Health risks of computer games and videogames

Autor	Prim. MUDr. Karel Nešpor, CSc., PhDr. Ladislav Csémy
Organisation	Psychiatrická nemocnice Bohnice
Year	2007
Research type	study
Annotation	The paper summarizes the health risks of videogames. They include the unhealthy lifestyle with the lack of exercise, diseases of locomotor system, obesity, virtual indisposition, increased risk of injuries and an enhanced inclination for risk, epilepsy, deterioration of interpersonal relations and a higher anxiety in social relations, enhanced aggressiveness and weakening of social-oriented behavior. This inventory is not complete, and we may expect that excessive engagement in video games increases the risk of problems associated with alcohol and other drugs. Playing video games was associated with a more frequent alcohol, especially beer, hard liquor or mixed alcoholic beverage consumption in the Czech adolescent population, as well as more frequent smoking of cigarettes and marijuana. There was also association with fights and bullying of other individuals and deteriorated behavior mark/rating at school. In professional literature there is a tendency to classify video game playing closely to pathological gambling, i.e to addictive and impulsive disorders.
Keywords	videogames, lifestyle, obesity, health risk, addictive disease.
Research type	unrepeated research
Start date	1. 1. 2007
End date	31. 12. 2007
Obor	ED physiology
Note	Nešpor K., Csémy L.: Zdravotní rizika počítačových her a videoher. Čes. a slov. Psychiat., 103, 2007, No. 5, pp. 246–250.
Email	drnespor@gmail.com
Availability	available in the NRVDM electronic library
Download research	1351173444.pdf
Research location	Psychiatrická nemocnice Bohnice
Organisation	Psychiatrická nemocnice Bohnice
Possible connection	Prevalence of overweight and obesity