About one in 10 videogame players show signs of addictive¹ behavior that could have negative effects on their family, friends and school work, according to a new study.

Researchers at Iowa State University (ISU) and the National Institute on Media and the Family found that some gamers show at least six symptoms of gambling² addiction³ such as lying to family and friends about how much they play games, using the games to escape their problems and becoming restless or irritable⁴ when they stop playing.

They may also skip homework to play videogames or spend too much time playing the games and do poorly in school.

"While the medical community currently does not recognize video game addiction as a mental disorder⁵, hopefully this study will be one of many that allow us to have an educated conversation on the positive and negative effects of video games," Dr Douglas Gentile, an assistant professor of psychology⁶ at ISU, said in a statement.

Dr David Walsh, the president of the National Institute on Media and the Family which strives to minimize the harm of media on the health and development of children and families, said the findings are a wake-up call for families.

"This study gives everyone a better idea of the scope of the problem," he explained.

The researchers, who studied 1,178 American children and teenagers, aged⁷ 8 to 18, found some displayed at least six of 11 symptoms of pathological gambling as defined by the American Psychiatric Association.

Addicted⁸ gamers played videogames 24 hours a week, twice as much as casual gamers. Some addicted gamers even steal to support their habit, according to the findings that will be published in the journal Psychological Science.

""While video games can be fun and entertaining, some kids are getting into trouble. I continue to hear from families who are concerned about their child's gaming habits. Not only do we need to focus on identifying the problem, but we need to find ways to help families prevent and treat it," said Walsh.

一项最新研究发现，约十分之一的电子游戏爱好者表现出上瘾迹象，而这种上瘾行为会对他们的家庭、朋友和学习成绩造成负面影响。

艾奥瓦州立大学（ISU）以及美国媒体和家庭研究所的研究人员发现，一些游戏玩家表现出了至少六种赌瘾迹象，比如不跟家人和朋友说自己打多少游戏的实情，通过玩游戏逃避问题以及在不打游戏时变得坐立不安或情绪暴躁。

他们有的还不做家庭作业去打游戏，或者将大量的时间耗费在玩游戏上，因此学习成绩很差。

艾奥瓦州立大学心理学助理教授在一份声明中说：“目前医学界还没有将电子游戏瘾认定为一种心理紊乱，但希望这项研究能让我们在电子游戏的积极和消极影响问题上有一个基于事实的对话。”

美国媒介和家庭研究所所长大卫•沃尔什博士说，这项研究为爱玩电子游戏者的家长敲响了警钟。美国媒体和家庭研究所的宗旨是将媒介对于儿童和家庭健康和发展的危害降低到最小。

他解释说：“该研究让每个人对这个问题的严重性有了一个更好的认识。”

研究人员共对美国1178名八岁至18岁的儿童和青少年进行了研究。研究发现，在美国精神病学会所定义的11种病态赌瘾症状中，有些人表现出了其中的六种。

成瘾的电子游戏玩家每周玩游戏达24个小时，为偶尔玩玩者的两倍。据将在《心理科学》期刊上发表的研究结果称，有些上瘾的玩家甚至通过偷窃来满足自己的游戏瘾。

沃尔什说：“电子游戏确实有意思，好玩，但却让一些孩子深受其害。我经常收到一些担心孩子打游戏上瘾的家长的来信。我们不仅要尽力弄清问题，而且要找到帮助家长预防和解决孩子打游戏成瘾的办法。”