The number 13 is considered an unlucky number in some countries, but certainly not in this case. Welcome to the 13th Mic Drop Club Podcast, in this session I had the pleasure of discussing with Everton Barton Gaming Expert and Champion for better Mental Health Awareness for Gaming Addictions. The timing could not have been any better with #blackfriday, #cybermonday and #christmas fast approaching many people are searching for the next video game console or games for their loved ones or themselves. However, there...
The number 13 is considered an unlucky number in some countries, but certainly not in this case. Welcome to the 13th Mic Drop Club Podcast, in this session I had the pleasure of discussing with Everton Barton Gaming Expert and Champion for better Mental Health Awareness for Gaming Addictions. The timing could not have been any better with #blackfriday, #cybermonday and #christmas fast approaching many people are searching for the next video game console or games for their loved ones or themselves. However, there has been conflicting press coverage on the effects of gaming on the young and impressionable – some making connections to poor educational attainment, violent outbursts and even terrorism. There has been a noticeable lack of objective reporting and certainly no root cause debate between the gaming industry, schools and law enforcement/government. The lack of triangulation has resulted in many people feeling powerless and helpless when it comes to video games.
Everton has more than 30 years’ experience as a video gamer, developer and conceptual games designer. His exposure to mental health has sparked his keen interest in exposing the myths around Gaming to support people in their understanding of gaming, its benefits to children development, gaming cost considerations (Total Cost of owning and becoming an expert gamer), spotting early signs of addictions or unhealthy gaming habits.
Stay tuned in this conversation it will open your eyes to many aspects of gaming that are not commonly understood, enabling you to enjoy video games as they were intended.
The stereotypical gamer is not limited to a spotty faced teenager/middle-aged male, isolated in his or her bedroom possessing poor social skills. Gaming has evolved, and it continues to evolve into an international multibillion-dollar industry. It is through exposing these myths – debunking and getting to the root cause of Video game addiction also known as gaming disorder or internet gaming disorder is generally defined as problematic, compulsive use of video and/or internet games, that results in significant impairment to an individual's ability to function in various life domains over a prolonged period of time.
The UK gaming market is now worth a record £5.7bn (2019). In 2017, 32.4 million people play games in the UK, and is the sixth-largest video game market worldwide as of 2016, with a revenue of 3.94 billion U.S. dollars. There are now more than 2.5 billion gamers across the world. Combined, they will spend $152.1 billion on games in 2019, representing an increase of +9.6% year on year.
There is hope for anyone that is suffering from a Gaming Addiction, although signposting to services to support this condition is extremely poor in the UK.
Treatment for Gaming addiction is available privately within the UK whilst the NHS has been rather slower in recognising this condition and offering appropriate treatment - particularly regarding children’s Mental Health services where the threshold to receive treatment is very high due to a lack of resources caused by years of underfunding.
Everton Barton can be contacted directly on Linkedin and is happy to offer any advice as required.
Thank you, Everton, for sharing your deep knowledge on this subject – you are not just living life but making life BOOM!
Useful Links
Video game addiction
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_addiction
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