Dear Dr. Wes and Marissa: I saw an article claiming that there are actually treatment programs – like 12-step groups – being set up for video game addiction. Is this something we as parents should really be concerned about, or is it another example of the media hyping something or mental health people looking for a new market? – Concerned mom

Wes: I saw the same story a few weeks ago and initially had the same reaction. I wondered if perhaps drug companies would market a new medication that “reduces the risk of your teen becoming addicted to Xbox by increasing serotonin in his brain,” and schools would begin offering Gamers Anonymous as a club. After all, video games – which appeared when I was in high school in the early 1980s – have been blamed for everything from teen crime to carpal tunnel syndrome – sometime with evidence and often without.

That said, there really is some reasonable concern here. It seems the British are out in front on this issue. According to the BBC (and most teen boys I see), the new wave of 21st century games are far more sophisticated and thus a bit more intoxicating than their predecessors. Mark Griffiths, professor at Nottingham Trent University and video game addiction expert, has found that these new games are more psychologically rewarding than ever before because “they require more complex skills, improved dexterity, and feature socially relevant topics and better graphics.” Based on simple brain science with any increase in “psychological reward” comes a greater risk of developing an addiction. This is why chocolate cake is more addictive than green beans.

As with all indulgences, the problem runs the gamut from minor to severe with only a small group of teens reaching the point of addiction. A recent study of children in their early teens found that almost a third played video games daily, but only 7 percent played for at least 30 hours a week. It’s this latter group that has clinicians and researchers worried. Griffiths suggests the following warning signs of addiction:

¢ Playing almost every day

¢ Playing for long periods (from three to four hours a time)

¢ Playing because one needs the excitement

¢ Becoming restless and irritable if they can’t play

¢ Sacrificing social and sporting activities to play

¢ Playing instead of doing their homework or going to work

¢ Attempting to cut down their playing but can’t

This list should sound familiar. It’s roughly the same criteria we use for alcoholism. From a clinical standpoint, I have seen teens who are addicted to video games. The number has increased from just about zero a few years ago to several at any given time. Some of this is related to the massive multiplayer games like “World of Warcraft,” which is apparently a government plot to infiltrate our brains and pacify us like something out of Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World.” If you don’t get that reference, you’re spending too much time playing it. This game is apparently more interesting than sex, romance, drugs or music, and way better than going to school or work. This certainly has a number of us worried not only for the mental health but also for the physical well-being of teens.

Bottom line: In considering your teenager, keep an eye both on the emerging research and the above-cited points of reference. Video game addiction probably won’t gobble up the world – but neither is it a joke or just the latest hype.

Marissa: I have found that those who seem to be the most “addicted” to video games are my male peers. I have earnestly tried to understand why sitting in front of a screen for hours a day, every day, is so wonderful, but so far, no luck. That does not mean I never play a video game here and there, but I find myself bored and antsy after about 20 minutes and would rather spend time with other people.

Though it sounds funny to say so, I honestly believe that video games can be addictive. I have witnessed several examples of it with my friends. I even know of a young man who flunked out of college because he spent every day sitting in front of his computer playing “World of Warcraft” instead of going to class or studying.

For those of you found the signs of addiction that Wes listed to be all too familiar, I think it’s certainly time to wean yourself away from the computer or TV screen. If you are spending more than an hour or two playing every day it’s time to consider doing something else. The easiest way to do this is to find people who do not like to play video games and spend time your newly found time with them. Search for a different activity that interests you. Not only will it benefit you physically and mentally, but socially, too. It’s hard to make good friends when you are only speaking with people in cyberspace.

Next week: A teen laments his entry into the world of work, by noting, “how much it sucks” in an unnamed fast food franchise.