(16–26)
0
Semi-structured interviews
Grounded Theory via
No
Carmona & Whiting (2021)
N/A
1. How do self-described WoW addicts describe their development of addiction?
2. How do these gamers’ descriptions reflect how the DSM codifies addiction phenomena?
3. How do gamers describe their efforts to recover from addictive behaviours?
Data was obtained from two websites dedicated to sharing addiction and recovery stories from (wowdetox.com & reddit.com/noWoW). Posts ranged from 100 to 1,800 words in length and were posted in the period between 2006 and 2011.
N/A
Grounded Theory
140
12+
14
Forum posts
Grounded Theory
No
Chappell et al. (2006)
N/A
To examine how individuals perceived and made sense of in the context of their lives.
Data was obtained from various forums where participants discussed their experiences of being addicted to . Participants were at different stages of recovery: relapse, still actively playing or quit.
N/A
Phenomeno-logy
12
N/A
N/A
Forum posts
Interpreta-tive Phenome-nological Analysis
No
Haagsma et al. (2013)
Netherlands
To contribute to a more dynamic understanding of the complexity of excessive gaming in general and the way in which changes in cognitions interact with behavioural trajectories in particular.
Participants were recruited if they were experiencing or had experienced problems related to gaming. Participants differed based on their age, occupation (secondary school, vocational school, university, working), and time spent gaming (few hours to 66h currently, 10h to 105h historically).
Flyers, adverts, emails, addiction centre, snowball
Qualitative
21
N/A
(17–28)
0
Semi-structured interviews (face-to-face)
Thematic Analysis
No
Karhulahti et al. (2022)
Finland
To explore the differences and similarities between gamers who are seeking treatment (potential GD) and e-sports gamers (no self-reported problems).
Adult working population, students were excluded. Participants were not screened, but it was assumed that their presentation was sufficiently severe, since they sought treatment. Participants’ treatment stage differed from recovery to still affected by disordered gaming.
Hospitals, therapy centres, medical institutions
Phenomeno-logy
6
30.40
1
Semi-structured interviews (video using Pheno-menology of Play protocol)
Interpreta-tive Phenome-nological Analysis via
Yes
(Data from esports gamers and experts was excluded—themes “Esports players: i), ii), iii)” and “Meanings by experts”)
Park et al. (2021)
New Zealand
1. Describe the experiences and needs of people seeking help for gaming problems. 2. Identify the optimal components of a health care system to support early intervention and treatment of gaming problems.
Participants were recruited from a larger study examining the impact of a brief online intervention for gaming problems. This larger study involved 50 gamers who wanted to limit or reduce their gaming within 30 days. Participants had to be 18 or older and not currently seeking in-person treatment.
Social media adverts, posters, snowball
Person-centred access to health care framework
20
23.00 (20–35)
2
Semi-structured interviews (instant messaging)
Qualitative content analysis via
No
Sim et al. (2021)
Singapore
1. What are the adolescents’ and their parents’ views on and experiences of the different treatment components of the CWEP?
2. What are the adolescents’ and their parents’ views on and experiences of some of the unique mechanisms of the CWEP?
Evaluation of Cyber Wellness Enrichment Program for treatment of problematic gaming. It includes four main components: 1. Individual counselling (managing time & gaming habits), 2. Family counselling, 3. Group mentoring & social support, 4. Alternative activities. Treatment emphasises healthy engagement with games, rather than abstinence. The length of the program is 3 months.
Cyber Wellness Enrichment Programme
Qualitative
10
15.30
(13–18)
0
Semi-structured interviews
Qualitative content analysis via
Yes
(Parents’ perspectives were excluded)
Wendt et al. (2021)
Germany
To conduct a qualitative investigation of young IGD patients and clinical experts to contribute to a better understanding of treatment requirements for this disorder.
