Is video game addiction causing divorce?

By John Bedford Published 31 May, 2011

Eurogamer investigates Daily Mail report.

A study conducted by Divorce Online, reported in the Daily Mail this morning, suggests that 15 per cent of divorce proceedings initiated with the company are a result of video game addiction.

Further investigation by Eurogamer has revealed that of the 2941 divorce petitions handled by the firm in the period of the study (January-April 2011), 1176 were filed based on unreasonable behaviour. A random selection of 200 petitions were then filtered for the word 'video game' with approximately 30 positive results.

However, in conversation with Eurogamer this morning, Mark Keenan, managing director of Divorce Online, explained that at least three or four reasons are needed by the courts in order for a petition to be successful. While 30 of the 200 petitions cited video game addiction as the primary reason, the most common other reasons included a lack of love and affection, an inability to deal with debts, alcohol and drug problems, and a lack of common interests.

The firm's press release suggests that other, indirect factors may also be at work: "The increase could be a consequence of people staying indoors more because of the recession, or it might be being used by men in particular as a means of escape from an already unhappy relationship."

On 17th May the company placed an appeal on Facebook, offering £250 for stories used in the press. Keenan explained that these case stories were solicited "in order to add a bit more weight to the press release. We wanted people to give us some case studies".

Jessica Ellis, quoted in the Daily Mail report, is a recent client of the firm and had been in a relationship with her husband for four-and-a-half years. After two-and-a-half years of marriage, and shortly after relocation to the United Kingdom, the marriage broke down. In 2009 they divorced. In the Daily Mail report, Blizzard MMO World of Warcraft and Call of Duty are blamed.

Eurogamer spoke to her this afternoon.

"In my circumstances, it had nothing to do with the recession whatsoever," she explained. "My husband and I recently moved over from South Africa, so for him it was a connection to his friends back home. I think it was particularly bad during winter, so the staying home part might be relevant. But the main reason was to stay connected to his friends."

Did he have a network of friends in the UK or was he dependent on the game for social interaction? "No he didn't have any connections here, it was all South Africa. They had their own guild."

"Basically, WOW was the beginning of the end, so that was a breakdown of communication and a lack of a lot of different things. Obviously it wasn't the primary reason but it lead to all of the problems."

Blizzard declined to comment on the report.

Late last year games industry trade association TIGA hit back at BBC Panorama's high-profile investigation into video game addiction.

In 'Addicted to Games?' Panorama "hears from youngsters who've dropped out of school and university to play games for anything up to 21 hours a day".

"There is absolutely no proven link between video games and addiction," Dr. Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO, said. "The World Health Organisation has no official medical diagnosis of video games addiction. Playing games is a hobby and people can certainly become passionate about them. This is no different from a passion for a particular book, TV programme or sport. In addition, playing games such as Wii Sports of Xbox Kinect can improve fitness. Games can also be educational. A fifth of UK games businesses make educational or serious games."

Blizzard told Panorama in a statement: "Our games are designed to be fun... but like all forms of entertainment... day-to-day life should always take precedence. World of Warcraft contains practical tools that assist players and parents in monitoring playing time."

Picture of John.

About John Bedford

John is an MMO specialist with a particular passion for Eve Online. He once nearly went paragliding.

Read more articles from John by visiting the John Bedford archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (72) Latest comment 12 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • M_of_the_sys #1 12 months ago

    "Further investigation by Eurogamer"

    The most shocking part of this article.

  • semtex03 #2 12 months ago

    and 15% were because of Soap Opera addiction.

  • madgerald Verified Studio Head of PR & Marketing, Colossal Games LTD #3 12 months ago

    One word - FarmVile

    /sorry for short comment - at work

  • TheDudesRug #4 12 months ago

    I believe that video games are responsible for some divorces. In the same way that being beaten with a pigmy has probably fractured the good nature of some relationships as well. I'm not sure whether this article answers its own question though.

  • RobotRocker #5 12 months ago

    The Daily Mail biases reports to suit a particular agenda they wish to push? DEAR LORD. SOMEONE CALL KOTAKU, WE HAVE SOME BREAKING NEWS.

  • Fab4 #6 12 months ago

    I don't think its video games, myself. I think its the early rush to marry because no-one can afford a fucking house on one salary. Then one of the two, or possibly even both, realise that even having a house isnt worth the hassle of a loveless marriage....but I could be wrong.

  • richarddavies #7 12 months ago

    There's a manager at my place that is divorced with his wife and he himself attributes it to his addiction to World of Warcraft. It's crazy shit to me. I just don't see myself getting into a game that badly.

