The Video Game Addiction Test
How to know if your child is developing an unhealthy gaming dependency.
Video game dependency is a serious issue.
Not only does it lead to mental and physical health problems, but it also can slowly replace all other important interests and activities in a child’s life, like sports, school, friendships, and most importantly, his relationship with his parents.
How do you know if your child has a video game problem?
Below is a short quiz to see if your child may have an unhealthy dependency on gaming or be at risk for developing one. I have adapted it to include examples of what these behaviors might look like in your home and have included common parenting responses.
(Note: This piece was written with boys in mind. However, many girls struggle with video game overuse.)
Internet Gaming Disorder in Children and Adolescents*
The DSM-5 suggests that five or more of these nine criteria may identify IGD (Internet Gaming Disorder) within a 12-month period. These criteria include:
1. Preoccupation with video games. Gaming becomes the dominant activity in daily life; the individual thinks about previous gaming activity or anticipates playing the next game.
Child behaviors include:
Difficulty listing more than three activities he loves more than video games.
Expressing boredom when not on a device.
Persistent begging for device use.
Spending significant time researching and watching YouTube videos about video games, as well as watching others play video games on YouTube.
Obsessively anticipating the allotted screen time permitted on weekends and during weekdays.
Choosing to do school projects about video games.
Preferring to game even when non-gaming friends come to play, perhaps even leaving them to retreat to his game to play.
Mostly requesting video games or gaming/computer equipment as gifts.
Parent behaviors: Parents allow chores and other activities to slide so that the child can game more. They allow the child to overuse credit cards to make in-game purchases and purchase the newest equipment, monitors, and games to keep him happy. Parents accommodate meal time by taking dinner to the child while he plays. Deep down, parents may desire to have their child home and close by.
2. Withdrawal symptoms when the game is removed: symptoms typically described as irritability, anxiety, or sadness.
Child behaviors. The child:
Is restless, mean, or irritable toward parents, siblings, and other family members when not allowed to play his video game.
Feels depressed when gaming is not allowed.
Throws the controller in frustration when he struggles in the game.
Displays gamer rage, angry outbursts, and violence when asked to stop playing games or when he loses in the game.
Protests game limits by withdrawing from family activities and doing nothing, indicating a preference to do nothing else if unable to play his video games.
Parent behaviors: Parents structure family time around their child's gaming to prevent outbursts and maintain peace at home. They make creative excuses for the child's extended game time.
3. Tolerance sets in—the need to spend increasing amounts of time engaged in games.
Child behaviors. Your child:
Plays video games every day.
Games on family vacations and doesn’t want to venture out.
Sacrifices in-person social activities with friends and family to be in the virtual gaming world.
Has a growing need to play more advanced/mature-rated games as his old games are not as exciting anymore.
Parent behaviors: When a child starts wanting more screen time, parents often find themselves adjusting the screen time limits to meet the child's request. The previous limits set for gaming are difficult to enforce and are not effective. Parents may justify the extra screen time by believing that the child is taking care of their responsibilities at home and school and deserves a break. However, once the game time limits are relaxed and the child is given more time, he may become even more irritable despite getting what he wanted.
4. Efforts to limit or decrease participation in games are not successful.
Child behaviors. The child:
Tries to reduce game time but is unsuccessful.
Uses game time as a bargaining chip.
Wants game time to be a reward for chores or other positive contributions to the household.
Consistently tests limits and requests “just one more minute” before doing chores or homework.
Parent behaviors: Parents are tired of arguing with their child about doing chores, so they have started to lower their expectations regarding the child's responsibilities at home, such as laundry, cleaning his room, and taking out the trash. They now use gaming time as a reward to motivate the child to be productive and complete his chores and homework. Sometimes, it seems easier for the parents to do the tasks themselves to avoid conflict. As a result, conflicts surrounding gaming increase in the household, leading to more arguments between the parents as they try to find solutions.
5. There is a lack of interest in real-life relationships, previous hobbies, and other forms of entertainment as a result of, and with the exception of, video games.
Child behaviors. The child:
Quits sports or other activities and hobbies and spends more time on screens.
Communicates primarily with friends through gaming chat rooms and spends less time in person with friends. Parents don’t know who their son’s friends are.
Replaces physical activity and outdoor play with more gaming time.
Shows decreasing interest in age-appropriate childhood activities—riding bikes, exploring nature, getting a driver's license—and replaces them with more time gaming.
Is isolating and withdrawing from spending time with friends in person.