Treatment was administered at the inpatient and day-clinic service for adolescents with substance and behavioural addictions. The GD group intervention consisted of 8 modules, each session 60 minutes long. Treatment included psychoeducation, control strategies, understanding relationships and others. This intervention was part of the service treatment offer that also included individual therapy, medication, occupational and sports therapy, family support and others.
Day clinic, ward for addictions
Qualitative
7
15.86
(12–118)
1
Semi-structured interviews
Qualitative content analysis via
Yes
(Data from experts—theme “3.2 Interviews with Experts”)
Data extraction for every study included in the review is given in this table. Participant characteristics ( range are given for participants whose data was included in the analysis, e.g., Sim et al. (2021) had a sample of adolescents and a sample of parents, but only adolescents’ characteristics were included. This data was an estimation, given that forum posts were anonymous and did not always include person’s age and gender. The primary goal of this study was to explore the process of GD recovery from the perspective of people affected by it. Therefore, themes discussing the experiences of other people (affected others, healthy gamers, experts) were excluded from the analysis.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License .
Copyright © 2024 Ksenija Vasiljeva, Alex Kyriakopoulos, Christopher Wilson
PDF Version Also Available for Download.
Video game addiction often leads to a tremendous burden on those afflicted with the condition, draining their time, resources, and life away until they have nothing left. To further elucidate the problem of video game addiction, the current research examines the level of video game addiction of 111 participants, along with their motivation for their addictive behaviors, the quality of life of addicted individuals, and possible relations between video game addiction and other forms of addiction. Results of the current research indicate a correlation between addictive video game use and depression, alcohol use, a desire for escapism, a need for … continued below
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Video game addiction often leads to a tremendous burden on those afflicted with the condition, draining their time, resources, and life away until they have nothing left. To further elucidate the problem of video game addiction, the current research examines the level of video game addiction of 111 participants, along with their motivation for their addictive behaviors, the quality of life of addicted individuals, and possible relations between video game addiction and other forms of addiction. Results of the current research indicate a correlation between addictive video game use and depression, alcohol use, a desire for escapism, a need for social interaction, and lack of self-control. The results of a multiple regression indicate that, amongst the various research factors, depression is the factor with the most significant link to addictive video game use, implying a dangerous correlation between mental health and an addictive behavior that some erroneously disqualify as a true addiction.
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Langley, Alex. Correlates of Video Game Addiction , thesis , December 2010; Denton, Texas . ( https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc33181/ : accessed September 9, 2024 ), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu ; .
Home > GRADUATE > THESES > 1067
(don't) stop playing that game: a rhetorical analysis of the video game addiction stereotype.
Chet Daniel Breaux , Western Kentucky University Follow
Advisor(s) - committee chair.
Dr. Jane Fife (Director), Dr. Elizabeth Weixel, Dr. Wes Berry
Department of English
Master of Arts
The growing popularity of game addiction discourse has necessitated study of how video game critics rhetorically construct addiction. In the following thesis, I analyze contemporary examples of texts that link game addiction to drug abuse. I use Robert Cover’s analysis of how game addiction stereotypes form in conjunction with Aristotle’s rhetorical principles to isolate the persuasive appeals used by authors to rhetorically construct game play as addictive. These addiction arguments, however, are rooted in a larger historical context, and I present examples of game guidebooks and comic books published in the late 1970s and early 1980s to illustrate their rhetorical responses to game addiction rhetoric. I found addiction arguments utilize fear appeals combined with ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade audiences to reject games as potentially dangerous and worthless virtual pursuits. The authors of early game texts use ethos, pathos, and logos to dismantle fear appeals and present video games as a new genre that can be mastered through skill and practice rather than a meaningless virtual experience. This research provides ground for further explorations of game addiction rhetoric, and implications for the continued study of video games.
Communication Technology and New Media | Other Film and Media Studies
Breaux, Chet Daniel, "(Don't) Stop Playing That Game: A Rhetorical Analysis of the Video Game Addiction Stereotype" (2011). Masters Theses & Specialist Projects. Paper 1067. https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1067
Since June 08, 2011
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The argument against video game addiction, many researchers are skeptical that video games are truly "addictive.".
