Video games are nothing new, and neither are reports of game addiction. But today’s most popular games are wholly immersive: Vast digital landscapes unfold in eye-popping detail, nuanced characters evolve from one level to the next. These games are deliberately designed, with the help of psychology consultants, to make players want to keep playing, and they are available on every platform — gaming consoles, computers, smartphones. Today’s teens are more tethered to this technology than any previous generation; these so-called “digital natives” have been playing more sophisticated games at younger ages than their parents ever did.

The games have been criticized as an escape from human interaction, but some offer a different sort of social connection: MMOs — or massively multiplayer online games — allow gamers to play together from any place at any time, and many describe a powerful sense of attachment to those who share this virtual realm. Logging off is that much harder for kids who feel a very real bond to their online friends and teammates.

The result, experts say, is a steep rise in the number of parents worried that their kids are in fact addicted, or at least compulsively devoted, to the games. A residential facility called reSTART, the nation’s first therapeutic retreat devoted specifically to Internet addiction, launched a new adolescent program last month after receiving a barrage of calls from parents desperate to separate their children from video games, consoles, computers and smartphones. A small but growing number of psychologists across the United States have begun to specialize in treating children who struggle with compulsive gaming and screen use.

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“I don’t think we know exactly how many are suffering from this, but we know it’s a big problem,” said psychologist Kimberly Young, founder of the Center for Internet Addiction. “A modest estimate might be 5 percent. But 5 percent of American kids is a lot.”

Boys tend to be more susceptible to compulsive gaming than girls, but any kid who is trying to avoid overwhelming stress — bullies at school, a difficult home environment, social anxiety — might be especially drawn to video games. Experts also see a correlation between obsessive video game use and traits associated with autism, attention deficit disorders, anxiety and depression, although the exact nature of the connection is not fully understood.

Whatever the causes behind this unhealthy attachment, at least one common factor comes through, said Kim McDaniel, a therapist and parent coach who specializes in the compulsive use of electronics.

“The biggest impression I get,” she said, “is that we have this generation of teens and kids who are just so lonely.”