Parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals are starting to discuss the concept of video game addiction in the United States. Alternatively countries in Asia have been treating video game addiction as a public health crisis for over a decade. Video game addiction is the latest behavioral disorder to hit the United States. Recent research in the United States found that up to 8.5% of U.S. youth meet the criteria for pathological gaming. While millions of Americans have already been affected by video game addiction, overall the United States is unprepared and ill-equipped to help. This seminar will discuss research, prevention and treatment to help attendees start to recognize and help individuals struggling with video game addiction.

With the recent release of the new ICD-11, video game addiction has become a public topic of discussion. News networks air segments of parents sharing how their children are addicted to video games. On the other end of the spectrum, many question if a person can really be “addicted” to a video game. Regardless of professional’s personal beliefs regarding video game addiction, it is imperative to be informed and provide services to those in need. While this issue is just starting to get examined in the United States, several Asian countries have been treating video game addiction as a national public health crisis. If the video game addiction trend in the United States is similar to video addiction trends in Asia, there is going to be a tremendous need for services. This workshop will explore the history of the gaming industry, starting with is inception in 1940 at the World’s Fair in New York up to present date with the popular hit Fortnite. A historical analysis helps shed light on explaining the complicated relationship between video games and the world overall. As the video game industry is a global industry, the history of video games in other regions of the world, particularly Asia, will also be explored. Video games rose to prominence in Asian countries much faster than it did in the United States. With the Asian video game markets more mature and gaming more readily acceptable, video game addiction has grown into a prominent societal problem. Starting in 2003, certain Asian countries started to draft legislation to combat video game addiction. Within a few years state sponsored treatment programs started to open to deal with the growing population size of citizens addicted to video games. Examination of the legislation and treatment in Asian countries can shed light on what the future may look like in the United States. The workshop will conclude with best practice recommendations for dealing with clients addicted to video games. Recommendations will also be made for best practices for family therapy for those who have a loved one who struggles with this disorder. Overall the objectives of this workshop is to inform attendees of a new disorder that may have a significant impact on the behavioral health field in years to come.

Instructor: Andrew Walsh, MSW, LSW

Fee: $90.00

CE Credits: 6

<a href=”https://ce-catalog.rutgers.edu/courseDisplay.cfm?schID=77542” target=”_blank”>Click Here to Register</a>