By: Sammy Wang
In the last decade, the video game industry has grown significantly, capturing billions of people with its appeal. However, this increase doesn’t come without consequences; recent studies in Australia and Italy show that some gamers experience hallucinations from gaming for too long.
Gaming Transfer Phenomenon (GTP) is a condition in which gamers see and hear things that aren’t there, such as “health bars” – little boxes that show how many lives a character has – or hearing a narrator.
Researchers from Australia concluded that GTP is related to video game addiction or gaming disorder (GD): where gamers cannot stop playing video games which causes them to skip meals and sleep. Both GTP and GD cause confusion and sleep deprivation to gamers.
Around ten percent of young people have GD, according to The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.
Dr. Kavita Seth, a psychiatrist from Perth’s Fiona Stanley Hospital believes problems happen when gamers cannot control themselves and limit their screen time.
“They [gamers] prioritize it over sleep, over having meals, going to school, completing school homework, completing social activities,” Seth said.
An article published in PubMed Central on February 22, 2023, states that a 16-year patient believed his neighbors were planning to kill him, and a 15-year-old patient hallucinated devices watching her every movement. These gamers spent around 14 hours gaming, resulting in only three to four hours of sleep.
Another gamer, Daniel Owens, described how gaming disrupts his sleep schedule.
“It felt as if my body went to sleep, but my mind was still working,” Owen said. “I remember specifically on another occasion, after Super Mario Sunshine came out, that I could not sleep for a full night for nearly a week after playing it. That was the worst.” Owens said.
Additionally, a 17-year-old gamer featured in a study in 2010 said that they saw “health bars” in real life.
“When I really was a hardcore player in WoW (World of Warcraft), when I got my adrenaline pumping, I started seeing health bars above people’s heads,” the gamer said.
Many people of all ages find gaming fun and relaxing, but it’s important to know when to stop and take a break, like going on a walk or talking to your family and friends.
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