By: Mia Wang

Research shows that hardcore gamers are at risk of developing a disorder that triggers hallucinations of images and sounds from video games in real life, like seeing ‘health bars’ above peoples’ heads or hearing narrations as they live their daily lives.

This occurrence is called Gaming Transfer Phenomenon (GTP). Some causes include video game addiction or gaming disorders (GD), a phenomena that describes those who can’t stop playing video games. Individuals with these disorders may even skip meals to keep playing. GTP has become more frequent since the pandemic.

“Most GTP occur in the fully awake state while engaging in everyday tasks, but GTP can also manifest under hypnagogic states -borderline states between awake and sleep or while waking up.” (Game Transfer Phenomena) Although most GTP reports occur after playing a video game, they can also occur while playing the game. Further, associations with objects or events simulated in the game can trigger GTP. However, reality remains intact, and the gamers know these hallucinations are fake.

Daniel Owens, a gamer, reported suffering from insomnia while playing Portal 2. He says it interrupted his sleeping patterns, and it felt like his body went to sleep, but his mind didn’t. Daniel also claims that after Super Mario Sunshine came out, he couldn’t get a full night of sleep for a whole week. Another gamer, a former WoW (World of Warcraft) player, states that he starts to see health bars above people once his adrenaline gets pumping (Kids News).

GTP usually occurs with gamers who play more heavily. Yet, some people are more vulnerable to GTP than others. Studies show that these events are usually short-term, but they can reoccur. Even so, we still need more evidence on how our brains can adapt to video games and the aftermath of playing video games so that we can encourage healthy video game playing.