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Paired Texts > Is Online Gaming Addictive?

by Gina Rich 2026

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

Screen Addiction Among Teens: Is There Such A Thing?
Screen Addiction Among Teens: Is There Such A Thing?
Anya Kamenetz

In the article "Screen Addiction Among Teens: Is There Such A Thing?" Anya Kamenetz explores whether or not teens can be addicted to their technological devices.

Pair “Screen Addiction Among Teens: Is There Such a Thing?” with “Is Online Gaming Addictive?” and ask students to compare and contrast the authors’ tones regarding whether excessive tech usage — particularly in the form of online gaming — rises to the level of “addiction.” In “Screen Addiction Among Teens: Is There Such a Thing?,” how is a “habit” distinguished from an “addiction”? Why do some of the experts in both articles disagree about whether excessive online gaming warrants a classification as an official disorder? Why do some clinicians like Dr. Michael Bishop in “Screen Addiction Among Teens: Is There Such a Thing?,” prefer to classify excessive technology use as a “habit?” Explain the comparison between excessive online gaming and binge eating in “Screen Addiction Among Teens: Is There Such a Thing?,” and why playing video games excessively might be different from other sorts of addictions. How do some experts think that technology itself can be used to help gamers and others develop and maintain healthier boundaries?

10th Grade Informational Text 1140L
Explainer: What is dopamine?
Explainer: What is dopamine?
Bethany Brookshire

In the informational text "Explainer: What is dopamine?" Bethany Brookshire discusses the functionof dopamine in the human brain.

Pair “Explainer: What is dopamine?” with “Is Online Gaming Addictive?” and ask students to discuss the role that dopamine plays in excessive online gaming. According to “Explainer — What is dopamine?,” how is dopamine made, and what are some of the ways it influences human behavior? Based on the information included in both texts, what is the relationship between dopamine levels and excessive and/or addictive online gaming as described in “Is Online Gaming Addictive?” Is it possible to derive healthy dopamine boosts through online gaming? If so, what are some strategies that gamers could use to keep their video game use within a healthy range?

10th Grade Informational Text 950L
How Video Games Are Getting Inside Your Head — And Wallet
How Video Games Are Getting Inside Your Head — And Wallet
Steve Henn, for NPR

In the informational text, "How Video Games Are Getting Inside Your Head – And Wallet," Steve Henn discusses how game companies' research influences gamers. 

Pair “How Video Games Are Getting Inside Your Head — And Wallet” with “Is Online Gaming Addictive?” and ask students to discuss the strategies that game developers use to encourage gamers to play for longer periods of time, and whether those strategies contribute to online gaming addiction. According to “How Video Games Are Getting Inside Your Head — And Wallet,” what are some of the strategies game developers use in order to keep users playing? What concerns have the parents cited in the article raised about their children’s behavior and attitudes toward gaming? In “Is Online Gaming Addictive?,” some of the experts note positive aspects of online gaming, doubt that it is addictive, and cite not that “‘addiction’ is a loaded term.” Explain their concerns with applying the label to online gaming. Considering both articles, what role does a person’s age and/or mental health play in the degree to which their gaming habits are healthy?

8th Grade Informational Text 1020L
When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities
When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities
Chen Chen

In "When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities," the speaker reflects on their roles in different relationships. Pair “When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities” with “Is Online Gaming Addictive?” and ask students to discuss the ways in which online spaces can be safe and healthy places to deal with stress or anxiety, experiment with personal identity, or improve communication. According to “Is Online Gaming Addictive?,” how can virtual communities provide spaces for safe self-expression or to find relief from underlying conditions like anxiety or depression? Why does therapist Ariel Landrum in “Is Online Gaming Addictive?” object to the term “addiction” in the context of the virtual communities formed by many gamers? In “When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities,” what role does community play in the speaker’s life? What are the speaker’s hopes for their role in the various communities of which they are a part? Would the poem’s speaker agree with Ariel Landrum’s point of view on the value of online communities? Why, or why not?

10th Grade Poem