Super Mario Brothers, Zelda, Halo and World of Warcraft are names familiar to almost all of us. These are all the best-selling games from the major video game consoles. More than $19 billion was spent on video games in the United States in 2009 alone (http://vgsales.wikia.com). Video game consoles are present in 65% of homes in the United States (http://www.geeksaresexy.net)! With the increasing amount of time people spend on video games, one might wonder if it is possible to become addicted to video games? Should video game addiction be an official diagnosis? Yes, because if it is a separate diagnosis, there will be more targeted treatment. Anyone old enough to remember video arcade games will probably remember the days when video games cost a single quarter. However, there were always those who managed to spend entire days gambling with just a few dollars. Even in the early days of video games, it was obvious that people were getting addicted. Whether video game addiction is an official diagnosis is debatable. Sure, there are people who play a lot, but the question is whether the players are suffering. Compulsions, cravings, and withdrawals are all associated with the word addict. Addiction has been defined as “being unusually tolerant and dependent on something that is psychologically or physically addictive” (http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu). With the use of a less technical definition of addiction, pathological and harmful use, then video games are certainly addictive. Here are some of the symptoms associated with video game addiction. Psychological symptoms Feelings of anger and frustration when access to the video game is not allowed Loss of interest in p...... middle of paper ...... there may be more than one targeted treatment, and with an official diagnosis, more people would be aware of the problem at hand. Drug addicts could finally benefit from the appropriate treatment they need. Bibliography (nd). Retrieved January 26, 2011 from http://vgsales.wikia.com/wiki/NPD_2009_sales_figures(nd). Retrieved February 2, 2011 from http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2010/01/16/videogame-statistics/(nd). Retrieved February 5, 2011 from http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=addiction(nd). Retrieved February 11, 2011 from http://www.techaddiction.ca/symptoms_of_video_game_addiction.html(nd). Accessed 02/11/2011 from http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/poll/technology/(nd). Accessed 02/18/2011 at http://www.video-game-addiction.org/(nd). Accessed 02/18/2011 from http://www.gkmen.com/entertainment/news/video-game-addiction-statistics-are-alarming180110