Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to examine drug addiction and video game addiction and determine whether or not these two seemingly separate types of addiction have any similarities. Drug addiction is known to be caused by alteration of the normal action of molecules known as neurotransmitters that are naturally produced by the body. Video game addiction however has not been studied significantly in terms of neurotransmitter alteration. While there is information out there, it is not as extensive as the information available for the relationship of neurotransmitters to drug addiction. Through research, it was found that both types of addiction are influenced significantly the neurotransmitter dopamine, which has several functions in the body’s normal function, such as creating the perception of reward. However, other similarities in alterations to neurochemistry were not found in literature during the writing of this thesis project. Overall, it was determined that drug and video game addiction do appear to have similar means of development, but more information will be required in order to truly determine the similarity of the two types of addiction in terms of neurochemistry.
Semester/Year of Award
Fall 2016
Mentor
Michael Ward
Mentor Professional Affiliation
Chemistry
Access Options
Restricted Access Thesis
Document Type
Bachelor Thesis
Degree Name
Honors Scholars
Degree Level
Bachelor's
Department
Chemistry
Recommended Citation
Morton, Devin, "Cocaine and Massively Multi-user Online Role Playing Games, a Comparison of Two Different Forms of Addiction" (2016). Honors Theses. 365.
https://encompass.eku.edu/honors_theses/365