Is not participating in school-related social events and activities, such as dances and parties.
Parental behaviors: The parents allow their child to quit extracurricular activities, clubs, and sports because they don't want to overschedule him and stress him out. Deep down, the parents are relieved; they don't want the hassle of managing his activities, which usually results in more arguments.
6. Continued excessive use of video games despite knowledge of psychosocial problems.
Child behaviors. Your child:
Grossly underestimates the time spent on gaming.
Denies that there is a problem with his gaming habit.
Is depressed and anxious.
Is unable to maintain personal hygiene and keep his surroundings in order.
Is shifting his focus from real life to the virtual world.
Is gaming more and more despite parents’ efforts to set limits.
Parent behaviors: Parents may recognize when their child has dependency issues, but they may feel unable to push their child to engage with real life. They may attribute their child's screen problem to genetic predisposition and feel exhausted and ready to give up.
7. Has deceived family members, therapists, or others regarding the amount of gaming.
Child behaviors. Your child:
Is secretive and lies about gaming sessions.
Pretends to be ill to stay home from school and play video games.
Lies about playing at friends’ houses.
Hacks the router or other parental controls to get more game time.
Lies about doing homework when he is gaming instead.
Closes or changes the screen when you walk into the room.
Steals money from your credit card to purchase game-related products or in-app purchases.
Parent Behaviors: Some parents initially refuse to believe that their child is capable of deception and may make excuses for the child's behavior. However, they may become angry once they come to terms with their child lying about gaming time or other game-related issues, such as overusing credit cards. Parents may also feel that pushing him to college to move him out of the house is the solution, mistakenly believing that the teen will outgrow his gaming overuse problem.
8. Use of games to escape or relieve a negative mood, i.e. feelings of helplessness, guilt, or anxiety.
Child behaviors. Your child:
Increases his video game time as a way to escape from daily stress or a family divorce.
Claims that video gaming is the only thing he loves and the only way he can cope.
Retreats to his game when he is bullied at school or experiences a school-related disappointment, such as not making a sports team.
Games more as a way to deal with life's disappointments. Small letdowns in life are too hard to handle—there's "no reset button" in real life like there is in the game.
Parent reactions: When a child is hurt, parents may be inclined to allow him extra screen time to make him feel better. They may also use game time to apologize for hurting their child's feelings or disappointing him. Parents may also lift video game limits to alleviate feelings of parental guilt when divorce occurs.
9. Has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational (or career) opportunity.
Child behaviors. Your child:
Is very smart but is underachieving in academics, getting C’s when he is an A student.
Makes excuses about why his homework is not done and talks negatively about teachers and other authority figures in his life.
Rushes through homework in order to have more game time.
Rarely spends extra time reading for pleasure or studying school subjects.
Is not prepared for school on Mondays.
Refuses to go to school.
Parent behaviors: Some parents may realize their gamer son is not reaching his potential, so they fill in the gaps by hiring tutors or even doing homework for the child. They might be in denial and make excuses when the child fails a class, is late for a job, or gets fired. These parents can fall into the trap of overparenting, which is how many gamers become overprotected and sheltered. Video games can foster an inability to launch into the next stage of development: young adulthood.
What’s Next
If your child shows signs of being at risk for video game addiction or screen dependency, it’s time to take action and make a change now. A good place to start is to take a month off of video games completely to allow your child to reset and re-engage with real-life activities. This doesn’t mean cutting back gaming time; it means cutting them out completely. Summer is the perfect time for a detox.
When you educate your kids and teens about gaming addiction, you will begin to win the video game battle in your home. When you join our Connect group, you will get support from other parents who have been where you are and can help with steps for reversing childhood video games and other screen addictions. You can find the ScreenStrong Reset: A 30-Day Detox for Kids in the Connect group.
There is hope. Reversing a childhood screen dependency is difficult, but it is never too late to get your child back. I have been there. You are not alone, and we have your back!
For more encouragement and information about creating a ScreenStrong home, take advantage of our course special and listen to the following podcasts:
What Are the Benefits of a Screen Detox? with Dr. Victoria Dunckley (#193)
ENCORE: Growing Up ScreenStrong with Andrew and Evan Hempe (#31)
*This test is based on Dr. Douglas A. Gentile’s questionnaire, which will help you identify gaming issues with your children.
Disclaimer: This assessment is not a replacement for the therapy or treatment center necessary to help an at-risk or addicted child. If you feel like your child will potentially do bodily harm to you, himself or herself, you need to seek professional help.