  • MavSkipper #8 12 months ago

    Well... 2012 is near so might as well blame video games for it.

  • Toothball #9 12 months ago

    So both the Daily Mail and Eurogamer polled only Divorce Online for these stats? I'd wager that they don't really stack up that well against divorce claims in general. In fact, you could probably publish this article in the Daily Mail without changing a thing.

  • Arsecake_Baker #10 12 months ago

    Yes i'm afraid so, i'm one of them as so are two of my friends......oh well, life goes on etc.

  • Crea #11 12 months ago

    If your wife leaves you because you play too many games, then the root cause should be down as 'being a fucking idiot', not video game addiction.

  • woodnotes #12 12 months ago

    I think these people who are addicted to videogames would just be addicted to something else if they didn't exist. Still, I must commend their attention-spans, personally I tend to get bored if I play any game for more than an hour in one go.

  • Bartacus #13 12 months ago

    Soap addiction is terminal in women, even some men are affected at least gaming is an active & not a passive activity.

  • UsernamePending #14 12 months ago

    Further investigation by Eurogamer... ...confirms the report's validity. Good investigative reporting, Eurogamer!

  • BuddyChrist #15 12 months ago

    "at least three or four reasons are needed by the courts in order for a petition to be successful"

    Halo, Gears, GTa and Uncharted.

  • RawNinjaKid #16 12 months ago

    I still bet "Sex Addiction" is the root cause of more divorces.

    Edited by RawNinjaKid at 31/05/11 @ 15:24

  • Rubbish_Russ #17 12 months ago

    I'm confused what this story is telling me?

    Am I meant to be appalled at the Mail's bias (my normal starting point tbh)? When your own research shows that of 200 divorces randomly picked, 30 of them site video games as a cause - which is 15%, the same as the figure quoted by The Mail.

    More over, the quote from the lady divorcee sounds fairly balanced, and hardly full of anti-gaming vitriole. Clearly there were other elements contributing to their predicament, namely a move to foreign country and she seems to acknowledge this.

    So, what's your point Eurogamer ? Are you just recycling news articles from The Daily Mail or is there something else going on?

  • freethinker101 #18 12 months ago

    My wife is a family law solicitor and in the 7 years she has never mentioned video games. Violence, drugs and abuse.... Never games.
    Also if she spent as much time in the garden as she did on Farmarama, we'd never have to go to the supermarket!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • freethinker101 #19 12 months ago

    My wife is a family law solicitor and in the 7 years she has never mentioned video games. Violence, drugs and abuse.... Never games.
    Also if she spent as much time in the garden as she did on Farmarama, we'd never have to go to the supermarket!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • SilverInfinity #20 12 months ago

    Yawn ... Daily Mail again :( Who buys this crap!

    Next they'll be saying that it causes holes in the space / time continuum based on some findings from the LHRC.

  • darkmorgado #21 12 months ago

    From the comments on Daily Mail:

    "World of Warcraft nearly cost me my life. My appendix burst and my partner told me he couldn't take me to hospital for an hour as he had just started a raid and there was no-one to take over his role in the game. I was in hospital for 2 weeks because I nearly died."

    Pure gold.

  • Arsecake_Baker #22 12 months ago

    @Crea

    That's it of course, i didn't realise......i'm obviously "a fucking idiot"

    Twat!

  • SClaw #23 12 months ago

    Please stop mentioning trash "research" like this. Stupid company makes up story for headlines... then the Daily Mail makes it up again, even harder. Then you give it more weight by talking about it.

    When in doubt; just ignore the stupid people and talk about something else!

  • darkmorgado #24 12 months ago

    EG only reported it because Call of Duty is mentioned.

  • geeza2020 #25 12 months ago

    How many divorces are caused by not having my bloody dinner ready for when I get home from work eh? ;)

  • asphaltcowboy #26 12 months ago

    The Daily Mail? Really EG?

  • spekkeh #27 12 months ago

    If your wife leaves you because you play too many games, then the root cause should be down as 'being a fucking idiot', not video game addiction.

    Or it's escapism. From the wife.

  • cnlfailure #28 12 months ago

    Video game addiction may be real and all, but in most cases it's simply that we'd rather be immersing ourselves in a virtual world engaging our imaginations and socialising with some of the best friends we'll never meet than parked in front of fucking X Factor with you simply to get some "together time".