Updated July 3, 2023 | Reviewed by Devon Frye
This is half of a pair of articles that highlight the evidence for and against the existence of video game addiction . Read the counter-argument here .
For decades, psychologists, parents, and gamers have asserted that video games can be addictive. Although video games seem to influence enthusiasts differently from those of other hobbies, there is insufficient empirical evidence to designate them as an actual addiction . Further, video games are a fun and socially beneficial activity for many, so labeling them as addictive would prevent many from accessing these benefits.
For example, video games connect lonely or introverted people with one another , relieve stress , and even help people explore their own identities . Some therefore argue that, because of video games’ benefits and popularity, gaming addiction should not be considered an official diagnosis until overwhelming evidence supports this assertion.
Several studies have concluded that gaming disorder qualifies as an addiction. Because addictions share several characteristics, researchers created theoretical criteria that a gamer must meet to have the diagnosis. For example, people with addictions suffer consequences in various aspects of their life and struggle to quit without help. This is true regardless of the substance.
Based on the assumption that people with video game addiction must be affected similarly, researchers have surveyed gamers on similar criteria to determine what percent have an addiction. These include questions such as, “How often do you find it difficult to stop gaming?” and “Have you deceived a family member, significant other, employer, or therapist regarding the amount of time spent engaging in gaming activities?”
Although questions like these may reasonably assess someone’s behavior, researchers use too many different questionnaires to be compared cleanly. Even when researchers use the same survey, they sometimes interpret the results differently.
In other words, someone would need to answer “Yes” to six of the eleven Gaming Addiction Screening questions to be considered addicted. They would need to respond “Sometimes” or “Often” to five or more of the ten questions in the Ten Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test to qualify. If the same person took both surveys, one survey might conclude that they had an addiction and the other might not. Further, some studies only measure how many hours per week a person spends gaming instead of targeting the effect games have on their functioning.
This has resulted in wildly different estimates of gaming addiction’s prevalence. It is difficult to draw meaningful conclusions from these data until researchers use standardized measures.
It is also very difficult to estimate one’s actual screen time each week. One meta-analysis of the research found that in 95 percent of studies, participants did not accurately report how much time they spend on screens . This calls into question all studies which rely on participants’ subjective estimates of how they use their time because they have based their conclusions on a statistic that is likely inaccurate.
Other critics of the diagnosis point out that gaming has been unfairly targeted and pathologized. A person who plays golf instead of spending time with family is inconsiderate. A person who plays video games instead of spending time with family is addicted.
This demonstrates a clear bias . Society considers video games a waste of time, so an enthusiastic gamer is criticized more harshly than someone with a more acceptable hobby.
Many of my clients report that they feel addicted to technology. When I continue the assessment process, many report that they were previously diagnosed with autism or ADHD . This complicates the diagnostic process because many people with these disorders already struggle to stop scrolling through social media or playing video games.
Most of us have looked up from our phones and realized that half an hour or more had suddenly passed. The hypnotic “flow” which we experienced blinded us to the passage of time. Autistic people* and those with ADHD are especially susceptible to this phenomenon. So if, for example, a person with ADHD finds it particularly difficult to turn off a game, does that person have an addiction or is it simply how this kind of stimulus affects those with ADHD?
Some research has found that heavy gamers have reduced gray matter in areas of the brain associated with attention , impulse control. However, these studies do not sufficiently demonstrate that gaming caused the differences, only that they are associated. Correlation is not causation. Some studies even show that brain scans for people with ADHD look remarkably similar to scans of those with gaming disorder , even after treatment.
One researcher pointed out this conundrum by relating it to depression . “We would not diagnose depressed individuals with hypersomnia with a comorbid ‘bed addiction.’” In other words, someone with depression might stay in bed for days, but this does not mean that they are addicted to the bed. In the same way, an autistic person or someone with depression or ADHD might appear to be addicted to video games even when they are not. In short, many diagnosed with gaming disorder may simply be autistic or have ADHD.
