Many people seem to believe that vide game addiction is becoming an epidemic in today’s world, some believe that it is even the cause for young men not wanting to work in today’s modern society. Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Anthony M. Bean believes that the very idea of there being a “video game addiction” not only misguided at best but also dangerous. Dr. Bean along with his colleagues believe that the diagnosis was not deduced through science but instead through panic and political pressure. Bean and his colleagues even published a paper with the American Psychological Association, the paper entitled, Video Game Addiction: The Push To Pathologize – Not Recognize questions the research, reasoning, and motivation behind those who are pushing the claim of addiction.
Bean and his colleagues believe that there isn’t enough evidence to support the addition of video gam addiction in neither the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel (DSM) an encyclopedia containing all the recognized psychological disorders in the U.S. nor the International Compendium of Diseases (ICD) a larger version of the DSM. Bean and his colleagues have concluded that the study of a “video game addiction” is very subjective due to how vague the definition of gaming addiction is, some psychologists have turned what could simply be a fun hobby into something that is destructive. Bean has stated that the term was created due to society demonizing video games as well as rash and unsupported evidence, “One of the major concerns that we have is that we’re putting the cart before the horse on his one, we don’t know what video game addiction is. … The psychology and medical fields took the concept of addiction — whether it’s substance abuse or anything like that — and just switched it out with video games.
The thinking was, ‘Oh, it’s a form of addiction. It’s like any other addiction.’ But it’s not the same.” Bean asks why aren’t other things such as football, or reading considered an addiction? Bean states that the demonizing of video games will actually do more harm than good. People’s reactions to others upon believing that someone they know or love is “addicted” to video games can cause them to create negative opinions and perceive a negative image about them, which can damage them psychologically, and emotionally. Bean and his colleagues believe that people don’t understand that a “video game addiction” is not actually a real thing and that camps claiming to be able to “cure” people’s children and prey upon the parent’s belief and concern that their child has an addiction. After the child returns from the camp, what will the parents say then after he/she touches a video game controller? By labeling playing video games as being an addiction, clinicians are ruining what could simply be a stress reliever or a simple hobby.
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