A 20-year-old college boy got obsessed with playing "script-killing" and thought he was a character in the play, shouting in the middle of the night

Xiao Liu, a 20-year-old college boy, was rushed to the clinic of Dr. Li Xiaoyi, director of the Psychosomatic Department of Zhejiang Provincial Tongde Hospital, by his family. Xiao Liu's mother cried and said to Dr. Li: " My son has been obsessed with playing script-killing games recently . Doctor, please save him."

After an in-depth discussion with Xiao Liu, Director Li learned that Xiao Liu was originally a non-social person, introverted but very smart, and not very satisfied with his major. **After being introduced by a friend, he started playing script-killing games. At first, he made a lot of new friends, but later he didn't want to study anymore. He just thought about playing games every day, which made him listless all day long. He even yelled in the middle of the night, thinking he was a character in a play. **Finally, Xiao Liu was diagnosed with "severe game addiction."

Does playing games frequently = game addiction?

Detailed evaluation and diagnosis by a psychiatrist is required

Script-killing is a new game in recent years. It uses a script to simulate a case story, allowing players to play different roles in the story, using language, expressions, body movements, etc. to show the characteristics of the characters, and find out the "real murderer" and the truth through layers of reasoning. Because script-killing has a strong story and scene, it has attracted many young people.

However, what was unexpected was that some people actually became addicted to the game after playing script-killing games.

Tang Luhan, deputy director and psychotherapist of the Department of Clinical Psychology at Zhejiang Provincial Tongde Hospital, pointed out, "In clinical practice, most of the clients we encounter with gaming addiction are male teenagers, which is what parents often call the 'Internet addiction' phenomenon. Whether the diagnosis of gaming addiction is reached requires detailed evaluation and diagnosis by psychiatrists. "

Tang Luhan said that according to the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) released by the WTO, game addiction, also known as "gaming disorder", refers to a behavioral pattern of continuous or repeated use of electronic or video games, manifested as out-of-control gaming behavior, gaming becoming a priority behavior in life, and continuing gaming behavior regardless of adverse consequences for a long period of time, which falls into the category of mental illness.

Is frequent gaming considered gaming addiction? Tang Luhan said that the three core characteristics of gaming addiction must be met:

1. Impaired control over gaming, such as loss of control over the start, frequency, duration, end, and occasion of gaming;

2. Increase the priority of games, making them more important than other life interests and daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, doing homework, going to work, etc.;

3. Despite negative consequences for the gaming experience, gaming behavior continues or escalates. The pattern of behavior is of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

My dreams are all about tanks! I was addicted to computer games in college

How does a psychosomatic doctor help people quit gaming addiction?

Why can some people control themselves in playing script-killing games while others cannot and become addicted?

Ma Yongchun, deputy chief physician of the Psychosomatic Department of Zhejiang Provincial Tongde Hospital, analyzed that due to their age, young people are often more curious about new things and are more willing to try them out. At the same time, the experience attribute of script-killing will bring a strong sense of experience and novelty, which can easily attract some young people. However, some of them have poor self-control and pursue excessive experience, which is prone to addiction.

"In the final analysis, the essence of script-killing is a game, and any game can lead to addiction problems. This is the same as the problem of teenagers drinking too much milk tea or cola, which leads to excessive excitement and insomnia. It is essentially a lack of self-management ability and a decline in control. "

Ma Yongchun frankly admitted that the game addiction of patients is closely related to their own personality. Those with character defects or personality deviations; those with relatively weak wills; and those who are prone to tension, anxiety and impulsive emotions are often more likely to be "infected".

"There are tens of thousands of people who play games. Appropriate gaming can help relieve the stress of daily work and the tension of modern life. Once most people find that excessive gaming has sacrificed their normal lives and has come into conflict with real life, they will restrain themselves and return to reality relatively quickly."

Ma Yongchun said that when he was in college, he was obsessed with a popular computer game called "Red Alert". This game is similar to tank battles. For a period of time, he stayed up late to play it, and even his dreams were full of tanks. Because of insufficient sleep, he was also tired during the day, which affected his normal study and life.

“My body and brain told me that I should stop this bad state.” After realizing his problem, Ma Yongchun immediately stopped playing games without restraint, and only played in moderation when he wanted to.

Ma Yongchun said that if a person has character flaws or deviations, even if his brain receives such bad feedback, he will still give up his normal life and indulge in games, escaping his true identity and responsibilities in reality, and even deeply immerse himself in the character in the game.

"It can be said that game addiction is the inevitable result of excessive self-indulgence. Some game-addicted patients have already suffered some damage to the frontal lobe of their brains, and scientific studies have shown that long-term addiction to games can change the structure of the brain. "

What is the natural course of gaming addiction?

There are large differences in the conclusions between different studies

Deputy Director Psychotherapist Tang Luhan said that game addiction is a behavioral addiction and has many similarities with substance addiction. Some researchers have compared the fact that game addicts spend more and more time playing games and spend more and more money on games to the increased tolerance of substance addiction; and have compared the irritability, depression, impulsivity and other emotional and behavioral reactions after stopping the game to the withdrawal reaction of substance addiction.

Game addicts subjectively perceive a craving for games and may find it difficult to distinguish between the virtual world in the game and the real world, which can lead to physical problems, mental and behavioral problems, and social function impairment.

