However, the fact that some people play video games excessively is not in dispute, but
defining the point at which the behaviour becomes problematic is far from clear. There is
little doubt that some people play games too frequently and for longer periods than is good
for them physically, socially, and/or psychologically. People will at times undertake all
kinds of activities excessively if the activity has the capability to distract them from other
issues in their lives. This is particularly true if the person concerned is having difficulty
coping with other aspects of their everyday life. In such situations some individuals will
distract themselves from dealing with their problems by engaging in lengthy video game
playing sessions. Grusser et al. (2005) found that those adolescents identified as “addicted” to
video games played primarily as a means of coping with stress. Similarly, Wood et al. (2007)
found that high frequency video game players were far more likely than low frequency
players to play games in order to escape from other problems in their lives. However, the use
of games for relaxation and escape is not necessarily a problem in itself. Wood and Griffiths
(2007) found that half of their sample of non-problematic gamers reported that they often
played games as a way of relaxing and escaping from everyday stress.