What causes "internet gaming addiction"?

What causes "internet gaming addiction"?

Marc Kern (Addiction Expert, Director of Addiction Alternatives) gives expert video advice on: What is "computer game addiction"?; What causes "internet gaming addiction"?; Why are computer games so addictive? and more...

The causes are really not clear about internet or gaming addictions because, in part, it is a such a new technology. But I think that we're going to find that it essentially holds the same dynamics that cause many other addictions. The key issue is the social environment such as the availability of the monitor, the screen, the access to the internet, or the little handheld games that you can buy and win. You have conflicts and you feel good at the end of a particular evolution in the little game, and this is what causes gaming addiction. Again, the causes of the gaming addictions are that similar to alcohol they're immediate, and predictable. If I'm bored and I reach for a computer addiction or a little game I know I can change my feeling quickly, efficiently, effectively and predictably, right away. I don't have to wait to go and play basketball. I can change the way I feel and my mood state, immediately, through a machine.