    AND YET we make this concession regularly, and despite repeated offers to show you some games you might like that we could play together, or buying a sodding Wii in the hope it shows you the gateway to entertainment that is actually entertaining, you refuse point blank to try. We are the ones who are accepting that some evenings must remain entirely free of our preferred entertainment, and then we are the ones punished by your inability to engage your brain beyond advertising laden reality television designed to molly-coddle and control the masses.

    Finally it is then we who are demonised by a media that sees its readership and viewership declining day by day as a result of technology, who desperately try to grab our attention back from a superior artform, a superior source of information, a superior form of entertainment.

    Frankly, you knew I played games before you signed up to this. Your choices are : join in or learn to live with it.

    I'm not addicted to games, I can switch them off any time, and do so repeatedly, but in the same way as asking you to turn off the gogglebox just as professional gossip column fodder, Cheryl Cole is about to given her Einstein-worthy opinion on some no-hopers on a talent show, or put down the book when you're 3 pages from the end is likely to get a "hang on a sec" response so, sometimes, games require just a little longer to reach a save point.

    I could go on, but figure I have already.

  • telboy007 #29 12 months ago

    If there wasn't any mention of gaming causing cancer then I don't believe it was the daily mail.

  • lucky_jim #30 12 months ago

    I'm confused. All this time I thought it was all the fault of teenage mums and immigrants, now I hear it's videogames. Are they gonna give me cancer too? Cos I'm pretty sure the Daily Mail told me teenage mums and immigrants do that.

  • lennon #31 12 months ago

    I am worried. Despite not being married yet (next year) I yesterday discovered my laptop was good enough to run Football Manager 2011. There may be trouble ahead.

  • Liquidoodle #32 12 months ago

    Daily Mail readers should be punched in the face!

    CVG has a good response to the whole thing showing how their figures are completely wack!
    http://www.computerandvideogames.com/303...

  • Crea #33 12 months ago

    @Arsecake_baker

    The point I was trying to make was that, if someone’s marriage breaks down due to one spouse playing games all day, tben it’s probably fair to say they’re simply a selfish git, rather than blaming the mystical addictive qualities of Call of Duty.

    Obviously games can be cited in arguments when it's really just about 'relationship power' and the attempt of one partner to dictate what the other one does with their spare time. I'm not meaning to suggest that all game-related relationship difficulties fall into the 'any-gaming-is-too-much' dynamic.

    Sometimes people can be dicks about their significant others spending any time doing things they don't understand or like.

    Also, when I posted my comment I didn't see yours, it wasn't a personal dig, etc...
    Edited by Crea at 31/05/11 @ 16:21

  • Kanjin #34 12 months ago

    If you're letting video games get in the way of your marriage, you've got bigger problems really.

  • AllenSpawn #35 12 months ago

    My wife says that game playing is the biggest cause of arguments between us..... but she seems to be fine with it for 2 to 3 weeks of the month( actively encouraging it when she wants some quiet time to read a book!)
    Then for 1 week or so, she cannot seem to tolerate the sight of a controller. Strange!

    I think maybe rrod maybe a problem....

  • Timotei #36 12 months ago

    All fucking obsessive behaviour leads to divorce EG you bunch of cunts. Gardening, carpentry, mechanics, jigsaws, model railways, pornography, the list is fucking endless.

    Don't camp with the Mail for God's sake.

  • sega #37 12 months ago

    Yeah I think we all agree that some people need to sort out their priorities and be less selfish in a relationship. If I was married to an obsessive gamer, despite enjoying games myself, I'd definately have a problem with it but I'd blame the person rather than the games. I do actually know of people who refuse to date gamers, however - maybe they're worried of such a scenario, despite the problem here being the person rather than the hobby and the same situation can arise with anything (TV, cars, football, fitness, internet etc).

  • Architect_z #38 12 months ago

    Come on gamers, i'd much rather earn XP then get laid. :p

  • Olemak #39 12 months ago

    I'm still married, and I play games.

  • potter73 #40 12 months ago

    Ive got gaming addiction, the wife has shoe and hangbag addiction. Think it all sort of balances out in the end :)

  • LazyNinjaUk #41 12 months ago

    I can imagine how said investigation was conducted for the Daily Mail:

    " File for divorce paper 65 of 200. Reasons for request of separation on behalf of Jane Smith, against husband John Smith:

    - Domestic Violence
    - Alcohol & Drug Abuse
    - Sexual Abuse
    - Psychological Abuse
    - Gambling Addiction
    - Lack of love or Affection
    - Inability to deal with debts
    - Video Game Addiction

    Steve? Steve!? We have another one for Video Game Addiction."

  • Inmediasress #42 12 months ago

    Yeah sure it does but not any more than alcoholism,violence or just simple loss of interest.

