Is Your Love Of Gaming Turning Into Addiction?

Gaming offers so many different health benefits that it can be very easy to ignore the signs that the rate at which you play is a problem. Gaming - much like anything else - can be a problem if you don't have boundaries involved. In the same sense, there are people who can have a glass of wine every Friday and enjoy it comfortably, where others would sink a bottle or five. Gaming needs boundaries, and it's important that if you are a gamer that you understand that gaming addiction is a mental health condition and should be recognized as such.

Gaming addiction is actually the second most common reason that young people are being admitted into residential treatment programs. When you watch games being played with FinalBossTV and see how amazing gaming can be, it's a good inspiration to get you started. The only issue is the boundaries we spoke about earlier. If you can self-impose boundaries, then continue to play healthily and enjoy every second. However, if you no longer have control over your gaming behaviour, this is a problem and you need some help. Below, we have some of the signs that your love of gaming has spilled over into a problem.

• Gaming comes first. If you are noticing that being on your video games has become the most important thing in your life above everything else, then there's a problem and you can't fail to notice that. You need sleep, you need relationships with family, friends and work colleagues, and you need to eat. If you are putting off all of these things because they eat into your gaming time, then you are going to have a problem. Gaming shouldnt be the only priority in your life, but a part of it.
• You're exhausted. If you are spending hours and hours of your day gaming, to the point that you're not going to bed at a decent hour, this is a problem. Tiredness and fatigue are part of life, but you shouldn't be gaming to the point you're sleeping for two hours a night and that's all. Your sleep cycles can be thrown off by the activity of staring at the screen for hours on end.
• You suffer migraines. When you spend hours at a time staring at the screen, you can bet that your eyes will be strained, which can lead to migraines if you're not careful. Bad headaches are not the norm, so you need to keep an eye on this and start reducing your screen time (and get your eyes tested) if you notice migraines and headaches.
• You've become short tempered and impatient. This is a common side effect when you would rather be on your video game than being a part of your usual daily routines. It's easier to lose your cool and snap at those around you who may just be engaging you in regular conversation.

When it comes down to it, you should be able to play your games without making it your entire life's work. Gaming is supposed to be fun - are you having fun?