Introduction
The video gaming industry, its history, development, and potential future are fascinating topics. Science has always sought to identify patterns in phenomena and processes, explain them, and categorize and apply the knowledge gained in practice. The field of video games is no exception.
The Duration of the Scholarly Conversation on the Topic
The study of video games began with timid single publications and has found its development in serious analytical studies currently being carried out on the basis of the largest universities in the world. Many aspects of video games are not yet understood, and their influence over people remains unclear. One such aspect is video game addiction – a research direction that has not yet been fully and adequately explored.
Moreover, there is no solid consensus as to whether video game addiction can be truly seen as a disorder. The knowledge gap regarding video game addiction, how it develops, how it affects the brain, and its consequences remains rather considerable. The previous projects discussed the research made in that direction, but the conclusion that there is much to study still stands.
Insights into the “Gap in Knowledge”
Initially, I took an interest in the topic of video games because I related to it, being an avid gamer myself and thus having the motivation and incentive to study the theme further. As I researched further into the question of video game addiction, it became clear to me that there is a distinctive lack of reliable scientific knowledge. Pontes (2018) states that “video game addiction is currently being considered as a tentative disorder by different medical bodies such as the American Psychiatric Association and World Health Organization” (p. 1). However, regarding the demographics, behavioral mechanisms and patterns, and neurobiological evidence, the topic of video game addiction still remains relatively underdeveloped, with most studies being outdated or relying on rather one-sided conclusions. Thus, I decided to develop an overview of the existing body of knowledge related to video game addiction to determine how this field of study could develop further.
Description of Video Games
Video games are currently experiencing formative development and claim to be a full-fledged art form. Introduced as a joke program for military equipment in 1958, video games have grown and changed throughout modern history. New genres appeared, and with them, new means of influencing the user. The main feature of video games as an art form is the possibility of co-creation between the player and the author.
A computer game is not a linear story, like a book or a movie; it always offers a choice – who you and your character should be. In a well-designed game, people do not simply enjoy the process and watch the story but feel responsible for their actions and choices. Such a dialogue between the author and the user allows one to take a fresh look at even old stories and reflect reality in a new way. It also creates a particular sort of connection between the player and the user – which can then be used to explain the formation of an addiction to some extent.
History and Culture of Video Games
Another unique feature of video games is their origin and subsequent development. Video games originated from the fine arts in a globalized environment, but now society sees a grandiose – in intensity and scale – variability of their variants. Myths, legends, stories, national legacy, and history can all be manifested through a game, adding depth and value. Moreover, it is not just about using iconic elements of national culture, which is a manifestation of globalization. Still, it is precisely the creative rethinking and use of the unique cultural heritage. The cultural aspect of video games is a whole research field that should be studied more in the future. When researching the demographics and characteristic features of various gaming communities worldwide, it could be helpful to examine the specific patterns and stories that video games draw. Such an approach could provide more depth for video game addiction studies that focus on the personal characteristics of gaming addicts.
Behavioral Addiction in Video Gamers
Video game addiction is different from addiction caused by the use of psychoactive substances such as alcohol and heroin, and thus, it should be studied separately. Pontes (2018) still suggests that “while video game addiction remains controversial at best, preliminary evidence exists suggesting that it may be a feasible concept and a potential mental health disorder” (p. 1). Applying existing research practices and methodologies has proved to be ineffective when studying video game addiction. Therefore, new approaches are required.
As opposed to substance addiction that relies on chemical dependency, video games cause another form of addiction – behavioral. This condition is not as destructive as drug addiction in terms of health effects, although it still brings severe consequences with it – especially in the aspect of social life. Judging by the observations of neuroscientists, games indeed can be addictive – in the full scientific and psychological sense of this word.
Contextualizing Research Within Existing Scholarship
However, my research shows that there is minimal and mostly outdated knowledge on the exact demographics and personal characteristics of the population that is prone to video game addiction. Most studies target only the prominent parts of the gaming audience, often forgetting to account for the least visible groups of gamers. For example, the late 80s-90s research centered around male gamers, primarily children and teenagers, and the 21st century’s studies have repeated mainly that mistake. I would like to emphasize that it is necessary to study the aspect of demography in more depth, as the gaming community grows larger each year, attracting a wide variety of populations. Enthusiasm for games in different countries differs markedly, and experts also use different criteria for giving the diagnosis of addiction.
To be more precise, more qualitative research is needed, and the studies should focus on different groups and what are the effects of video games on them. There is not even yet reliable knowledge on who is more prone to gaming disorder: men or women, teenagers, adults or the elderly, and whether this condition has a hereditary predisposition. So far, it is believed that male adolescents are most prone to video game addiction, and the overall protective measures are aimed at this group. There is a strong need for more relevant, current-time research that will account for the rapid changes the video game industry has experienced in the last 20 years.
Conclusion
The study of video games is a young and ambitious area of scientific research. It has gone from local and disparate scientific works in various fields of knowledge to a full-fledged scientific discipline with many approaches to studying video games. Current research is carried out in various areas of the topic and affects technical, technological, and humanitarian problems. This work aimed to analyze and highlight the main problems of modern research related to the development of video games and to identify the most promising areas.
Work Cited
Pontes, H.M. (2018). Making the Case for Video Game Addiction: Does It Exist or Not?. In: Ferguson, C. (eds) Video Game Influences on Aggression, Cognition, and Attention. Springer, Cham. Web.