Are you addicted to gaming? Take our test!

If you, a member of your family, or someone you know, spends too much time playing video or computer games or going online, they may need a little extra help and support. How can you know when you’re having when too much of a good thing when it comes to games?

Take our test and find out whether you need some help.

Our game addiction test

Instructions: Score yourself out of 5 for the following statements where 0 is ‘Not True’ and 5 is ‘Totally True’.

1. You play games every day without fail.
2. You look forward to playing your games when you get home from work or school.
3. You feel very happy when you’re playing -sometimes euphoric.
4. When you stop playing you feel annoyed, angry or upset.
5. If you aren’t playing you have feelings of restlessness and irritability.
6. You prefer playing games to any other pastime such as watching films, reading or sports.
7. You say you’re just ‘checking your email’ and then spend hours online playing your games.
8. You completely lose track of time.
9. You prefer playing games than meeting friends socially.
10. You have many friends online that you’ve never met.
11. You lie about how you spend your free time.
12. Other areas of your life are suffering – perhaps work, or you don’t cook, or clean.
13. You use gaming to avoid confronting how you are feeling about other areas of your life, such as stress at work, grief after a bereavement or a relationship breakdown, or concerns about finances or your health.
14. You get up in the night to check on how things are going in your games.
15. You spend a lot of money on games, or progressing in games, upgrading your hardware and software packages, and accessories.
16. You feel guilty.
17. You have physical symptoms. This can include difficulty sleeping, headaches and migraines, back and neck ache, dry eyes, or carpal tunnel syndrome.
18. You stay up so late at night playing games that your work or education suffer.
19. You suffer with fatigue.
20. You sometimes spend all day in your sleepwear and forget to shower or eat.

Results

If you scored less than 40, you are interested in playing games but they don’t dominate your life. If you scored 40-60, you may want to think about easing back on your game playing. For anything above 61, you need to take a long hard look at your gaming habits and think about getting some support. If you dismiss this as nonsense, you may need help now.

Remember that there are negative consequences for any addiction, it is never healthy to skip meals or reduce the amount of sleep you’re getting and social isolation can lead to a host of emotional issues. No-one would suggest never playing video games, or games online, but ‘everything in moderation’ should be the key.

Other articles

Why not me?

It's natural to compare our own lives with those of others - weighing up the pros and cons of situations helps us make decisions. But there can be a downside when you find you're constantly comparing yourself with others, envying their seemingly perfect lives and wondering why they are luckier, more prosperous, and better looking than you.

7 tips to help your dog with a fear of fireworks

As nice as it is for a person to celebrate New Year, it's not so nice for a dog, especially when the loud fireworks go off the whole night. This is really frightening for many dogs. Read our 7 tips on how you can help your dog with his fear of fireworks.

5 tips to survive autumn healthily

We simply can’t avoid noticing the changes all around us. Autumn is here... Autumn is also called a transitional season. Slowly and steadily, it prepares us for the transition...

Let's make 2021 better than 2020

For many people, 2020 has been one of the worst years they can remember. The COVID -19 pandemic and social unrest have changed our lives in ways we would not have believed possible a year ago. And when January 2021 comes around, we're still likely to be facing many challenges. Can 2021 be a better year?

Is the world as we know it over?

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the world have taken unprecedented measures to stop the spread of coronavirus. The rapid changes we've seen have had an impact on almost every aspect of our lives.

Signs you're slipping into a burn-out

Learn how to recognise the signs of stress and avoid slipping into a burnout or a bore-out

What to do when the spark is fading

Why do you feel butterflies at the start of a new romance, and how can you keep the flame burning in a long term relationship as the spark starts to fade?

Do you expect too much from others? Find out!

Most people are disappointed when others don't meet their expectations. But when you always expect too much, it isn't healthy, either for yourself or for others. If you often find yourself feeling let down by your loved ones or even by strangers, could it be that you have unrealistic ideas of how people should act?

Can you accept things you can't change? Take our quiz!

Your relationship ends, or you lose your job, and you get stuck in a rut of negative thoughts and suffering. How good are you at letting go of grudges and accepting that some things are beyond your control? Take our quiz to find out!

Hiding a depression: find out if someone you know - or you yourself! - is doing this

It's not always easy to tell if someone has depression. While some signs such as sadness, pessimism and withdrawal from social interaction are easy to recognise, other symptoms may be less obvious. And some people are very good at hiding their depression - even from themselves!