Excessive participation in on-line internet action games by two American teenagers: Case report, description of extent of overuse, and adverse consequences

Abstract

In the past 15 years, there have been more than 40 articles in the medical literature about excessive participation in on-line internet action games by adolescents and young adults. The following case reports provide detailed information on two boys, ages 16 and 20 years respectively, who are compulsive and enthusiastic internet gamers, to the exclusion of family communication, school activities, academic performance, participation in sports and dating. They have not mastered any of the usual goals of adolescent development.

Share and Cite:

Schwartz, R. (2013) Excessive participation in on-line internet action games by two American teenagers: Case report, description of extent of overuse, and adverse consequences. Open Journal of Pediatrics, 3, 201-203. doi: 10.4236/ojped.2013.33035.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1] Young, K.S. (1996) Internet addiction: The emergence of a new clinical disorder. The 104th Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, 11 August 1996, Toronto.
[2] Young, K.S. (1996) Internet addiction: The emergence of a new clinical disorder. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 1, 237-244.
[3] Rehbein, F., Mossle, T., Arnaud, N. and Rumph, H.J. (2013) Video game and internet addiction: The current state of research. Nervenarzt, 84, 569-575.
[4] Beutel, M.E., Hock, C., Wofling, K. and Muller, K.W. (2011) Clinical characteristics of computer game and internet addiction in persons seeking treatment in an outpatient clinic for computer game addiction. Z Zeitschrift fur Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, 57, 77-90.
[5] American Psychiatric Association (2013) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5th Edition, American Psychiatric Publishing, Arlington, 5-25.
[6] Choi, K., Son, H., Park, M., Han, J., et al. (2009) Internet overuse and excessive daytime sleepiness in adolescents. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 63, 455-462. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1819.2009.01925.x
[7] Park, H.S., Kwon, Y.H. and Park, K.M. (2007) Factors on internet game addiction among adolescents. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing, 37, 754-761.
[8] Festl, R., Sharkow, M. and Quandt, T. (2013) Problematic computer game use among adolescents and younger and older adults. Addiction, 108, 592-599. doi:10.1111/add.12016
[9] Batthyany, D., Muller, K.W., Benker, F. and Wolfling, K. (2009) Computer game playing: Clinical characteristics of dependence and abuse among adolescents. Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift, 121, 15-16.
[10] Ferguson, C. (2010) The influence of television and video game use on attention and school problems: A multivariate analysis with other risk factors controlled. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 45, 808-813. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2010.11.010
[11] Lam, L.T., Perry, Z.W., Mai, J.C. and Jing, J. (2009) Factors associated with internet addiction among adolescents. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 12, 551-555. doi:10.1089/cpb. 2009.0036
[12] Young, K.S. (1999) Internet addiction: Symptoms, evaluation and treatment. Innovations in Clinical Practice, 17, 19-31.
[13] Kandell, J.J. (1998) Internet addiction on campus: The vulnerability of college students. Cyberpsychology and Behavior, 1, 11-17. doi:10.1089/cpb.1998.1.11

Copyright © 2024 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Creative Commons License

This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.