Is Video Gaming an Addiction?

No doubt can video gaming become a source of relief upon which s/he has come to depend. In the case of video gaming, the relationship is with images. Over indulgence on playing video games offer similarities to porn addiction. The addict has become emotionally involved and this relationship becomes the primary one, rendering all others a distant second. In most cases, the quality of family of origin relationships as well as current ones were suspect to begin only to become increasingly limited as does the addict's ability to address his/her relationships, let alone have any idea of anything awry. Addictions generally make other relationships impossible. From The Relationship Model of Addiction perspective, addiction defined as a "pathological dependence" and is, therefore, by definition a relationship with a source of relief. When it is images we're talking about, it becomes clearer that these are images, not people; not person to person contact but animated images run by electricity and exploit our primordial longings that the addict is involved with. As is the case with all other addictions, relief and escape are provided. Anyone whose level of pain from unmet emotional needs are desperate for relief any way that works. Why not video gaming?