Video games rated 'D' for Depression

A recent study in the online journal Pediatrics found that children who spend numerous hours daily playing video games are more likely to become addicted to them.  The study found the children to have trouble fitting in with their peers, academic performance below expectations, and ultimately develop depression.

From elementary to college students, video gaming can become a dangerous routine. When playing a video game, the child can become so involved and wrapped into the virtual world that time escapes them.

At the Chronicle, we believe that video games have a correlation with depression, though we are unsure of which comes first. It's plausible that the child was depressed initially and turns to gaming as an outlet, or that the child begins playing video games and by doing so becomes depressed.

Students, as well as children, find themselves staying up into the early hours of the morning playing a game and may not even realize that they have class in a couple hours. Those who cannot seem to stop playing, even when social events and academic affairs are calling, show the symptoms of addiction. These gamers live in their virtual world and that world is top priority.

Social awkwardness has been listed as one of the side effects of a pathological gamer. However, on Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG), like "World of Warcraft", gamers have the ability to interact with other gamers around the world. In this instance, they are able to have social contact. However, there may be barriers between the way the gamer interacts online and how they interact on campus. Many gamers find themselves talking and interacting with fellow gamers and limit themselves to a certain group they associate with, while others may chose to not associate with anyone outside of their virtual world.

Unlike MMORPG's, games played on older gaming systems like XBOX, PlayStation and Nintendo did not allow for interaction between other players. Here, children and students could get completely soaked into games and indulge themselves for hours in this virtual world.

The simplest solution is for more parent involvement. Parents have the ability to monitor a child's play time, what they play and when they are able to play it. Many students express that, as children, they were not able to go out and play on weekdays. Instead they were told to finish their homework and study and were allotted the weekends for free time and play time.

For students and adults who don't rely on their parents to tell them to stop gaming, getting friends and peers to distract them from games is the best option. Granted, if their friends are gamers, it might be a little harder to get the motivation to step outside. Having a third party non-gamer is a wise option. It would be good for gamers to step out into the sunlight and get some much needed vitamin D.

Gaming in general isn't a bad thing. In fact, there are many intelligent and educational games available to play. It's when the person has lost all control and the will to stop playing, does it pose a threat to their health and social life.

The most probable solution that seems to have the most effectiveness would be for the parents to implement set times for video game playing. Not allowing the child to overwhelm themselves in the virtual world by allotting time for a child to play would be most beneficial. It is important for the parents to be authoritative and help prevent pathological gaming from an early age.