In the corona pandemic, playing with mobile phones, consoles or computers has noticeably increased. What German surveys say can also be applied to Austria. “Behavioural addictions are increasing massively,” confirms addiction primary Kurosch Yazdi from the Neuromed Campus Linz.
Every eighth man in Germany plays more often than before the pandemic – during the lockdown period in 2020 it was even every fifth man, according to a Forsa survey commissioned by the KKH Kaufmännische Krankenkasse based in Hanover. Females appear to be less susceptible. According to the survey, every 13th woman in Germany gambles more than before, while every eighth respondent said so in 2020.
Younger people are more at risk
For the representative study, around 1,000 people aged 16 to 69 were surveyed online in July 2020 and July 2022. As expected, the younger respondents in particular stated that they had been playing more games since the corona crisis.
Four percent of 16 to 29-year-olds said that they have been playing significantly more since the pandemic – twelve percent admitted to playing a little more. At least seven percent of them also said that they have been playing significantly less since the pandemic.
Among the older respondents between the ages of 30 and 69, only one percent played significantly more. The following applies: Not everyone who plays for several hours at a time is automatically addicted. But there are clear alarm signals, said Michael Falkenstein, KKH expert on addiction issues.
lost control of time
These signals include losing control over how often and how long you gamble, not being able to stop, putting gambling ahead of other activities, and continuing even in the face of negative consequences.
“Someone is addicted to computer games who neglects their family and friends, school or work, who eats poorly because of constant gaming, who hardly sleeps, who skips hobbies and sports activities,” he explained. But: “Playing until you drop – that’s obviously still the exception.”
Nevertheless, according to the survey: A total of 61 percent of men and 44 percent of women in Germany play computer games – online and offline. In 2020 it was 66 percent of men and 52 percent of women. One in three men and one in four women play at least two days a week, and 18 percent of women and men play every day. The main differences between the sexes are in the length of the game: more than half of male gamers play at least an hour a day on a PC, console, tablet or smartphone – slightly less than half at weekends.
Women are at least a little more abstinent, only about a third of whom play for more than an hour a day. 16 percent of men, on the other hand, play at least two hours or longer on Saturdays and Sundays, nine percent even at least five hours. Why is it played so much and for so long? Fun, pastime, stress reduction and switching off are reasons, said the health insurance company.
But for men it’s also about group dynamics: 22 percent of them play because their friends do it too – but only six percent of women. “Men often prefer games in which they can compete with others, including friends. These are role-playing games, for example,” explained Falkenstein.
Low self esteem
In particular, people with low self-esteem use such games to free themselves from frustration and insecurity – with a sense of achievement, failures in everyday life can be more easily compensated. But there are also positive effects of computer games, he said: “When players join forces with others, they not only experience something together, but also make social commitments.”
Games were a way of social exchange, especially during the lockdown phases of the pandemic. In order to help people who gamble excessively, it is important to determine the causes of addiction, Falkenstein explained. It could be depression or social anxiety disorder. The Duisburg psychologist and cognition researcher Matthias Brand wrote in May in the journal “Science” that computer game addiction is a serious illness that can cause measurable changes in the brain and is comparable to alcohol or drug addiction. But that’s not a reason for panic, he warned. According to international studies, around three percent of adolescents and young adults suffer from computer game disorders.
Source: Nachrichten
