Game‐related behaviors among children and adolescents after school closure during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Aim: Increased exposure to digital gaming content among youth in recent years has raised serious health concerns. Social restrictions such as school closures, imposed worldwide because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, may increase exposure to gaming and lead to addictive gaming behavior in young people. In this study, we investigated gaming behaviors among Japanese students during COVID-19 school closures. Methods: Students completed questionnaires regarding their living conditions, gamerelated behaviors, diagnosis of Internet addiction, psychological difficulties, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We compared differences between the responses of potentially at risk for gaming disorder (potentially at risk for gaming disorder; defined in this paper with reference to the ICD-11 MMS criteria for gaming disorder [PGD]) students who met the criteria for a diagnosis of gaming disorder in ICD-11 MMS and those of control students. Logistic regression analysis was performed to predict the extent of factors contributing to potential gaming disorder.Results: Four thousand and forty-eight participants completed the survey. Compared with control students (93%), potentially at risk for gaming disorder (defined in this paper with reference to the ICD-11 MMS criteria for gaming disorder, PGD) students (7%)

Investigating the interplay between gaming disorder and functional impairments in professional esports gaming

“…However, despite its many positive effects, excessive gaming may lead to GD and its accompanying detrimental effects on psychological health and well-being, in terms of increased depression 6 and levels of problematic online behaviors 7 , hyperactivity and sleep disturbances 8 , digital eye strain 9 , academic performance 10 , and general psychological distress 11 . Relatedly, in the context of the pandemic, individuals played for longer hours, leading to increased time spent playing across different demographics 12 , 13 , and negative outcomes as shown by previous research 14 , including but not limited to increased anxiety severity 15 , impaired cardiovascular health behavior 16 , reduced well-being 17 ,…”