Consequences of Play: A Systematic Review of the Effects of Online Gaming

Abstract

Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) have received considerable attention in news headlines describing gamers who have died while engaging in excessive play. However, more common physical and psychosocial effects attributed to online video gaming are social isolation, increased aggression, and negative academic and occupational consequences. In consideration of the bias in reporting negative consequences of video gaming, a systematic review was conducted to evaluate the evidence of the effects of MMOGs on those who play them. In the sixteen studies that met the inclusion criteria, analysis revealed that only those players who were classified as -addicted‖ or engaged in -problematic game play‖ experienced significant negative consequences, with many gamers finding positive aspects to video gaming such as enjoyment, feelings of achievement, friendship, and a sense of community. However, significant limitations in the studies point to the need for further research so that appropriate treatments and interventions can be developed for problematic game play.

Video Game Addiction: Past, Present and Future

“…This has resulted in a wide-ranging selection of review papers focusing on different aspects of the topic. These include general literature reviews of video game addiction [1][2][3][4][5], reviews of online (as opposed to offline) gaming addiction [6][7][8], reviews of the main methodological issues in studying video game addiction [9,10], reviews of structural characteristics and their relationship with video game addiction [11,12], reviews of video game addiction treatment [13][14][15][16], reviews of video game addiction and co-morbidity/convergence with other addictions such as gambling addiction and Internet addiction [17][18][19][20], and miscellaneous review papers on very specific aspects of video game addictions such as social responsibility [21], screening instruments [22], or reviews refuting that video game addiction even exists [23].…”

The Contribution of Game Genre and Other Use Patterns to Problem Video Game Play among Adult Video Gamers

“…Given the varying frameworks for conceptualizing and measuring what we refer to here as problem videogame play (PVGP) and the various sampling techniques and national/regional populations that have been examined, more precise prevalence estimates are not available. What is clear, however, is that those suffering from PVGP—however it is measured or categorized—are experiencing significant (and, in some cases, severe) consequences of PVGP, ranging from diminished academic performance (Smyth, 2007) to poor sleep (Dworak, Schierl, Bruns, & Struder, 2007), to aggression (Sublette & Mullan, 2010), to personal problems managing relationships (Liu & Peng, 2009). Perhaps most defining of PVGP is the experience of a loss of control resulting in the perceived inability to curtail use even when negative consequences are being experienced—a characteristic shared with other emerging pathologies involving use of technological and social media (see Sim, Gentile, Bricolo, Serpelloni, & Gulamoydeen, 2012 for a review)…”

Youth, Friendship, and Gaming: A Network Perspective

“…Second, it feeds into the recurrent debate about possible effects of digital games and the need for insights that go beyond direct effects. 25,26 Method Participants and procedure Through the social networks of undergraduate students taking a course in social network analysis, high school students playing digital games (N = 100, M age = 15.39 years, SD = 1.81 years) were recruited. About 67% of the respondents were male.…”