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One in 12 gamers has an addiction to playing, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Sydney. The
study was based on an online poll of 2,000 gamers who answered a series
of questions regarding duration of play and their experience of
negative side-effects, including declines in work related performance,
interrupted sleep patterns, cravings and weight change, reports TVNZ.
The researchers said that eight percent
of respondents fit the study's problem gamer profile, with 70 percent
in this category said to play games for more than four hours a day.
They were found to be more prone to social isolation and compulsive
behaviour, and to have a higher risk of depression.
"Their whole lives revolve around this activity and there certainly
seems to be a problem there - there is an addiction," said associate
professor Vladan Starcevic. "And it seems to us that these people seem
to ... have other mental health issues, and it seems excessive
videogame playing is a manifestation of these underlying problems."
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