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Online gaming addiction is a relatively under-researched area and there have been few studies examining online gamers in treatment. This paper reports the findings from a qualitative interview study of nine players undergoing treatment for their addictive playing of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs). A face-to-face interview study with nine online gaming addicts was carried out using Grounded Theory. The six most reported phenomena by the participants were: (i) entertainment search, (ii) virtual friendship, (iii) escapism and/or dissociation, (iv) game context, (v) control versus no control, and (vi) conflict. The findings suggest that players’ initial gaming motivation is because of three factors: (i) entertainment, (ii) escapism, and/or (iii) virtual friendship. MMORPG addiction appears once the playing time significantly increases, coupled with a loss of control and a narrow behavior focus. These factors lead to problems and result in psychological dependence and serious life conflicts. The consequences of MMORPG addiction are similar to the consequences of more established substance addictions including salience, mood modification, loss of control, craving, and serious adverse effects. Additionally, in some cases, tolerance and relapse may also be present.

The playing of videogames can be fun and entertaining, but research has consistently shown that a small minority of players experience problematic gaming. Most research to date has focused on online gaming via personal computers and laptops. However, gaming has evolved both in the games that are played and the platforms on which they can be played. One of the biggest growth areas has been in the area of smartphone gaming. The present study investigated the reasons for perceived smartphone game addiction by the users themselves, and how these perceptions compared across different smartphone game genres by analyzing reviews of smartphone games by the users themselves. The data comprised 25,200 game reviews of 140 smartphone games across 14 game genres to examine the most influential factors in addictive smartphone gaming by the individuals that play such games. Game reviews which were written under the heading of “addiction” or “addictive” were content analyzed to understand the most important variables associated with what makes a game “addictive” from a player perspective. Results indicated nine keywords (or their synonyms) to be strongly associated with smartphone games classed as “addictive” (i.e., “challenging,” “entertainment,” “friends and family,” “gameplay,” “creative,” “graphics/animation,” “fun,” “free from advertisement,” and “time killer”). The most common keyword associated with a smartphone game being “addictive” was “challenging” ( n  = 5636). The 14 genres clustered into five different categories based upon the identified nine keywords. Given the fact that there has been little published to date in the area of addictive smartphone gaming, the present paper is of existential value.

Purpose of Review The COVID-19 pandemic changed people’s lifestyles and such changed lifestyles included the potential of increasing addictive behaviors. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the prevalence of different behavioral addictions (i.e., internet addiction, smartphone addiction, gaming addiction, social media addiction, food addiction, exercise addiction, gambling addiction, and shopping addiction) both overall and separately. Recent Findings Four databases ( PubMed , Scopus, ISI Web of Knowledge , and ProQuest ) were searched. Peer-reviewed papers published in English between December 2019 and July 2022 were reviewed and analyzed. Search terms were selected using PECO-S criteria: population (no limitation in participants’ characteristics), exposure (COVID-19 pandemic), comparison (healthy populations), outcome (frequency or prevalence of behavioral addiction), and study design (observational study). A total of 94 studies with 237,657 participants from 40 different countries (mean age 25.02 years; 57.41% females). The overall prevalence of behavioral addiction irrespective of addiction type (after correcting for publication bias) was 11.1% (95% CI : 5.4 to 16.8%). The prevalence rates for each separate behavioral addiction (after correcting for publication bias) were 10.6% for internet addiction, 30.7% for smartphone addiction, 5.3% for gaming addiction, 15.1% for social media addiction, 21% for food addiction, 9.4% for sex addiction, 7% for exercise addiction, 7.2% for gambling addiction, and 7.2% for shopping addiction. In the lockdown periods, prevalence of food addiction, gaming addiction, and social media addiction was higher compared to non-lockdown periods. Smartphone and social media addiction was associated with methodological quality of studies (i.e., the higher the risk of boas, the higher the prevalence rate). Other associated factors of social media addiction were the percentage of female participants, mean age of participants, percentage of individuals using the internet in country, and developing status of country. The percentage of individuals in the population using the internet was associated with all the prevalence of behavioral addiction overall and the prevalence of sex addiction and gambling addiction. Gaming addiction prevalence was associated with data collection method (online vs. other methods) that is gaming addiction prevalence was much lower using online methods to collect the data. Summary Behavioral addictions appeared to be potential health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare providers and government authorities should foster some campaigns that assist people in coping with stress during COVID-19 pandemics to prevent them from developing behavioral addictions during COVID-19 and subsequent pandemics.

The Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) is among the best with regard to its psychometric properties. Therefore, clinical psychologists are likely guided to use the IGDS9-SF if they want to assess or screen the disordered gaming in their practice. However, the information, especially psychometric evidence, concerning the IGDS9-SF has not been fully examined and summarized. This systematic review evaluated the psychometric properties of different language versions of the IGDS9-SF and assessed its methodological quality in order to improve the clinicians' understanding of the IGDS9-SF and facilitate its use. Systematic literature searches were carried out using Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science. The review included English-language studies of any research design that have reported at least one psychometric property of the IGDS9-SF, as defined by the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstrument (COSMIN), and have aimed at testing the psychometric properties of the IGDS9-SF. In total, 21 studies comprising 15 language versions of the IGDS9-SF were included. Overall, the IGDS9-SF showed adequate internal consistency (although some items did not have satisfactory item-total correlation [IT]), excellent criterion validity, and the ability to distinguish different subgroups with measurement invariance being supported across gender and age. In terms of factor structure, the IGDS9-SF was shown to have a unidimensional factor structure across all 21 studies. Although there is insufficient evidence regarding the responsiveness and properties of the IGDS9-SF using item response theory, the existing evidence supports its use in assessing disordered gaming among individuals.

Given that there is a lack of instruments assessing internet-related addictions among Chinese population, this study aimed to validate the Chinese version of the nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scales- Short Form (IGDS-SF9), Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), and Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS) among Hong Kong university students. Participants aged between 17 and 30 years participated in the present study (n = 307; 32.4% males; mean [SD] age = 21.64 [8.11]). All the participants completed the IGDS-SF9, BSMAS, SABAS, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were used to examine the factorial structures and the unidimensionality for IGDS-SF9, BSMAS, and SABAS. CFAs demonstrated that the three scales were all unidimensional with satisfactory fit indices: comparative fit index = 0.969 to 0.992. In addition, the IGDS-SF9 and BSMAS were slightly modified based on the modification index in CFA. The Chinese IGDS-SF9, BSMAS, and SABAS are valid instruments to assess the addiction levels of internet-related activities for Hong Kong university students.

Online gaming is a very common form of leisure among adolescents and young people, although its excessive and/or compulsive use is associated with psychological impairments in a minority of gamers. The latest (fifth) edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5, Section III) tentatively introduced Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). Since then, a number of evaluation tools using the DSM-5 criteria have been developed, including the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form (IGDS9-SF). The main objective of this study was to translate and adapt the IGDS9-SF into Spanish, as well as to obtain indicators relating to its validity and reliability. The Spanish version of four scales were administered: IGDS9-SF, Mobile Phone-Related Experiences Questionnaire (CERM), Online Gambling Disorder Questionnaire (OGD-Q), and KIDSCREEN-27. The sample comprised 535 Vocational Training students (mean age 18.35 years; SD±2.13; 78.5% males) who reported playing video games in the past 12 months. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded a one-dimensional model with a good fit while the reliability indicators were satisfactory. Findings indicated that 1.9% of gamers were classified with IGD (meeting five or more criteria for more than 12 months). Additionally, another 1.9% were considered gamers ‘at-risk’ because they endorsed four criteria. Positive and significant relationships were found between the IGDS9-SF, the CERM, and the OGD-Q. Participants classified with IGD had poorer health-related quality of life. In conclusion, the Spanish IGDS9-SF is a valid and reliable instrument to assess IGD according to the DSM-5.

