He says that parents should regulate their children’s use of video games and trust their instincts on what constitutes excessive use,
Parents should pay close attention to their children and use intuition and reasoning to identify when video gaming gets excessive and properly employ practices to curb such habit.
Rather, he says, in young people a range of mental health problems and what he calls “pathological gaming” may develop in tandem, much as illnesses like the flu and pneumonia can set off one another and lead to new problems.
The causal relationship between depression and pathological gaming goes both ways. Children with depression can easily fall into video game addiction and children with pathological gaming habits can develop depression. It is not always one-directional
Even before the latest study was released, officials with the Entertainment Software Association, which represents companies that sell interactive video games, attacked it. They noted that there is no clear consensus on what defines “pathological gaming” or agreement on whether gaming can really be considered addictive.
I disagree with this statement. I strongly believe that gaming can become addictive when not done in moderation. In general, a lot of kids play video games and are able to balance it with school and other aspects of their life. When there is a disconnect or an inability to manage gaming with other aspect of one's life, I consider that as an addiction.