Video gaming joins smoking, gambling on list of common addictions

Times Live

"I'm a massive fan," he said. "I've been playing the series since the World War days and absolutely love it." Circumstantial evidence suggests gaming can be as addictive as gambling. In July a Diablo III fan in Taiwan collapsed and died after a 40-hour session at an internet cafe. Australian National University psychologist Olivia Metcalf has found concrete evidence that gaming is indeed addictive. For her research, which showed that addicted gamers had trouble focusing on other tasks, she gathered volunteers representing: those who were addicted; those who were regular players but who were not addicted; and a control group of non-players. They were tested for their responses to gaming-related words.

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