'Compulsive play' claim on computer game fans

In tonight's programme, Addicted to Games, investigators speak to children who believe they are addicted and hear from industry experts calling for more research into the issue.

Games designer Adrian Hon, chief creative officer of SixToStart, said producers use a simple technique based on a 1950s study of rats feeding themselves by pressing a lever.

The "variable ratio of reinforcement" (or operant conditioning) basically sees people acting a certain way because they are rewarded for that behaviour.

Mr Hon said: "I think people don't necessarily understand how powerful some game mechanics can be.

"It's one thing to think, 'OK, I'm playing too much', but it's another to just stop playing, because some games are designed in a manner that you just don't want to leave."

Prof Mark Griffiths, from Nottingham Trent University's International Gaming Research Unit, said: "It's a neat little psychological trick, and for most people this will not be something that's bad, but if you've got...that vulnerability or susceptibility to addiction that will keep you in the game probably far in excess of what the normal person would do."