Physical problems include lack of sleep, circadian rhythm disorders, malnutrition, gastric ulcers, epileptic seizures, etc. In severe cases, long-term sitting may cause lower limb venous thrombosis, and even pulmonary embolism and sudden death; mental and behavioral problems include irritability, anxiety, aggressive words and deeds, depression, guilt, etc.; social function impairment includes refusing to go to school and social activities, increased family conflicts, loss of important relationships, and impaired academic achievement or career performance.

In addition, gaming addiction is often comorbid with other mental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, sleep disorders, personality disorders, social phobia, etc.

"The natural course of gaming addiction has not yet been clearly understood, and the conclusions of different studies vary greatly. Some research reports pointed out that 84% of patients were still in a pathological state in a follow-up survey two years later; but some studies have suggested that only 26.5% of patients still had gaming-related problems in follow-up two years later, and the severity of symptoms would decrease moderately in the five-year follow-up," said Tang Luhan.

The deeper you get into the play, the more you are hypnotized.

Actors including Sun Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai

How did you detach yourself from the role?

Compared with ordinary video games, script-killing games have a special feature, that is, real people are required to play roles, and players and roles are integrated into one, which enhances the player's immersive experience. After the game starts, whether it is a stranger or an old friend, various relationships and interactions will begin to appear as soon as the plot begins.

"For those who are easily suggestible, they can quickly build up their emotions and get into the role. The specific environment makes it easier for them to immerse themselves in the game. They can access and process various information and make decisions in a short period of time, and experience the joys and sorrows of different lives. The script-killing experience is actually similar to hypnosis." Ma Yongchun, deputy chief physician, said that both present a state that is opposite to reality. The more involved the participants are in the game, the deeper they go into it, and the more "hypnotized" they are. In a hypnotic state, people can break their structured thinking patterns and try another way of working with their own psychological structure.

“After the game is over, ordinary people do need some time to detach from the ‘role’. But if they continue to indulge in it and repeatedly overdraw their emotions, it will be a loss to their energy and mental state, which in turn affects their daily life and normal interpersonal communication. ”

Ma Yongchun said: "We often see that some actors are still deeply affected by their roles and have related emotional problems after the filming of a movie or TV series is completed."

For example, Sun Li once received much attention for her role in "The Legend of Zhen Huan". Behind the praise, she suffered from the situation that she was too immersed in the role and couldn't get out of it. Later, she had to eat snacks to relieve stress. Another example is Tony Leung Chiu-wai, who played the traitor Mr. Yi in "Lust, Caution". He felt that he had become that person. He once lived in fear every day and was mentally tortured.

"Of course, most actors have taken special psychology courses, which not only help them analyze the character's thoughts, personality and behavior, interpret the character's relationships, subtext and inner feelings, and create vivid character images, but also teach actors how to detach themselves from the role."

Ma Yongchun also mentioned another situation in playing script-killing games, that is, it is not easy for participants to get into the role, so they will experience entanglement, conflict, and even pain.

"This is what we often call 'social phobia', or social anxiety disorder." Ma Yongchun mentioned that a high school student once came to his clinic and said that he was dragged by his friends to participate in a script-killing game, where more than half of the people were strangers. During the game, he even had to prick his legs with a pencil to barely complete it. When he returned home, he felt out of control. Later, with dual medication and psychological treatment, he recovered after a few days.

Breaking the game addiction requires multi-faceted intervention and coordination

It is recommended to manage script-killing content in a graded manner

Chief Physician Li Xiaoyi said that the psychosocial factors of behavioral addiction are relatively complex and are generally believed to be related to family factors, personal psychological traits, and individual comorbidities.

Currently, measures to combat addiction focus mainly on psychological interventions—

Cognitive therapy: It aims to change the behavior of people with mental disorders by changing their cognition. It is based on cultivating healthy beliefs and changing metacognition to achieve metacognition reshaping and establish healthy beliefs, so as to treat behavioral addiction and its tendencies.

Behavioral therapy: This is divided into aversion therapy, which links gaming behavior with negative emotions, and desensitization therapy, which desensitizes to the trigger points of behavioral disorders.

Mindfulness meditation therapy: also known as mindfulness treatment, refers to a method of treatment in which an individual deeply perceives himself and focuses his attention or consciousness on an object, sound, idea or experience. Mindfulness meditation therapy can assist cognitive-behavioral therapy to better reduce the occurrence of withdrawal reactions to gaming addiction and the rebound phenomenon after cessation of treatment.

Family therapy and group counseling: The two are similar in principle. Both are aimed at groups and prevent and treat addicts by improving negative factors in their living environment.

"At present, after psychological and drug treatment, Xiao Liu's (note: the college boy at the beginning of the article) condition is still stable." Li Xiaoyi said.

Ma Yongchun, deputy chief physician, suggested that the management of script-killing should refer to the management of Internet cafes or online games, and can start from the following aspects:

1. Content management. Avoid content with excessive political overtones, conflicting beliefs, and violence.

2. Provide good education for minors and remind guardians to manage them well, such as helping children choose script content and controlling game time.

3. Manage the content by classification. The content that teenagers are exposed to should be clean and safe. For overly violent content, provide reminders and set age limits to avoid repeated and high-frequency participation.

Orange Persimmon Interactive·Metropolitan Express reporter Zhang Jing correspondent Ying Xiaoyan