The causes of video game addiction have been discussed from a plethora of perspectives.
Although research on the issue has been conducted ever since the inception of video games as a
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common media outlet in the 1980's (Egli & Meyer, 1984), only a small handful of researchers
have been examining the worrisome potential for video games to become a source of addictive
behavior. The reasons behind an individual turning towards video game addiction are myriad;
Deeble (2008) equates addiction to the video game World of Warcraft to a search for meaning
within an individual's life. It is stated in the research that often individuals will turn to a
seemingly endless font of entertainment to compensate for what they interpret to be a void in
their personal lives.