Is gaming disorder a real addiction, and how can I tell if it’s affecting my child?
Studies have shown that video games and other addictions, such as alcohol and nicotine, affect neural pathways in similar ways: They all lead to an increase in dopamine levels in specific pleasure centers of the brain.
While drugs increase dopamine levels far more than video games, gaming can have a similar deleterious effect of “taking over” a person’s life.
One of the key ways that gaming addiction differs from other addictions is …