Health Risks of Computer Games and Videogames

Overview

The paper summarizes the health risks of videogames. They include the unhealthy lifestyle with the lack of exercise, diseases of locomotor system, obesity, virtual indisposition, increased risk of injuries and an enhanced inclination for risk, epilepsy, deterioration of interpersonal relations and a higher anxiety in social relations, enhanced aggressiveness and weakening of social-oriented behavior. This inventory is not complete, and we may expect that excessive engagement in videogames increases the risk of problems associated with alcohol and other drugs. Playing videogames was associated with a more frequent alcohol, especially beer, hard liquor or mixed alcoholic beverage consumption in the Czech adolescent population, as well as more frequent smoking of cigarettes and marijuana. There was also association with fights and bullying of other individuals and deteriorated behavior mark/rating at school. In professional literature there is a tendency to classify videogame playing closely to pathological gambling, ie to addictive and impulsive disorders.

Key words:
videogames, lifestyle, obesity, health risk, addictive disease.