  • kingnothing12 #43 12 months ago

    Is there one for 'blackberry messenger addiction' i nearly beat my ex-missus over the head multiple times due to that fucking thing!

  • Toothball #44 12 months ago

    @Liquidoodle

    Good link, that was a much better way to refute this kind of story.

  • IkariW #45 12 months ago

    Everything in moderation.... including marriage. ;)

    Seriously though, I'm not married so I can't comment as such on these 'claims'.
    But I do live with my girlfriend, and I still play games, okay, maybe not as much as when I was single, but I still play them.
    Being a massive part of my life, its something I have to do. But, I do understand that watching someone play them for a long amount of time is not exactly fun, especially FPS shooters or racing games!

    So, I trade time on my console for what ever my girlfriend wants to do, I may not like it all the time, but its only fair. Fortunately she doesn't watch soaps! (Phew!) But she gets what she wants, I get what I want and visa versa... 50/50 you know? Relationships are about compromise. But, I understand that it takes two, so maybe I'm just lucky. :)

    And by god, she actually WANTED me to put L.A. Noire on over the weekend as she enjoys watching me play it! Win! ;)
    Edited by IkariW at 31/05/11 @ 17:02

  • X201 #46 12 months ago

    "Yawn ... Daily Mail again :( Who buys this crap! "

    You do, via the adverts that pay to appear on their high traffic website. The only way to stop them is to not click on Daily Mail links.

  • X201 #47 12 months ago

    Well done to the boy Bedford for not just parroting a press release.

  • asphaltcowboy #48 12 months ago

    @cnlfailure I stood up, placed my hand over my heart and my eyes welled up a little as I read that! ;)

  • Ikari2001 #49 12 months ago

    I would hazard a guess there are other factors in play when it comes to divorces because of video games, like in the case the article mentions of the guy who just wanted to stay connected with his friends in South Africa. In general, I always believe there is never simply one thing that explains it away, but a collusion of factors.

    My gf/fiancee moved in last year, and the most major thing we have had to tackle has been my need to play games. It is my main source of entertainment, but I have compromised (as some other have said also), and I play less of them. But I've also found I enjoy alot of the programs she likes. Yes some don't require alot of thought (Xfactor) which is fine, my mind needs a rest sometimes. But I have also found programs which we both enjoy which normally I wouldn't have watched.

    Gaming can be an issue, and Im sure it has caused relationships to end, but it is alot better than drinking too much or getting high on drugs :p

  • Psihomodo #50 12 months ago

    Wait, wait: "an inability to deal with debts"

    So if, God forbid, someone loses his/hers job in this recession times, and can't pay his debts normally, you divorce him/her?

    I get it when people buy too much because of their breeding in a media clouted world that wants to suck you dry and leave you to rot, but still...

    Nice... western culture FTW

  • Psihomodo #51 12 months ago

    @Ikari2001

    So, you're basically saying you cut off a chunk of your gaming time, that is your "entertainment", because she didn't like it, but you didn't do the same towards her but actually made yourself do the same activity that she condoles - TV. Might I add that TV is even more antisocial and passive?

    I don't see a compromise there, not a mutual compromise at least. It is a common problem when two people with different technical degree meet and one side is too traditional to understand the other side has a similar hobby.

  • Tryhard #52 12 months ago

    Yes, my wife and I argue who is going to play Bad Company 2 next.
    Edited by Tryhard at 31/05/11 @ 18:18

  • Killham #53 12 months ago

    "You do, via the adverts that pay to appear on their high traffic website. The only way to stop them is to not click on Daily Mail links."

    Or use istyosty.com to read them.

  • knigar #54 12 months ago

    nah this guy makes sense, my wife (now separated) she hated me playing games, we were together for four years and she neve runderstood we were having contant arguments and it wasnt any MMORPG's mainly just battlefield 2, ff13 stuff like that and i played an hour a day if that, so we argued and argued, in the end I shipped her off back to Japan

  • knigar #55 12 months ago

    nah this guy makes sense, my wife (now separated) she hated me playing games, we were together for four years and she neve runderstood we were having contant arguments and it wasnt any MMORPG's mainly just battlefield 2, ff13 stuff like that and i played an hour a day if that, so we argued and argued, in the end I shipped her off back to Japan

  • P1GEONPOO #56 12 months ago

    Na ill get her back (when i finish La Noire)

  • jimr9999us #57 12 months ago

    I had to quit raiding for my marriage. Yes, it causes divorce; it almost caused mine.

