“Video gaming is addictive”
Six out of ten believe that gaming is addictive. Four out of ten players play on a daily basis, the others less often. In addition, most people do not play the so-called hard gaming types of games, but simpler ones, which in many cases are only used to fill the dead time (waiting, traveling) and only provide a few minutes of relaxation. The average playing time per week is about 6 hours, which in itself does not indicate addiction.
This threat is more serious among those who play e-sports games, they play for 3 hours on an average weekday and 5 hours on an average weekend. “Addiction is not only a matter of playing time, it can also be a sign of problematic game use if someone escapes from their problems and anxiety into the game or neglects other activities and relationships because of this. We will examine these questions in more detail in our next research.” – asserts Dorottya Vass, head of video game and e-sports research at Reacty Digital.
“Video gamers have a hard time connecting with others”
Three out of ten think that video gamers find it difficult to connect with others. On the other hand, video gaming is for many a distinctly social program. Four out of ten players highlighted the social experience as a factor that motivates them to play. Furthermore, a quarter of the players play because there is a small child in the family, thereby elevating video gaming to a joint family program.
A third of those who play competitively highlighted the social experience as a motivating factor for competing.
“Video games are a waste of time”
According to a fifth of the adult Hungarian population, playing video games is a waste of time. A higher proportion of them agree with its usefulness: half of the population thinks that it improves creativity, and according to a third, it makes (also) a good problem solver. There is a sharp difference between those who play video games and those who do not play them in terms of how much they consider the game to be a useful pastime. “Outsiders” are less likely to agree with statements that positively evaluate video gaming, while those who play feel the beneficial, even developmental, effects of video gaming much more.
