Nathan Valle
I got my first gaming console when I was [7 years old], and then I guess everything just kind of snowballed from there.
I picked up my first controller, and I thought, “This is fun.” I’m actually controlling the person in the video game, and I can dictate my own story.
Natalie Fitzpatrick
How often or how long would you say you spend on playing video games?
Nathan Valle
I would say maybe four times a week, five times a week.
Natalie Fitzpatrick
What about before?
Nathan Valle
I was upwards 8, 10 hours a day. I was like, “You know what? I don’t care about anything else around me. I got video games. That’s all I need.”
Natalie Fitzpatrick
That’s my whole day at work.
Nathan Valle
Yeah.
Chantelle Jusay
Yeah.
Natalie Fitzpatrick
Well, what do you think was bringing you back there, to playing for that long?
Nathan Valle
I was just kind of going through a breakup, I just didn’t want to face that pain. And then I saw video games as, if I can dictate my narrative in different games, if I could be something else, I could just take my mind off the breakup for like, a few hours at a time, that would be awesome.
Nathan Valle
There was a point where I realized “I’m doing this for way too long. I don’t care.” And I knew I was addicted. My grades were dipping. I stopped sleeping. I had a lot of headaches but I didn’t care.
Natalie Fitzpatrick
Why do you think gaming is so addicting?
Chantelle Jusay
There is something called dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter, or what other people like to call the “happy hormone,” and that’s what’s in charge of making you feel any type of pleasure, satisfaction, even motivation to do things. And dopamine is only secreted into the brain when it’s associated with an activity that does bring pleasure. And once your brain associated that feeling to that controller being in your hand, it already said, “Okay, that’s my dopamine hit. That is my happy hormone response.” Any type of negative feeling, your body starts to crave that happy hormone. And since your brain has already linked the two, “I’m going to pick up a controller.”
Natalie Fitzpatrick
Is there a point, though, where seeking that dopamine or trying to go back for that hit can become harmful?
Chantelle Jusay
Yes. Video game addiction is considered an addiction when you’re gaming for three hours or more every single day.
Gaming for that long does produce short-term and long-term negative effects. In the short term, it’s usually physiological. You know, loss of sleep, loss of appetite, headaches, loss of concentration, you get eye strain. If you continue after, you know, feeling these negative symptoms the long-term effects are quite brutal. You can experience carpal tunnel and inflammation in your joints, and then also muscle atrophy. So that’s you know, like the muscle tissue actually lessening and lessening every single time. And psychological negative long-term effects as well. So, anxiety, depression, harmful thoughts, suicidal thoughts, withdrawal and self-esteem issues.
Chantelle Jusay
Sometimes, the harmful thing is you might not know when and where to stop.
Natalie Fitzpatrick
So, even if that maybe stemmed from gaming originally, are these effects, things we can see, perhaps continuing in the future, even after we stop at a certain point.
Chantelle Jusay
It’s a case by case basis. Typically, the physiological symptoms should lessen. The psychological symptoms, it does get a little bit more complicated if different life things happen at the same time and you’re associating your emotional response and your psychological response also incorporated into that cycle. But, yes, it’s possible to reverse all of it. That does happen typically, but we are not going to shut down all the cases that it might not, as well.
Natalie Fitzpatrick
So, what I’m hearing is, there is hope.
Chantelle Jusay
There is hope.
Natalie Fitzpatrick
But, that’s not to neglect the fact that, of course, that doesn’t mean that it’s difficult to get there—
Chantelle Jusay
Yes
Natalie Fitzpatrick
To get through to that hope you’re looking for.
Chantelle Jusay
Exactly.
Nathan Valle
I knew all of this was happening to me, but again, I just didn’t care. Even though I had, like, a perfect attendance in school, I would show up to lectures, I would show up to everything else, that kind of just didn’t matter in the end, because I was still on my computer, just playing video games all throughout the night, you know, going to sleep late, and then having negative emotions that I just didn’t want to confront at all, and just sought video games as a way to just back off and as a way to escape from everything that was happening.
Natalie Fitzpatrick
That’s fair. I mean, it’s pretty heavy to think about and mull over the things that are bringing you down, like you don’t want to have to repeatedly go back there.
Chantelle Jusay
And sometimes, it’s also dependent on age, right? And where you are in your life, it’s sometimes just easier to pick up a controller or log on versus dealing with your problems, which can be very difficult to do on your own too.
Natalie Fitzpatrick
I’m sure our parents see that too, even our friends or our siblings, and they’re probably worried about how we’re feeling. What are some things that maybe could help them be able to address if they recognize “Maybe we’ve got addictive behavior of some kind”?
Chantelle Jusay
The first thing that needs to happen is open communication and your loved one or your parents lead with empathy and honesty as well. It’s also about the physiological responses that are happening and that needs to be explained to the person, because maybe they’re thinking that, “Oh, you’re just nagging me because I need to do my chores or I have other responsibilities.” but really just being honest about why you’re concerned and not judging the person’s experience and answer to why they are engaging in so much gameplay, being prepared that you might hear things that you’re not ready to hear.
Natalie Fitzpatrick
But for us to recognize when that’s needed, what are the signs we should look out for in the people that we love?
Chantelle Jusay
Fixation on video games. Like, maybe it could have started something really, really small, but all of a sudden you’re trying to text them, or trying to hang out with them, and they don’t have time for you, but you know they’re at home, so you’re kind of getting a little bit suspicious. What’s going on and what are they spending all their hours doing? Or maybe they haven’t eaten in eight hours. Personal hygiene is lacking. You know, grades dipping is also a big one, because loss of concentration is a huge symptom of the gaming addiction, that is also a huge indication. Any sleep disturbance, also because, instead of sleeping, they’re gaming, is another thing.
