More than one in four young people feel so ashamed of how much time they spend playing video games that they conceal it from their families.
Many are afraid to talk about their pastime because of negative stereotypes surrounding gaming, a survey by cyber security company Kaspersky found.
The multinational company surveyed 5,000 gamers and parents in 17 countries, including the UAE.
It found young people were worried about the attitude of their parents towards the activity, and therefore felt they could not confide in them if it got out of hand.
More than half of the young people said they felt their parents mostly saw gaming as an unhealthy activity.
One in three said their parents thought video games left children at the mercy of online bullies. At least 38 per cent of respondents said their parents thought gaming “rotted your brain”.
“There is still a stigma that gaming is bad for your health if you play too much of it,” said Maher Yamout, a senior security researcher with Kaspersky.
“Young people are ashamed to talk to their parents, especially if they are suffering bullying online.”
Gamers frequently interact with one another when they are playing online games. Mr Yamout said the chat rooms can facilitate badmouthing.
“Somebody might get called ‘a loser’, it seems harmless at first but it can quickly escalate from there.
“The more time people spend gaming, the more the exposure to these kinds of risks will grow.”
The Covid effect
The amount of time being spent playing video games has dramatically increased since the pandemic began, Mr Yamout said.
“It’s the same all over the world with lockdowns and social distancing, so it’s only natural that people would spend more time than they usually would gaming,” he said.
Studies showed that even before Covid-19, up to two billion people around the globe played video games each year.
In 2019, the World Health Organisation added gaming addiction to its list of internationally recognised diseases and, last year, the American Psychiatric Association released a report on gaming that made for stark reading.
Its study of adults in the US, UK, Germany and Canada found that 0.3 to 1 per cent of the general population could be classed as having internet gaming disorder.
This meant they played video games so much that it disrupted their day-to-day school or work life.
Gamers in the UAE
Last month, Abu Dhabi government opened a centre to help people overcome gaming addiction and antisocial behaviour. It is called Masouliya, which means responsibility.
Experts on the subject said it was understandable that people would spend more time gaming than before the pandemic.
“There is now an uncertainty in the world, where all the ‘rules’ that we once played by are no longer applicable, so some resort to video games where things are more predictable and manageable,” said Dr Saliha Afridi, managing director of The Lighthouse Arabia, a community mental health and wellness clinic in Dubai.
“People are not leaving the house as much and the gaming console might be a constant temptation, and they can use it to escape and numb their emotions.”
The Department of Health in Abu Dhabi has recommended parents limit their children’s exposure to video games to no more than two hours each day.
Barry Lee Cummings, one of the country’s leading experts on teen cyber safety, agreed the onus for making sure children do not become addicted must fall on parents.
As co-founder of Beat the Cyberbully, a group that offers support to young people and their families on digital safety, he advised: “It is important that parents get involved and understand the games that children are playing.
“That means they have to start playing the games themselves and show an interest in what their children are doing digitally.
“They need to understand why children would want to play games for eight hours straight.”
He said parents needed to truly understand what their children were doing – and why – before they could have a healthy and open conversation about it.
“The responsibility is very much on parents to provide alternative activities to gaming,” he said.
"If you give a 12 or 13-year-old the chance to play Call of Duty or Fortnite for hours upon end, of course they are going to take it."
Internet gaming disorder
Dr Afridi said the problem of gaming addiction was all too real for many families across the country.
“Gaming is an addiction in the most serious sense of the word. It has ruined people’s lives and relationships,” she said.
“Like all addictions, there is a sense of secrecy and shame because, somewhere inside, the person knows that they are not in control, and they are compromising their mental and physical health to engage in the addiction.”
She said the problem was especially prevalent in the UAE because some residents are wealthy and can easily afford the latest consoles and hand-held gaming devices.
“We have seen many parents come in with concerns about their children’s gaming addictions, and many couples who have mentioned that gaming habits have affected their relationship negatively,” she said.
“Gaming addiction can result in depression, anxiety, substance abuse and loneliness. It also leads to increased emotional problems, decreased academic or work performance, and financial difficulties, as many games require you to spend money to advance.”
