What is the Fear of Gaming Called? An In-Depth Guide to Gaming Phobias

As a lifelong gaming enthusiast and content creator focused on the world of gaming, I‘ve become deeply familiar with the joys, thrills and even fears that gaming can spark. While most gamers feel excitement and fun when firing up their favorite game, some deal with intense anxiety, fear or panic attacks – medically known as phobias.

In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll explore "what is the fear of gaming called" and delve deeper into causes, impacts and treatments for conquering gaming phobias.

So What‘s the Actual Term for Fear of Gaming?

The technical term for the fear of gaming is "ludophobia". As you may have guessed, it stems from two word roots:

• Ludus – Latin for "game"
• Phobos – Greek for "fear"

So ludophobia literally translates into an irrational, debilitating fear of gaming or games.

While gaming is meant to be a fun form of entertainment and recreation, those dealing with ludophobia experience intense emotional distress when exposed to games. The symptoms are similar to other phobias – anxiety attacks, panic, sweating, nausea, raised heart rate, etc.

Now let‘s explore some root causes and factors behind someone developing ludophobia.

What Triggers Someone to Fear Gaming?

There isn‘t one single cause for gaming phobias. Often, it‘s a combination of factors that predispose someone to fear games including:

Traumatic Past Experiences

Past traumatic events while playing games can lead to fear conditioning.

For example, a young child plays their first survival horror game. The disturbing visuals and sounds trigger immense fear and panic in the child, leading to lasting phobia of games.

Fear of Failure/Embarrassment

Competitive multiplayer games come with pressure to win and perform well. For some, the fear of failing, losing or embarrassing themselves while teammates watch can spark deep gaming anxiety.

Fear of Addiction

There‘s also a fear developing around video game addiction, especially amongst parents/elders. Exposure to frequent media stories on "gaming addiction ruining lives" adds to this social anxiety.

Prevalence – How Many People Have Ludophobia?

It‘s tough to get an exact statistic on ludophobia prevalence. A 2015 study published in the Springer Psychiatry Journal states that nearly 10% of young adults likely suffer from some form of gaming-related anxiety or phobia.

Another study by Mindlab International found that about 28% of gamers deal with elevated stress and anxiety while playing games frequently.

So while full-blown clinical ludophobia is relatively rare, a larger percentage likely have moderate gaming anxiety. The number also seems to be slowly rising as games get more immersive and Competition increases pressure to perform.

Breakdown of Major Gaming Phobias

Beyond overall ludophobia, let‘s examine some specialized gaming phobias that experts have identified thus far:

Fortnophobia

This refers specifically to the pathological fear of playing the globally popular battle royale game Fortnite. Symptoms include panic attacks, inability to load/start matches etc.

Fortnophobia has likely arisen from Fortnite‘s tense, last-man-standing competitive gameplay coupled with its young player demographic more susceptible to anxiety.

Robloxphobia

Refers to extreme fear associated with the gaming platform Roblox which hosts millions of user-created game worlds. As Roblox appeals mainly to children and preteens, traumatic in-game experiences can easily translate to real phobia. Parents‘ security concerns over potential predators adds more phobia triggers.

Creepophobia

A very specific phobia related to the iconic Creepers in Minecraft. Their sudden explosive attacks can terrify players especially young kids leading to lasting fear and avoidance of Minecraft.

Amongophobia

The popular social deduction game Among Us creates tension via uncertainty over who‘s innocent crewmate or deadly imposter. The game‘s entire premise of deception and suspicion seems tailormade to induce trust issues and paranoia in some gamers!

There are certainly other emerging gaming phobias but the above seem most reported thus far.

I‘ve also created a data table summarizing key details on major gaming phobias:

Impact of Gaming Phobias

For most gamers, games represent fun recreation after school/work to destress. But for those with gaming phobias, symptoms severely reduce quality of life and ability to relax via games.

The cognitive-behavioral impacts also often negatively influence real world confidence, performance and social relationships.