Nathan Valle
We were all locked in our houses for a few years, and we just couldn’t leave. So the only way that we could have connected was through video games.
My best friends, they spent a lot less time than I did. When I would be gaming eight hours a day, I just wanted to keep going, and they all noticed it within me, too and they would always tell me “Take a break!” you know. I was like, “Nah, it’s okay. I’ll keep playing. I have time, so I might as well play.”
Did I internalize it? No, because I just heard them say it to me. They didn’t sit down in front of me. Just because I heard them say it, [it] doesn’t mean I’m gonna internalize it. I could be doing something else on my computer too. It probably went in one ear out the other, and it wasn’t until they told me, like, “You have to stop.” and “We know what’s going on.”, that’s when I told myself, “Okay, like I gotta stop.” Right? It’s not healthy for me. It’s also not healthy for them, and my relationship with them.
Chantelle Jusay
And that extra support goes a really long way. Like you’re saying that face to face connection. And you know, a part of it also, like we talked about having that open communication and that supportive, empathic, non-judgmental, which is really important, but we really need the action, like the follow through after that conversation. Because imagine just talking to your friend that’s struggling with gaming addiction and then walking away. It hasn’t really changed that behavior. It hasn’t broken that cycle, that reward system cycle is still happening.
So, to loved ones out there that maybe have someone that’s struggling, make plans like make a bucket list of things that you want to do, step away from the computer, step away from the console, maybe engage in self care, do other things, and help minimize the distraction of the gaming. Whether that’s like, “Hey, let’s make a pact, you get to play an hour every single day. I’ll play with you, and then that’s it. We’re gonna go out afterwards.”
Natalie Fitzpatrick
Do you think that’s important, though, getting out of the house and away from the console?
Chantelle Jusay
Yeah, because, I mean, our bodies just have, this physiological response that is linked to our psychological response. Getting away from your area where you play video games is the first, like way that you can tell your body, “No, that’s enough. We’re breaking this cycle.” We just want to make sure it’s a healthy cycle, and you’re engaging in the activity in a well-balanced, moderate way, whether that’s, you know, like going to the gym instead of going to, you know, play video games. You’re creating that dopamine response, but it’s with something else that’s more healthy for you.
Natalie Fitzpatrick
Yeah. And if you’re like me, and you hate the gym…
Chantelle Jusay
You can just take a hike. Go hiking, see beautiful scenery, do something else, go for a bike ride.
Natalie Fitzpatrick
Yeah. You cut down severely the amount of time that you spent playing video games, and you recognized that where you were at before was not healthy. Where are you at now?
Nathan Valle
I’m doing a lot better. I’ve been starting to get bored after like, an hour of playing. I want to focus more on school. I want to focus more on my duties. I want to focus more on everything else that’s around me.
And I made this promise to myself, anytime my friends would ask me to just go out, there’s no way I’m sacrificing their time and my time just for the sake of playing some video games. You know, I want to make sure that I’m keeping those healthy relationships, because I don’t want to go back to wasting a third of my day on something that isn’t productive.
Natalie Fitzpatrick
I am going to hold you accountable for that promise you made to yourself. Spend time with your friends, I like that. That’s really good.
Chantelle Jusay
I’m just happy that you got here.
Nathan Valle
I’m happy too, man!
Chantelle Jusay
Like, I’m sure you’re proud of yourself, but just to our viewers, even like, be proud of how far you’ve come, and don’t be afraid to get onto that journey, and your loved ones will be there for you.
Brother Donald Pinnock
People do not set out to become addicted to a practice or substance. But why do some people fall under the influence? Well, let’s read here in II Timothy 3 and the verse is 1:
But understand this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear].
[II Timothy 3:1 Amplified Bible]
Brother Donald Pinnock
There are those who, due to stressful circumstances in life, they search for any means possible to alleviate, if not eradicate, the emotional or physical pain they are going through. What else is a tragic consequence of addiction? Let’s read in Proverbs 21 and the verse is 17.
He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich.
[Proverbs 21:17 New International Version]
Brother Donald Pinnock
To earn a living nowadays is very difficult, and what is earned should be used wisely. The same when it comes to children who are squandering so much precious time playing online video games instead of studying.
Why are some people unable to control themselves? They over indulge in online gaming. Let’s read the answer in Galatians, the chapter is 5 and the verses are 19 to 21 and the Bible states the following, to us,
It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions, ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s Kingdom.
[Galatians 5:19, 21 The Message]
Brother Donald Pinnock
One may say that they are free to do whatever they so desire, but such so-called freedom may hinder one from being saved and to enter the kingdom of heaven.
So what do the apostles advise the Church Of Christ members so that they can spend their time wisely and make sure of attaining salvation? Well, let’s read in I Corinthians, 15 verses, 33 and 58
Don’t be misled. “Bad company corrupts good character”… So then, dear friends, stand firm and steady. Keep busy always in the work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless.
[I Corinthians 15:33, 58 New International Version]
Brother Donald Pinnock
This is the reason why we should be busy in the work for the Lord or in our spiritual life, for example, attending worship service devotedly, inviting people through Church activities, holding a Church office and so much more. Please take note, staying busy in serving God is never useless, but instead will help us to attain salvation and eventually eternal life. No amount of time spent playing video games can ever do that. Well, that’s all for us today here on vantage point, see you all next time you.
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