  • RobotRocker #58 12 months ago

    Misogynist jokes in a thread complaining about the Daily Mail.

    You simply could not make it up.

  • Sodding_Gamer #59 12 months ago

    @cnlfailure

    Your a fucking legend.

    I think you summed up the majority of our feelings towards women and games. If only I could remember that beautifully articulated paragraph so I could just splurt it out next time I have an argument with the misses.

    I bow my hat to you haha

  • RobotRocker #60 12 months ago

    @cnlfailure

    I am in complete awe that someone could be so entitled and selfish. Absolutely incredible stuff. Highlight of my day, that.

  • DrStrangelove #61 12 months ago

    Oh, the Daily Mail wrote something. Oh, we must take notice. Oh, we... hey wait a minute.

    Whenever I read "Daily Mail", i show my monitor the back of my index and middle finger. Everyone else should too. Especially EG. Seriously, what the Daily Mail says is as relevant as what the Pedophiliac Catholic Priest Appreciation Society says. Just f*** off.

  • BonzoBanana #62 12 months ago

    Its slightly annoying that gaming gets such a bad press. Years ago you used to get action series on tv that were aimed at men but now television is more aimed at women except for sport. Soaps and reality shows make up a lot of television now as its cheap to produce and it simply has no appeal to a lot of men. I'm more interested in flims, science fiction, documentaries and of course games. Its slim pickings a lot of the time for off air tv so its games or dvds for me. If theres competition for what the tv is used for why not just get a second tv for the living room. If videogames are too noisy just put on a pair of headphones.

    How many articles has there been in newspapers about the mindless addiction of watching soaps and reality shows and how gaming improves dexterity, reaction times and uses the brain much more. It gets tiresome sometimes when men's choices are seen as wrong and selfish and women's choice's are not. Is it any less selfish to expect a man to watch xfactor despite not liking the show at all. I understand interactive entertainment is more focused but every game has a pause button as far as I'm aware.

    I don't read newspapers so I don't know what they are like nowadays but is there any balance in what they write?

  • man.the.king #63 12 months ago

    @Tryhard

    "Yes, my wife and I argue who is going to play Bad Company 2 next. "

    You lucky, lucky man :)

  • DRUNK3N-_-DRAGON #64 12 months ago

    i have nearly been divorced 20.000 times just because she wants to watch tv, these bitches need to know
    there roll in this life
    /goes to unlock the chains at the sink...

  • Lycanthroat #65 12 months ago

    @Sodding_Gamer

    That was directed towards women? He didn't mention them in that post, as far as I can tell.

  • Sodding_Gamer #66 12 months ago

    @Lycanthroat

    If you like sitting your wife down to watch xfactor for some "together time" then you clearly need your head checked out!

  • Nat_Salvas #67 12 months ago

    Ah, the Daily Mail always has the scoop! I don't have many married friends my age, but I can imagine all of the witnesses called to the trial. Sobbing wife: "My husband is having an affair with Zelda!" Or better yet, let's get some $$ involved and call in AE or Activision to stand trial. [link url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/business-executive-suite-bobby-kotick-49989
    ]http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bu...[/link]
    Edited by Nat_Salvas at 01/06/11 @ 20:28

  • Evil-Ryu #68 12 months ago

    I guess Ice-T had it right when he said "Don't hate the Playa, hate the game."

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcIH5DQY6U8

  • Flipper79 #69 12 months ago

    If it wasn't games it'd be something else. The games aren't the cause, they're the escape from the cause, and it just so happens there was a clear agenda to implicate games so they did a survey of a section of society that would most likely use them as an escape from a marriage that isn't working. You can prove anything with surveys and statistics if you ask the right people. The whole thing is utterly pointless and says nothing, and knowing the Daily Mail probably gives you cancer.

  • Ryze #70 12 months ago

    So... how many divorces are due to 'addiction' to watching Football, then?

    The truth is, that it's easy to point and complain about video game use, as it's STILL not socially acceptable to millions of luddites out there.

    As for people who play games excessively - I expect that the number of people who spend more time gaming than a typically excessive Football fan or Soap Opera fan engages in their pastime, or a book lover engages in books, is a minuscule proportion.

    We just need to wait for these idiots to die.

  • trubadman #71 12 months ago

    I hope I'm not damned for any future marriages - I love playing games and watching football and playing football :(

  • Marshall2008 #72 12 months ago

    Meh, videogames probably saved my marriage. If I had to spend more time with her in doors than I do now we would have split years ago.

    Absence makes the heart grow fonder, familiarity breeds contempt.

    :p