Internet use-related addiction problems are increasingly being recognized on a European scale due to international health organizations considering gaming addiction. In April 2013, the American Psychiatric Association recognized Internet Gaming Disorder in the fifth Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and in April 2018, the World Health Organization included Gaming Disorder in the eleventh International Classification of Diseases. However, findings on these problems within this period are lacking in Europe, and a preventive approach is missing globally. A detailed critical literature review was conducted using PsycINFO and Web of Science in this five-year period. A total of 19 studies were reviewed and problems identified were: generalized Internet addiction and online gaming and gambling addictions across seven European countries (i.e., Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, The Netherlands, and Denmark). The individuals with problematic use were found to be educated adolescents, usually young males with comorbid disorders, and gaming and gambling disorders were implicated in the most severe cases. Cognitive behavioral therapy was the main treatment, sometimes combined with a systemic approach for adolescents. Prevalence, high-risk populations, and factors contributing to these addiction problems are discussed, and a set of policy options are developed for this region. The implications for early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention in Europe are considered.

Research examining Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) has increased substantially over the past decade. One of the risk factors for IGD includes poor impulse control. The present study comprises the first ever systematic review of studies examining the relationship between IGD and impusivity utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A literature search was conducted via EBSCO (which included the following academic databases: Academic Search Complete, PsycARTICLES, and PsycINFO), PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Wiley Online Library. The inclusion criteria were (i) publication date between 2000 and 2019, (ii) being an empirical study that collected primary data, (iii) written in English and Turkish languages (the two languages spoken by the authors), (iv) published in a scholarly peer-reviewed journal, and (v) conducted an objective assessment of both IGD and impulsivity. Following these procedures, 33 eligible empirical studies remained for evaluation in the present review comprising 18,128 participants in total. Results demonstrated that despite many methodological weaknesses, 32 studies reported a positive association between impulsivity and IGD. Possible explanations for this consistent finding appear to indicate that altered neurobiological structures detected in participants with impulsivity may explain some of the relationships between impulsivity and internet gaming disorder.

Purpose of review The year 2018 was marked by the official recognition of Gaming Disorder (GD) as a mental condition with its inclusion in the proposed eleventh edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). Recently, a group of scholars has repeatedly criticized the notion of GD proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO), arguing that its inclusion in ICD-11 would pathologize highly involved but healthy gamers. It is therefore of crucial importance to clarify the characteristics of high involvement versus pathological involvement in video games, the boundaries between these constructs, and the implementation of screening and diagnostic GD tools that distinguish the two. Recent findings Increasing evidence supports the view that intense video game playing may involve patterns of gaming that are characterized by high involvement but that are non-pathological. Furthermore, some criteria for addictive and related disorders may reflect peripheral features that are not necessarily indicative of pathology, whereas others may reflect core features that are more likely to adequately identify pathological behavior and so have diagnostic validity. Finally, it is key to assess functional impairment associated with gaming, so that a GD diagnosis has clinical utility. Summary Available evidence supports the crucial need to distinguish between high and pathological involvement in video games, in order to avoid overdiagnosis and pathologization of normal behavior. The definition of GD adopted in ICD-11 has clinical utility and diagnostic validity since it explicitly mentions the functional impairment caused by problem gaming and its diagnostic guidelines refer to core addiction features, reflecting pathological involvement.

Recently, internet gaming addiction and suicide have been global public health issues among adolescents. This study used convenience sampling and surveyed 1906 Chinese adolescents to investigate the relationship between internet gaming addiction and suicidal ideation and the role of negative emotion and hope in the relationship between the two. The results showed that the detection rate of internet gaming addiction among adolescents was 17.16% and the detection rate of suicidal ideation was 16.37%. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between internet gaming addiction and suicidal ideation. Negative emotion partially mediated the relationship between internet gaming addiction and suicidal ideation. In addition, hope moderated the relationship between negative emotion and suicidal ideation. The effect of negative emotion on suicidal ideation decreased as hope increased. These findings suggest that the role of emotion and hope in coping with adolescent internet gaming addiction and suicidal ideation should be emphasized.