It is possible that video games are addictive. However, the current body of research is too flawed to state decisively that the negative consequences outweigh the benefits the games afford players. It is premature to consider gaming disorder to be an official addiction.
*Although many refer to autistic people as “people with autism” or “people with autism spectrum disorders,” almost 90 percent of autistic adults prefer “autistic person.” This language is used here to respect that preference.
Bean, A. M., Nielsen, R. K. L., van Rooij, A. J., & Ferguson, C. J. (2017). Video game addiction: The push to pathologize video games. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 48 (5). Retrieved from http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-29288-001
Diament, M. (2022, December 2). 'Autistic' or 'person with autism'? It depends. Disability Scoop. https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2022/12/02/autistic-or-person-with-auti…
Fishman, A. (2019, January 22). Video games are social spaces. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/video-game-health/201901/video-…
Fishman, A. (2022, November 7). Why it's so hard to walk away from a video game. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/video-game-health/202211/why-it…
Fishman, A. (2023, February 20). How gamers use video games to explore their gender identity. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/video-game-health/202302/how-…
Gentile, D. (n.d.) Gaming Addiction Screening. University of California, Santa Cruz. https://caps.ucsc.edu/pdf/gaming-addiction-screening.pdf
Han, D.H., Bae, S., Hong, J., Kim, S.M., Son, Y.D., & Renshaw, P. (2019). Resting-state fMRI study of ADHD and Internet Gaming Disorder. Journal of Attention Disorders, 25 (8). Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1087054719883022
Király, O., Bőthe, B., Ramos-Díaz, J., Rahimi-Movaghar, A., Lukavska, K., Hrabec, O., Miovsky, M., Billieux, J., Deleuze, J., Nuyens, F., Karila, L.M., Griffiths, M.D., Nagygyörgy, K., Urbán, R., Potenza, M., King, D.L., Rumpf, H., Carragher, N., Lilly, E., & Demetrovics, Z. (2019). Ten-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10): Measurement invariance and cross-cultural validation across seven language-based samples. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 33 (1). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328615597_Ten-Item_Internet_Ga…
Parry, D.A., Davidson, B.I., Sewall, C.J.R., Fisher, J.T., Mieczkowski, H., & Quintana, D.S. (2021). Nature Human Behavior, 5 . Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-021-01117-5
van Rooij, A.J., Ferguson, C., Carras, M.C. Kardefelt-Winther, D., Shi, J., Aarseth, E., Bean, A., Bergmark, K.H., Brus, A., Coulson, M., Deleuze, J., Dullur, P., Dunkels, E., Edman, J., Elson, M., Etchells, P.J., Fiskaali, A., Granic, I., Jansz, J...& Przybylski, A.K. (2018). A weak scientific basis for gaming disorder: Let us err on the side of caution. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 7 (1) Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323542721_A_weak_scientific_ba…
van Rooij, A.J., Schoenmakers, T., van den Eijnden, R.J.J.M., Vermulst, A.A., & van de Mheen, D. (2012). Video Game Addiction Test: Validity and psychometric characteristics. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15 (9). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230696095_Video_Game_Addiction…
Andrew Fishman is a licensed social worker in Chicago, Illinois. He is also a lifelong gamer who works with clients to understand the impact video games have had on their mental health.
It’s increasingly common for someone to be diagnosed with a condition such as ADHD or autism as an adult. A diagnosis often brings relief, but it can also come with as many questions as answers.
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
The epidemiology and effects of video game addiction
Video Game Addiction and Emotional States: Possible ...
