Video games can be a source of entertainment, connection, and learning, but when they start dominating your time, your thoughts, and your relationships, something has changed. Maybe you spend more hours than you'd like gaming, neglect studies or relationships, or feel irritability and anxiety when you can't play. It's not about stopping gaming completely, but about regaining control so that video games go back to being what they were: a choice, not a need.
PSYCHOLOGY FOR ADDICTIONS
Video game addiction, or internet gaming disorder, is characterized by a loss of control over the time and dedication given to video games, prioritizing them over other activities and responsibilities. It's not simply about playing a lot, but about continuing to play despite negative consequences: neglecting studies, relationships, physical health (sleep, nutrition), and feeling distress when unable to play. The World Health Organization has recognized it as a disorder since 2019.
Excessive gaming can affect nearly every area of life: declining academic performance, social isolation, sleep problems, sedentary lifestyle, irritability, and family conflicts. Additionally, modern video games are designed with specific psychological mechanisms (variable rewards, progression systems, fear of missing content) that make it particularly difficult to reduce play time on your own. Seeking professional help is not an admission of weakness, but a smart strategy.
We use evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and behavioral regulation strategies adapted for young people. It's not about eliminating video games from your life, but about establishing healthy limits that allow you to enjoy them without them controlling your time and priorities. We work on understanding the emotional factors behind excessive gaming and developing satisfying alternatives.
Understand the emotional factors behind gaming
Video games often fill real emotional needs: social connection, sense of competence, escapism from stress, or clear structure and goals. Identifying what needs you're covering with gaming is the first step toward finding healthier ways to satisfy them.
Set healthy and sustainable limits
Develop a personalized plan to gradually reduce gaming time without going from excess to abstinence. Learn time management techniques, alternative routines, and strategies for managing the urge to play when it's not time.
Manage withdrawal and abstinence symptoms
When you reduce gaming time, it's normal to feel irritability, boredom, anxiety, or emptiness. We learn to manage these symptoms with emotional regulation techniques, mindfulness, and alternative activities that provide real satisfaction.
Develop satisfying alternatives to gaming
Explore and develop activities that fill the same needs as video games but in a more balanced way: sports for competition, creative activities for fulfillment, in-person relationships for social connection, and personal projects for goals.
Recover relationships and responsibilities
Rebuild connections that may have deteriorated, re-engage with your studies or work, and restore healthy sleep, nutrition, and exercise routines. The goal is not just to game less, but to live more.
"I used to game until 4am and then couldn't go to class. I thought it was just fun, but when I tried to cut back and couldn't, I realized something wasn't right. Therapy helped me understand why I gamed so much and find other things that fulfill me. I still game, but now I decide when."
Oriol, 19
"Video games were my only social life. When I started therapy I was afraid of losing my online friends. But with help I found balance: I still play with them, but I've also started doing things outside screens that I enjoy."
Mar, 21
The key difference is control and consequences. If you play by choice and can stop when you need to, it's probably healthy entertainment. If you feel you can't stop, if you continue gaming despite negative consequences (neglecting studies, sleep, relationships), or if gaming is your main strategy for managing difficult emotions, it may be a problem worth addressing.
Not necessarily. The goal of therapy is to regain control, not to eliminate video games from your life. For many people, the goal is moderate gaming and enjoyment without it negatively affecting other areas. We work together to find the balance that's healthy for you. Complete abstinence is only recommended in very severe cases.
Initial boredom is normal and expected when you reduce an activity that takes up a lot of time. But boredom is also a gateway to creativity and discovery. In therapy we explore alternative activities that can be just as satisfying, and gradually you discover there are many forms of entertainment and fulfillment beyond screens.
It's understandable to feel resistance if someone else has made the decision for you. In the first session we can explore together your relationship with video games without judgment. If after evaluation there's no real problem, we'll communicate that. And if there is, we work at your pace and with your goals. Therapy works much better when there's personal motivation, and we can find that motivation together.