Video Games are often referred to as ‘addiction’, especially by parents whose children spend much of their time attaching themselves to the television sets or the computers. Some feel that excessive game playing is similar to pathological gambling. In light of the above facts, it is essential to study the harms that excessive gaming can cause to warn parents and health care professionals about the potential dangers of gaming.

·         Excessive gaming has been linked to increased aggressiveness and violent behavior. 

·         It can provoke epileptic seizures - one study put the risk at 1.5 per 100,000 children - and is associated with increased metabolic rates and repetitive strain injuries. 

·         And - as any parent can tell you - it can distract children from their homework and make them withdraw from their families. 

Researchers in Britain found that 12 percent of gamers were "addicted" according to World Health Organization criteria, and researchers in the United States have found that as many as 10 to 15 percent of gamers are affected by "overuse".

It becomes advisable for the parents to include video games in a recommended one- to two-hour limit on "screen time."

On the other hand, it may seem an obvious diagnosis for parents, but video games might not actually be addictive. A recent research considering internet and video gaming as an addiction was watered down. "Addiction is a complex disease," the committee declared, "formal recognition of problem gaming via online/video sources as representing true addictive illness is premature."