Symptoms, Mechanisms, and Treatments of Video Game ...
common (Grant, Chamberlain). Addiction occurs when a person can no longer properly evaluate the reality of a situation. Modern society has adapted the word to go beyond the scope of its definition. People often use addiction when referring to smart phones, the internet, foods, and. obviously video games.
video game preoccupation rather than video game addiction [47]. T Gaming Addiction in the 2000s The 2000s saw a s ubstantial growth in the number of studies on video game addiction particularly as g aming expanded into the new online medium where games could be played as part of a gaming community (i.e., massively
addiction could increase mental health disorders by 1.57 times than adolescents without online game addiction (adjusted odd ratio = 1.57 (1.28-1.94); p ≤ 0.001.
quality of life of addicted individuals, and possible relations between video game addiction and. other forms of addiction. Results of the current research indicate a correlation between addictive. video game use and depression, alcohol use, a desire for escapism, a need for social interaction, and lack of self-control.
The Association Between Video Gaming and ...
Mounting neurological evidence suggests that video games may act like traditional substances of abuse. But some researchers remain unconvinced that gaming can constitute an "addiction.". Image courtesy of Shutterstock/eranicle. Many governments already see excessive, compulsive playing of online video games, such as League of Legends and ...
Online video game addiction seems to be a very real problem for some people. In the Netherlands, although serious issues seem to develop in only a minority of gamers, i.e. 1.6% of the adolescents aged 13 to 16 years, this still represents tens of thousands of adolescents.
changes in the conceptual definition of video game addiction, (ii) greater recognition of the diversity of the video game playing population and the psycho-structural characteristics of video games, (iii) various methodological advances and refinements, and (iv) a broader understanding of the psychosocial correlates of problem video game playing.
This PhD measured video game addiction, engagement and the possible negative consequences of diminished health (mental, social and physical) and functioning (at work, study, parenting and in ...
In recent years the field of gaming addiction has experienced an upsurge in empirical studies on various treatment approaches. Despite the advances in our understanding of how gaming addiction can be treated, the wider concept of recovery continues to be under-researched. The purpose of this review was to explore how individuals addicted to video games experience the process of recovery.
Video game addiction often leads to a tremendous burden on those afflicted with the condition, draining their time, resources, and life away until they have nothing left. To further elucidate the problem of video game addiction, the current research examines the level of video game addiction of 111 participants, along with their motivation for their addictive behaviors, the quality of life of ...
best suited to students who have grown up with video games, which have influenced how they learn. This is the thesis' primary contention and purpose. Chapter 4 dissects the two most studied controversies which surround video games as a medium: video game violence and video game addiction.
Study 3: Vi deo games use among schoolchildren and its impact on the study habits. The current study looked to examine the prevalence of video game use by schoolchildren along. with the effect it ...
A CROSS-GENERATIONAL STUDY OF VIDEO GAMING: PLAYERS' CULTURAL MODELS, FELT STIGMA, AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING. Video game players are oftentimes stigmatized as being lazy, unhealthy, immature, addicts, and other negative stereotypes. In this thesis, I question how conflicting cultural understandings might influence such stigmatization, thereby ...
The health effects of too much gaming
PDF | On Jan 1, 2011, Antonius J Van Rooij published Online video game addiction. Exploring a new phenomenon [PhD Thesis] | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate
The growing popularity of game addiction discourse has necessitated study of how video game critics rhetorically construct addiction. In the following thesis, I analyze contemporary examples of texts that link game addiction to drug abuse. I use Robert Cover's analysis of how game addiction stereotypes form in conjunction with Aristotle's rhetorical principles to isolate the persuasive ...
Essay on Video Game Addiction - 3 (400 Words) Introduction. According to experts, the heart of a person with gaming addiction does not fill up very easily. In this, the person is constantly excited to play games. Things like crossing new levels and making high scores make them excited to play more.
Rooij, A. Online video games addiction, exploring a new phenomenon. 2011. ... Thesis. May 2023; Romar Jerome De Vega Claveria ... significant number of children nowadays tend to play video games ...
Video games have many benefits for gamers. Research on gaming disorder—aka video game addiction—is flawed and not sufficiently conclusive. Because video games are less socially acceptable ...