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Can I Divorce a Spouse Addicted to Video Games?


Ever since they came along, video games have provided us a form of entertainment. Some play for fun while some immerse in an entirely different world.

Games gave an avenue to just tune out of the world for a bit and enjoy ourselves. That doesn’t seem too bad, right? Life can be stressful after all, and video games are just another outlet for us to let out some stress. But just like all things, too much of it can be bad for you.

Addiction recognized by APA

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) recognizes that people can indeed become addicted to video games. If playing video games to the point that some aspects of life suffer, it’s an addiction. Addiction to gaming affects health, relationships, and professional life. APA calls this addiction “Internet Gaming Disorder”. Even though it is called Internet Gaming Disorder, this doesn’t mean addiction isn’t limited to games online. All sorts of video games are considered.

Even the UnityPoint Health Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery recognizes that impulsive and compulsive overuse of video games is characteristic of a video game addiction. The fact that these behaviors are recognized by institutions such as these proves that it is a pretty serious issue.

Divorce

If you allow video games to take control of your life and cause you to neglect other aspects of your life, things won’t get any better for you unless you do something about it. Though video games aren’t the ones that can ruin relationships, it’s the addiction to it that can. Choosing to spend money on video games over the needs of your family, choosing to spend more time playing video games instead of spending time on your marriage can only cause harm to your relationship with your spouse. Neglecting your marriage because of video games can lead up to a divorce, especially if you choose to do nothing about it. That can still qualify as grounds for divorce due to irreconcilable differences.

On their own, video games are bad. It’s the addictive behavior a person can have towards them that can be bad. Your life will only suffer if you allow the addictive behavior to take control of you. Next time you pick up that controller or log in, just be sure to ask yourself if you’re already overdoing it. Because if you are, maybe you’ll need to reevaluate what you need to do with your life.

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Mr. Hutton is a Divorce and Custody Lawyer based out of Round Rock, TX. His background is with child psychology at Arizona State University where he received a B.S. in 2006, and he continued this by working with the Children’s Right’s Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law where he received his J.D. in 2009. Throughout his practice, he has been a strong proponent of utilizing modern technology to improve his practice and the representation of his clients. He currently is the technology chair of CAFA of Travis County and is committed to improving and modernizing the practice of law in Texas. If you have any questions you can contact him at timothy.hutton@austintexaslegal.com

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