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Our mission
To educate parents and guardians about gaming behaviour. Identify and separate the habitual behaviour of a gaming hobby from the risk factors of a gaming addiction.
THE GAMING LANDSCAPE
Between 2014 and 2022 the number of gamers has increased by 53% (from 1.8 billion to 3.1 billion)[1]. Video games are perceived as a leisure activity popular by the triggering of motivating factors, such as fun stimulated by engaging gamification mechanisms of rewards, progression, social factors[2].
The most recent statistics of online gaming in 2023 state that 40% of people around the world are online gamers. The most popular video game genres are Massive Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs), casual and social games driven by mobile platforms, subscription-based games and free-to-play games[2].
Common worries for parents and guardians
Not neccesarily! Contrary to what you might think, playing video games can actually be a very sociable activity. Playing video games can even help young people who would normally be shy and introverted to really come out of their shells.
Not neceserly! Parents should monitor the amount of time their children are playing video games as problematic video game playing can have several effects on an adolescent physical and mental health and can impact the individual’s daily activities and change their behaviour.
There is no consensus among scholars on video games effectively being good or bad for children’s well-being. Instead, both positive and negative impacts of video games on a child’s well-being need to be considered weighed in the discussion.
You can contact your primary doctor to have your child redirected to a psychiatric/psychological assessment, you can also reach out to associations in your area, such as On-Line Gamers Anonymous (https://www.olganon.org/).
If you’d like to assess if your child is at risk of developing a gaming addiction, please fill out this survey by Clinical Psychologist Dr. Brent Conrad (this is not a substitute for a medical diagnosis).
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[1]Statista. (2023). Online games – worldwide. https://www.statista.com/outlook/dmo/digital-media/video-games/online-games/worldwide
[2]Baker, N. (2023, May 12). Online gaming statistics 2023. Uswitch. https://www.uswitch.com/broadband/studies/online-gaming-statistics/
[3]Conrad, B. (n.d.). How to Help Children Addicted to Video Games – A Guide for Parents. Tech Addiction. https://www.techaddiction.ca/children-addicted-to-video-games.html
[4]Guertin-Lahoud, S., Coursaris, C. K., Sénécal, S., & Léger, P. (2023). User experience evaluation in shared interactive virtual reality. Cyberpsychology, behavior, and social networking, 26(4), (pp. 263–272). https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2022.0261