Video game addiction refers to an individual’s compulsive use of computers and video games to the point of disrupting his daily activities. As the youth today becomes dependent on the Internet for leisure and entertainment, the issue of excessive video game playing began to alarm concerned parents.

Video games that are associated with violence, such as killing, robbery, and revenge can influence players to develop an actual physical aggression. Thus, some of the behavioral effects of video game addiction are comparable with gambling, drug abuse, and alcohol dependence. When not controlled, the habit can lead to serious issues in the person’s life including abnormal sleeping patterns, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, and interference with school.

According to Harris Interactive Poll 2007, 8.5% of youth gamers in the United States can be classified as “pathologically addicted to playing video games.” If you want to know whether or not your teenager is suffering from video game addiction, you can take an online addiction assessment test to identify symptoms of video game addiction. The test result can help you understand your teenager’s behavior and consult professional help to avoid the negative impacts caused by video game addiction.

Below are the top 10 extreme video game addiction cases based on real-life accounts.

1. ADD patient commits suicide over EverQuest

A 21-year-old man, named Shawn Woolley, who is suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) shot himself to death after playing EverQuest, a 3D fantasy-themed MMORPG. According to reports, Woolley had been a game player for 10 years, playing a variety of video game. However, within one and a half year of playing EverQuest his personality changed and he was later on diagnosed with depression and schizoid personality disorder. Woolley’s mother sued Sony after she was convinced that there was something on the game that pushed her son to commit suicide. The news made a big controversy in the world of MMORPG.

2. Boy murders his mother over Halo 3

A 17-year-old boy named Daniel Petric murdered his mother and injured his father after they refused to let him play Halo 3, an Xbox first person shooter game. The boy entered his parents’ room and shot the couple with a handgun. His mother died with three shots in the head, arms, and chest while his father survived a single gunshot in between his eyes. The prosecutors did not seek for death penalty because of Petric’s age but he was imprisoned for several years.

3. Boy kills Old Woman for Money

A 13-year-old boy in Vietnam killed an 81-year-old woman after robbing her with $6.20. In order to hide the evidence, he buried the woman with a pile of sand in front of his house. The boy later confessed that he needed the money to play his favorite video game.

4. Man stabs another player

Shanghai gamer Qiu Chengwei stabbed his co-player Zhe Caoyan after accusing the latter of robbery in the online game Legends of Mir 3. Chengwei said that Caoyan sold his virtual sword known as “dragon sabre” for $735 to another player. According to Chengwei, the dragon sabre was not Caoyan’s property. Thus, out of rage he had stabbed him to death.

5. Twins drown in the Bathtub

Ten-month old twins, Drew and Bryn Kleinmark, died after drowning in the bathtub as their father went to another room to play Game Boy Advance – a 32-bit handheld video game console marketed by Nintendo. Gregg J. Kleinmark, the father of the twins, pleaded guilty in 2005 to two accounts of involuntary manslaughter.

6. Daughter dies of neglect

A three-month old baby from South Korea died after her parents left her starving in the house. The police reports state that the baby’s parents, who met through online chat, spent more time raising a virtual girl via the computer game Anima. Every day the couple would spend 12 hours in an Internet café while occasionally dropping by their house to feed the baby with a bottle of milk. During the autopsy, the South Korean police found out that the baby was born premature and had died from starvation.

7. Boy commits suicide

A 13-year old boy named Zhang Xiaoyi committed suicide on December 27, 2004. He left a note saying that he wanted to join the heroes of the World of Warcraft, the game that he used to worship. Zhang jumped from a tall building after playing World of Warcraft for 36 hours straight. His parents tried to sue the distributors of the game but could not find the right company.

8. Man dies of Heart Failure

A 21-year-old video game addict in Inchon, South Korea died of a heart failure after a non-stop session of “Starcraft,” a military science fiction video game. He had compulsively played Starcraft since his graduation from high school and missed getting enough sleep. According to his parents, the boy had complained about his having difficulty breathing but had refused to seek medical attention.

9. Teen Burns Classmate

A 17-year-old teen in Beijing, China burns his classmate as revenge after losing an online battle in the World of Warcraft, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG.) He covered his classmate with gasoline and lit him on fire. He said that he had transformed into a Fire Mage, a character in the World of Warcraft, upon committing the crime.  The boy has been sentenced to 8 years in prison and has been ordered to pay the family’s victim with $103,140.

10. Teen Skips Classes

A 15-year-old boy from Perth, Australia, skipped classes every day to play his favorite video game. He spends at least 16 hours a day in front of the computer while his mom is at work. Every morning he puts on his school uniform but slips back to his daily wear as soon as his mother leaves. To cover for himself, he informed his school that he had undergone a surgery, and cannot go to school for a couple of weeks. His parents soon found out his ruse when the school contacted them to check up on

Posted under Addiction Treatment & Counselor
Tags: drug abuse, online addiction, online addiction assessment test, online addiction test, Video Game Addiction.