There was news this week that the Chinese authorities are cracking down on gaming time under 18, and gaming addiction is the topic of our weekly miracle. Let’s take a look at some game statistics in Southeast Asia, find out what is the most addictive video game, and then ask “has the game become more addictive?”
Note: The above figures only reflect game consoles, not smartphones.
Facts and figures:
- The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized gaming disorder as a mental health condition in 2019. It is defined as: “A mode of game behavior (“digital game” or “video game”) characterized by impaired control of the game, increasing emphasis on the game over other activities, so that the game takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, as well as continuing or Despite the negative consequences, the upgrade of the game. “
- China is the world’s second largest gaming market, After the United States.
- A sort of Study in Hong Kong in 2017 It was revealed that 13.9% of male students spend more than 20 hours a week playing video games.
- In South Korea, gaming disorder has been declared a public health crisis, and more than 600,000 children are struggling to fight video game addiction.
- Guess so 10% of children in Singapore Addicted to the Internet and games.
- This video Dr. Alok Kanojia, an expert on video game addiction psychiatry in the world, said that although Iran has the highest video game addiction rate in the world, you may be surprised.
- but, According to Vladimir Pozniak, A WHO researcher who focuses on gaming disorders, geographic location has little effect on your likelihood of gaming addiction.
- It is believed that in parts of Asia, including China, Japan, and South Korea, as well as Europe and the United States, greater access to technology may be the reason for the increase in game addiction.
- According to a study in 2020 The Children and Youth Broadcasting and Media Association conducted a survey of 3,065 Thais between the ages of 15 and 18. Among them, 32.6% of the respondents spent 3 to 5 hours playing online games on weekends and holidays.
What is the most addictive game?
King of GloryOne of China’s most popular multiplayer online battle games produced by Tencent has been criticized by parents for its “violent and vulgar content”. They believe that the minimum age of 12 is too low.
In 2020, HoK’s daily active users will exceed 100 million.
Has the game become more addictive?
Our own Joe Hindy gave his thoughts on mobile games and addiction:
“About eight years ago, I started reporting on mobile games. At that time, people thought that good mobile games were very different from today. We had simple arcade games such as Doodle Jump, Flappy Bird, Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds. Of course, occasionally There will be more complex games, such as Bard’s story, but in general, people tend to arcade games because they have a shorter game time and you can continue to succeed when you pass relatively short levels.
“Today, things have not changed as many people thought. The most popular mobile games include Genshin Impact, Pokemon Go, PUBG Mobile, Garena Free Fire and other such games. The graphics, mechanics, and game execution are all better than older mobile phones. The game is much better. In these categories, tremendous progress has been made. However, newer mobile games use most of the same addictive triggers to encourage more players to participate.
“Mobile games do a great job of stimulating reward pathways in the brain. A number of studies have confirmed this; in fact, World Health Organization classifies gaming disorder as a real psychological disorder Because psychology shows that games can lead to addiction, so that it affects a person’s ability to function in society.
“There is also evidence that people with depression, social anxiety, and autism are in Higher risk of gaming addictionOverall, men tend to be more likely to suffer from gaming disorders, but women tend to suffer more negative physical side effects. Of course, the research is still in progress, because this is a relatively new phenomenon and there is no long-term data to view.
“Early mobile games were addictive, but it was achieved through simple but interesting game mechanics. Modern mobile games have learned to stack addictive mechanics many times to get the maximum effect. Some mobile games turn practice into an art. Forms, such as Pokemon Go, it almost constantly provides more rewards that make you want to play, triggers the exciting egg incubation mechanism, and releases addictive sports endorphins in the walking aspect of the game.
“It’s no wonder that Pokemon Go still has approximately 150 million monthly active users-even though it has been around for 5 years, this number is still rising. Compared with early games such as Angry Birds, the addictive cycle is much simpler, and you can see how much progress has been made in mobile games in a relatively short period of time. “