Internet Gaming Addiction

Abstract

Internet Gaming Addiction HOW DO I CONCEPTUALIZE IT?In the late 1970s, Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs) emerged as the fi rst textbased, virtual, role-playing games for multiple players. These games did not have graphics, yet allowed gamers to chat via text with each other as they journeyed through narrated adventures (Sanchez, 2009). TinyMUDs were introduced in the late 1980s, which permitted small groups of users to socialize with one another and create objects within the game. Although the objects could not be used by players, TinyMUDs allowed gamers to add to their virtual worlds. In the 1990s, Multi-User Dungeon, object oriented (MOO) emerged, in which users could create objects to be utilized in the game by employing a programming language. MOO gamers were directly involved in the development of their virtual worlds, which they could share with other gamers. In the mid-to-late 1990s, a new genre of multiuser games, called massively multiplayer online (MMO) games, took over the gaming entertainment sphere. Within MMOs, gamers typically assume a character (in the form of an avatar) to socialize, create, compete, and perform tasks with thousands of other gamers within a virtual world (Sanchez, 2009). Today, a variety of MMOs exist, including fi rst-person shooter (FPS), real-time strategy (RTS), role-playing games (RPGs), and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA). Along with MMOs, individuals can engage in other forms of online games such as simulations (virtual depictions of real-world activities such as dancing, playing sports, or socializing), action games (requiring movement and physical activity), casual skill-based games (matching tasks or puzzles), casino or arcade games, and educational games. As a multibillion-dollar industry yielding an estimated 152.1 billion dollar revenue in 2019 (Newzoo, 2019a), it is clear that online gaming has become a substantial component of modern entertainment.Like all rewarding behaviors, gaming exists on a continuum ranging from healthy to disordered play. Moderate online gaming has been linked