Gaming is a fantastic hobby, but excessive gaming is different
67% of Australians play video games
97% of homes with children have video games
18 hours a week, while considered the average for this age group, is still enough to start interfering with important responsibilities without being labelled an addiction.
Some believe that there is a significant number of gamers who could be “addicted to video games”, but we can game still excessively without having a diagnosis of a Gaming Disorder.
Our approach to re-frame how they game
Quality is more important than quantity
Gaming is the icing on the cake, not the cake itself
10 Intelligent Gaming Strategies are at the core of the process, helping gaming to become only one of many healthy hobbies
The program can be done on your own as a family, through online webinars, or in groups such as holiday immersion programs
Parent education and professional development to gain insight on excessive gaming
GameAware programs get significantly positive results
Sustainable strategies moving forward
Improved self regulation
More frequent exercise
Improved general well-being and resilience
Improved video game enjoyment
Reduced frustration and irritability
Gaming becomes a hobby instead of a habit
Andrew Kinch – GameAware Founder
With 25 years gaming experience, and nearly 15 years of well-being and teaching experience, my skillset is primed to tackle this issue by using my Intelligent Gaming Strategies to help gamers enjoy their games without it being the number 1 priority in their lives. I still enjoy playing video games a lot, but it’s part of a variety of engaging things that I do to be happy.
I love video games. I think that some of them are very creative in their story telling and other pack a thrill packed experience that take us to places we wouldn’t otherwise be able to go. That being said, in the past I’ve had the experience of stepping over the line where video games took up way too much of my time and affected me in ways I didn’t expect. I was certainly a candidate for my future self’s program. Put it all together, and that’s why I’m going to know exactly what our gamer is going through, and how to get to the other side. The goal is to achieve a win-win scenario around gaming within your family dynamic and GameAware has what it takes to help that happen.
I approach game “addictions” with experience based strategies and current information on the psychology of games. It’s worth mentioning that a video game addiction isn’t the correct terminology. Recently, the World Health Organization has classified “Gaming Disorder” in the ICD. There is still some disagreement on whether the classification will be harmful or helpful. However, we do know that overplaying has a negative impact on gamers, and when someone games excessively or obsessively, it’s usually triggered by an underlying cause, not the games. This program’s goal is to improve mental health as much as it is designed to reduce excessive gaming, and it’s as much about educating adults as it is children. The language in the 6 week online program is aimed at parents who are looking to manage or prevent compulsive or excessive gaming. That being said, the resource is still very applicable to gamers of all ages who are interested in modifying their own behaviours to develop more impulse control and self regulation.