Addiction and Engagement: An Explorative Study Toward Classification Criteria for Internet Gaming Disorder

Abstract

The DSM-5 introduced Internet gaming disorder (IGD) as a condition needing more research. Proposed criteria include tolerance, preoccupation, deceiving, or continued excess despite psychosocial problems. However, studies suggest differences between addicted and engaged players. Therefore, this study investigated differences between engagement and addiction in a German-speaking sample of expert World of Warcraft players. Using an online-based questionnaire, 682 participants were surveyed (Mage=23.26 years; 84.9% male) from German-speaking areas. An adapted version of the "Asheron's call" questionnaire (which covers six addiction criteria, including salience, euphoria, and tolerance), the WHOQOL-BREF, the Gaming Motivation Scale, the BDI, the SPIN, and a brief version of the personality questionnaire BFI-10 were used. The average gamer in the sample played on level 87.93 and had been playing for 5.42 years. Addicted players had higher scores on the BDI and SPIN and significantly lower scores in all dimensions of quality of life. Addicted gamers played for 39.25 hours per week (engaged players: 11.93 hours per week) with significantly higher scores in items tapping achievement and immersion. There were differences regarding the BFI-10 in terms of "agreeableness," "conscientiousness," and "neuroticism." The results suggest that factors such as achievement and immersion set engaged and addicted users apart. Addiction seems to be significantly more connected to other psychopathologies such as depression and social anxiety. The results suggest that euphoria, tolerance, and cognitive salience should be handled with caution when it comes to a classification of IGD similar to (behavioral) addiction.

“One level more:” A narrative review on internet gaming disorder

“…Lehenbauer-Baum et al . [29] reported that addicted gamers have a higher association with psychopathologies than controls. They found that addicts scored higher in Beck's Depression Inventory and Social Phobia Inventory and are less agreeable, thorough, and emotionally less stable.…”

Portuguese Validation of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short-Form

“…Although the positive effects of health gaming have been demonstrated by a large body of research, [1][2][3][4] numerous studies have systematically reported potentially harmful effects games can have on human health due to its potentially addictive properties [5][6][7] and overall detrimental effects [8][9][10][11] in several life domains for a minority of gamers. Such harmful effects related to addiction to gaming can include decreased levels of exercise and sports, 12 impaired decision-making, 13 poorer psychosomatic health, 14 greater incidence of psychiatric symptoms, 15 lower expected college engagement and grades in adolescent students, 5 compromised prefrontal cognitive control over emotional interference, 16 in addition to other psychiatric disorders and abnormal behaviors.…”

As Relações entre o Uso de Jogos Eletrônicos, Personalidade e o Bem-Estar de Jogadores

“…Neuroticismo é o fator que correlaciona mais fortemente com satisfação de vida e afetos negativos, enquanto extroversão relaciona-se com os afetos positivos (Anglim & Grant, 2016). Alguns pesquisadores investigam as relações do bem-estar e fatores de personalidade com o engajamento a certas atividades, como o uso de jogos eletrônicos (Lehenbauer-Baum et al, 2015;Braun, Stopfer, Müller, Beutel, & Egloff, 2016;Jimenez et al, 2019).…”

“…Pesquisadores apontaram correlações positivas, negativas ou inexistentes entre as variáveis de bem-estar e as horas de jogo (Comello et al, 2016;Carras et al, 2017;Allen & Anderson, 2018). A personalidade dos jogadores também foi alvo de investigações (Lehenbauer-Baum et al, 2015;Braun et al, 2016;Jimenez et al, 2019). Em pessoas que reportaram sintomas de transtorno do jogo pela internet, neuroticismo se mostrou mais alto, enquanto realização, abertura, extroversão e amabilidade obtiveram escores mais baixos (Lehenbauer-Baum et al, 2015;Braun et al, 2016).…”

“…A personalidade dos jogadores também foi alvo de investigações (Lehenbauer-Baum et al, 2015;Braun et al, 2016;Jimenez et al, 2019). Em pessoas que reportaram sintomas de transtorno do jogo pela internet, neuroticismo se mostrou mais alto, enquanto realização, abertura, extroversão e amabilidade obtiveram escores mais baixos (Lehenbauer-Baum et al, 2015;Braun et al, 2016). Relações também foram encontradas entre os fatores de personalidade e os gêneros de jogos (Braun et al, 2016;Jimenez et al, 2019).…”