An addiction is a chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory, and related circuitry. This cycle leads people to make choices that are objectively bad for them, like smoking carcinogenic cigarettes or playing video games all day when you know you should be working, communicating with friends and family, or taking care of yourself or your dependents. For now, the only behavioral addiction in the DSM is gambling addiction.
But some argue that addictions to eating, shopping, internet use, sex, and other activities should be included. According to the WHO, mpaired control over the onset, frequency, intensity, duration, termination, or context of gaming, increasing priority given to gaming to the extent and the continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences are signs to describe a playing games addiction. It is a known fact, some people have actually died from combinations of exhaustion, stress, malnutrition, and dehydration while sitting at consoles for days at a time but the problem may be severe even without such consequences. Moderation is the key in all !
