Computer games: Beneficial and fun, or pure evil? I’d like to tell you that I can provide a definitive answer. But the research jury is very much out on this.

The academic literature is wrought with writings about how playing video games can have negative effects. However, such concerns do not appear to be shared by the public at large. Broadly, it seems that most people believe that computer games are in fact positive. However, it can also be detrimental to some.

As many parents of teenage kids know, it can be a constant battle (no pun intended) to get them of their screens while gaming. But it is worth noting that it is not only teenagers who are at risk from excessive gaming; adults and young kids can struggle with hitting the off switch as well. In fact, as many as 65% of the adult U.S. population play computer games and 25% of them are age 45 or older.

Excessive gaming can lead to the condition described as Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR) which is used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental health conditions. The DSM-5 lists nine symptoms of IGD:

For a diagnosis of IGD to be made, an individual needs to meet five of the nine criteria. It is worth noting that men and........

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