Game-Changer Wanted

«I'd like to see the same debate about age restrictions for social media applied to video games as well.»

They’re called Blood Elves, Dark Iron Dwarves, or Nightborne, and they roam through dark worlds on mythical creatures like the Dark Iron Hound—the races in one of today’s most popular video games: World of Warcraft (WoW). The gamers sitting in front of their screens create avatars that lead these races and go to war alongside them. The characters that players can design are ultimately highly individualized. WoW fans decide not only on their character’s name, age, and appearance, but also on their life story, weaknesses, abilities, desires, and goals.

«This gives these characters a high potential for players to identify with them. As a result, many players form a strong bond with their characters», explains Brandhorst. She holds a Ph.D. in psychology with additional training in therapy, works primarily with children and adolescents, and leads a research group on internet use disorders at the University Hospital of Tübingen. The latter is an umbrella term for five different types of disorders. Brandhorst specializes in two of them: social media use disorder and video game disorder.

«When assessing whether a behavior is normal or pathological, we tend to base our judgment on the amount of time spent online. But that alone does not provide any insight into whether or not an addiction is present», says Brandhorst. According to ICD-11, the World Health Organization’s globally recognized classification of diseases, three criteria are decisive. The first is loss of control. Do players still decide for themselves when, how often, and for how long they play, or does the game dictate their behavior? Closely linked to this is criterion number two: prioritizing gaming at the expense of other areas of life. «This can include hobbies or friends that are neglected, but also basic needs such as sleep, nutrition, and exercise. And developmental tasks can also fall by the wayside—for example, applying for an internship, which simply never gets done», explains Brandhorst. The third criterion distinguishes those with risky gaming behavior from those with harmful gaming behavior. It focuses on the continuation of gaming behavior despite negative consequences. «It is not uncommon for friendships to break down, debts to pile up, or school performance to plummet—and yet those affected do nothing to change their behavior», Brandhorst reports from her practical experience.

Change requires self-reflection

Nevertheless, she advises parents not to demonize the games, especially in front of the children and teens involved. For one thing, Brandhorst says, we can rarely say with certainty that this or that wouldn’t have happened if A or B hadn’t occurred. Are school grades poor because of gaming, or was the game so appealing because the child was feeling overwhelmed at school? Even more important to her, however, is the fact that kids and teens are pushed into a defensive mode when «their» games are attacked and blamed for everything bad. «From this position, they can no longer reflect on their own behavior because they’re completely preoccupied with defending themselves. But self-reflection is incredibly important if real change is to take place», Brandhorst is convinced.

«What does my child experience through this game? Are they seeking strength or a sense of community? This can give us a clue as to what they need in real life.»

It can be helpful to look at the game entirely through the child’s eyes—free from your own biases and judgments. «What does my child experience through this game? What are they looking for and finding in it? Strength, superiority, independence, community, a sense of adventure? This can give us a clue as to what they need in real life», says Brandhorst. Parents are often surprised by what this shift in perspective brings about—both in themselves and in their child. Time and again, mothers and fathers are moved to tears because they can suddenly perceive their child differently. Because their child is telling them something about themselves without having to speak. And the children, in turn, can sometimes hardly believe that their parents are genuinely interested in video games, but they’re happy about it because, ultimately, it shows an interest in them, their lives, and their inner worlds. Brandhorst sums it up: «This shift in perspective helps parents and children reconnect. And reliable, sustainable relationships in the here and now are crucial for bringing people out of the virtual world behind the screen.» Interestingly, it is the social component in particular that hooks people when it comes to video games. This is demonstrated by studies on both online and offline games. Online games—that is, games where players can arrange to meet on the computer, play with and against each other simultaneously, and chat at the same time—are the ones that primarily carry the risk of addiction. Brandhorst says that, ultimately, it’s often about connection and recognition, and these can be obtained through the community.

Compliance is essential

For parents who want to learn more about media education or who are concerned about their children’s media usage, the research group in Tübingen has developed the ISES! Kids and ISES! Teens programs. The acronym stands for Internet Addiction: Empowering Parents! (Internetsucht: Eltern stärken! in german) ISES! Kids is aimed at parents of children ages six to twelve. «With ISES!, we don’t provide a set of golden rules, but rather show ways in which parents can work with their children to develop individual rules for media use. After all, it won’t work without the children’s cooperation.» ISES! Teens is for parents of teenagers who are already exhibiting problematic behavior. «One generally valuable component, for example, is nonviolent communication as described by Marshall Rosenberg», explains Brandhorst.

Because awareness of the potential risks becomes increasingly important as people get older, there is an online course called Breaking the Game for young people between the ages of 12 and 25. It is designed for anyone who wonders whether their use of digital games is still healthy. In the course, participants learn to understand and question their own gaming behavior and receive ideas on what they could change and how. Those who wish to can also get in touch with addiction counseling centers in Baden-Württemberg. «There is a big difference between labeling myself as an addict and having that label imposed on me from the outside», emphasizes Brandhorst, adding that the dilemma faced by young people could perhaps be summarized as follows: «Help me figure out if I’m addicted, but don’t tell me I’m addicted.» The research group aims to address this balancing act with Breaking the Game. The online course is currently still being tested and evaluated. Anyone interested in participating as a test subject to help further develop the course can contact the research group led by Isabel Brandhorst via email: onlinebruecke@med.uni-tuebingen.de

Functionality vs. entertainment

Brandhorst is herself a mother of two. She hopes that her children—and all others—will learn to use digital devices in a practical way. «They can make our lives incredibly easier and save us a lot of time.» She takes a critical view of digital media as a sole source of entertainment—especially for children and teenagers. «I would also like to see the debate over age restrictions for social media extended to digital games. The EU Digital Identity Wallet could help with verification», says Brandhorst. She observes that many video games contain elements similar to gambling. She argues that these should be recognized as such and restricted accordingly for those under 18. The same applies to online games where players can interact with one another. «Because we're not just talking about the risk of addiction here, but also the risks of cyber-grooming and recruitment by extremist groups», the psychologist explains.

The University Hospital of Tübingen is currently seeking families with children ages 8 to 14 for its STARTphone study on smartphone use. The study is open to families who are either giving their child a smartphone for the first time or do not plan to do so in the next 12 months. The requirement is that the child does not already have a smartphone at the start of the study. More information: uni-tuebingen.de