Let‘s examine the wide-ranging fallouts of unchecked gaming anxiety:

Plummeting Self-Confidence

Games are meant to empower players and boost confidence via scores, competition and rewards. But those unable to enjoy games due to phobia often suffer blows to self-esteem and diminished confidence.

Social Isolation

Inability to play popular multiplayer games cuts out a major avenue of social interaction especially for adolescents. Most friend groups bond over shared gaming interests. Those crippled by gaming phobias feel left out and isolated.

Poorer Real World Performance

Studies demonstrate that reasonable gaming helps develop strategic thinking, problem-solving skills and teamwork ability. Losing this cognitive edge can downgrade real world abilities from academics to workplace output.

Increased General Anxiety

Gaming anxiety rarely occurs in isolation. It often aggravates existing disorders like depression, OCD or generalized anxiety. Failing to address gaming phobias also worsens overall mental health over time.

Therapy Barriers

Interestingly, phobias arising from games also create barriers to accessing standard phobia therapies. Many standard tools like visualization or VR exposure therapy rely on gaming tech which triggers patients‘ deeper fears.

As experts learn more about gaming psychology, specialized clinical frameworks better equipped to handle unique symptoms will hopefully emerge.

On a positive note, let‘s switch gears to tips gamers can employ themselves to manage anxiety triggers.

Conquering Gaming Anxiety – Do-It-Yourself Strategies

For mild to moderate symptoms, gamers can try various self-help techniques to ease their gaming fears and rebuild confidence:

Gradual Exposure

Plunging into an anxiety-inducing game for hours right away usually backfires. Start gradual – play in short 5-10 minute bursts and slowly increase session duration. This allows slowly adapting without feeling overwhelmed.

Adjust Difficulty

Lower initial difficulty levels so the game provides an achievable challenge instead of intense, demoralizing pressure. As skills improve, notch up difficulty progressively.

Play Co-Op First

Games with co-op allow playing collaboratively with others instead of direct competition. This reduces performance pressure substantially. Slowly transition to competitive multiplayer when ready.

Focus on Progress

Rather than overanalyze failures or setbacks, focus mental energy on positive progress made over time. Perhaps you lasted 2 minutes longer in a tense round today. Look for incremental wins.

Limit Media Consumption

Watching sensationalized media reports on gaming addiction or news on bans only reinforce anxiety triggers. Limit consumption of negative video game media coverage.

Talk About It

Don‘t suppress feelings or shy away from opening up about gaming phobias. Speaking to close friends about your struggles can lift tremendous weight off your shoulders while also generating support.

When to Seek Professional Treatment

Self-help tips work well for mild gaming fears. But if symptoms persistently disrupt normal functioning over an extended time, seeking psychiatric help becomes vital for full recovery.

Symptoms signalling it‘s time to get professional treatment:

• Panic attacks strike even years after traumatic gaming event
• Phobia prevents participation in major social events
• Persistent depression or thoughts of self-harm emerge
• Other areas of life like academics, eating, sleeping get impacted
• Self-help has been tried extensively without progress

So in summary, mild gaming anxiety can be self-managed but more severe, enduring symptoms accompanying disorder require clinical therapies and counselling.

The Key is Not Suffering in Silence

One aspect that holds back progress the most is how rarely gaming phobias get discussed openly. Most gamers don‘t even realize psychological gaming disorders exist as defined conditions. And those suffering often hesitate to speak to friends or family out of embarrassment.

This silence only worsens fears and allows symptoms to magnify unchecked. We have to foster more open conversations challenging stigma around gaming disorders as with any mental health issue.

As gaming becomes more social and multifaceted, psychological considerations around player vulnerabilities also gain prominence. There‘s much games companies and health experts can do to make gaming safe, accessible and phobia-free for audiences of all ages and risk types.

Alright friends, that‘s a detailed once-over of "what is the fear of gaming called", key gaming phobias, how they form plus strategies to overcome them!

Have you known anyone deal with anxiety while gaming or suffered from it yourself? What aspects of games do you think most frequently spark phobias? Which gaming phobia term did you find most unique?

Hit me up with your thoughts below! Let‘s keep the discussion going and perhaps help some gamers overcome their fears.