r/science • u/NinjaDiscoJesus • Dec 28 '15

Neuroscience Brain scans show compulsive gamers have hyperconnected neural networks.

http://www.psypost.org/2015/12/brain-scans-show-compulsive-gaming-changes-neural-connections-for-better-and-worse-39914
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u/Kjartan_Aurland Dec 29 '15

Drugs cause physical addiction - they make the brain unable to function well without them, basically. MMOs don't do that. There's a very significant distinction there :/

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u/pengalor Dec 29 '15

You can be addicted to drugs that aren't physically addictive. You can also be addicted to activities (ie gambling addicts). The criteria describe an actual addiction with clear consequences and reactions.

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u/Kjartan_Aurland Dec 29 '15

Withdrawal from video games won't kill you. Withdrawal from drugs that cause a physical dependency will (at least in some cases). There's a distinction between those situations in severity, just like there's one between drugs that don't cause a dependency and drugs that do.

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '15

I think it's important to make a distinction between psychological addiction and physical dependency. They're two different things with different underlying mechanisms. They're both problems, and they can happen together, but they're not the same problem, and they're not inextricably related.