young people can deal with this in a reasonably sensible way. However, if they are in a crisis or burdened by personal weaknesses such as ADHD or depressive traits, the risk increases and an addiction can develop.
What can be the consequences of an addiction?
Performance can drop, especially at school. Some of those affected have to repeat a grade or even drop out of school, fail their A-levels or drop out of an apprenticeship. In addition, during their time as gamers, they miss out on group experiences in real life as well as important first romantic relationships. This can have dramatic consequences for the lives of these young people.
Gaming is a fantastic, entertaining pastime, which in most cases is unproblematic and educational.
Franz Eidenbenz
Is there a healthy approach to gaming?
In any case. The vast majority of young people have a so-called functional approach to it. Gaming is then one of various leisure activities in which they also learn and practise things such as reaction speed or social interaction in an online context. They can even gain leadership experience when travelling with a virtual team. To summarise: gaming is a fantastic, entertaining pastime, which in most cases is unproblematic and educational. However, it harbours a considerable risk of addiction, which increases in crisis situations. It is therefore important to keep an eye on the extent of gaming and, if necessary, to act in good time or seek help.
What options do parents of younger children have to teach them a healthy approach to gaming?
Parents should find out which rules are age-appropriate and sensible for their children before they allow or give them a smartphone or other internet-enabled device. Accordingly, they should agree these with the children in advance. The administrator rights, i.e. the main access code to the device, should be in their hands. However, there are usually some conflicts, which is normal. But ultimately it is the parents' responsibility to set age-appropriate limits.
