In a society with rapidly advancing technology, pathological behavior is becoming commonplace.

Psychologists and researchers are noticing an increasing number of patients with severe disorders because of overexposure to video games that are leading to a lack of physical and social interaction.

In a study conducted by Douglas Gentile, assistant professor of psychology, approximately 5 percent of gamers at Iowa State are classified as pathological, with severe addictions.

“What we’ve learned at this point in science is that we think there’s a problem,” Gentile said. “We don’t know who is most at risk, how long they stay in their pathological state of behavior or how to treat them.”

With the popularity of massively multiplayer online role-playing games such as “World of Warcraft,” many students have more exposure to online communities that allow them to interact in a virtual world without having to deal with difficult, and sometimes painful, human experiences.

However, when the games begin to overtake someone’s life by cutting out social activities with friends and family, causing grades to slip and creating a lack of interest for real-life events, players must realize their dilemma and seek help.

Gentile said the main draw of online gaming is the social aspect. Although players have the option to play solo content, most choose to interact with other people.

“Human contact is extremely motivating,” he said. “It may be the most compelling stimulation. The idea of having people involved in the games makes it much easier to justify playing for long amounts of time. They [gamers] don’t feel as guilty about not hanging out with friends because they can interact with people in virtual reality.”

Derek Hollingshead, junior in physics, said the appeal of “WoW” is the ability to play with friends and not have to deal with the logistics of getting people together. He admitted the enjoyment he got from the game could sometimes cause him to lose track of time and play too long, but said it did not cause his grades to slip or limit his social interaction.

“After I pulled that first all-nighter, it was pretty much a given that I was hooked,” Hollingshead said. “My grades didn’t really slip because of ‘WoW.’ It was just a lack of effort on my part. I began to limit my time on the game, but I didn’t necessarily have the initiative to try any harder in class.”

In order for excessive playing to truly be considered an addiction, several symptoms must be present.

When time spent on the computer becomes an impulse control disorder, the player feels a rush of adrenaline when logging in. The player’s body experiences biological changes similar to the effects of gambling on the human psyche.

Unfortunately, when the damaging signs of addiction begin to manifest, for many people, it is too late.

“What we’re finding is that people are willing to lie about how much they play, steal money to pay for subscriptions, allow their grades to drop and even call in sick to their jobs to stay on the computer,” Gentile said.

The majority of professionals agree: At least five damaging symptoms must be present for a person’s choices to be classified as an addiction. These include lying about play time, stealing, avoiding social outings, lack of personal hygiene, slipping grades, lack of effort at work, sleep disorders, neck and back aches, carpal tunnel syndrome and going without food or water for extended periods of time.

“It’s hard to recognize somebody suffering from these symptoms because the underlying problem is likely to be the same, but the manifestation for each individual person is different,” he said.

In Pacific nations such as Japan, Singapore and South Korea, where technology is about two years ahead of the United States, doctors are seeing a wave of addiction.

One of the biggest challenges researchers face is discovering whether pathological behavior normally associated with gambling will spread to various other activities or if it will stay limited to gaming and computer use.

“This is probably a real problem that medical science should pay attention to, but we don’t know what it means,” Gentile said.

“We don’t know if it’s just games or some other problem, but if we see this as a potential issue, let’s be smart. Let’s not wait until they flunk out.”