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  • Published: 28 November 2022

Psychological treatments for excessive gaming: a systematic review and meta-analysis

  • Jueun Kim 1 ,
  • Sunmin Lee 1 ,
  • Dojin Lee 1 ,
  • Sungryul Shim 2 ,
  • Daniel Balva 3 ,
  • Kee-Hong Choi 4 ,
  • Jeanyung Chey 5 ,
  • Suk-Ho Shin 6 &
  • Woo-Young Ahn 5  

Scientific Reports volume  12 , Article number:  20485 ( 2022 ) Cite this article

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Despite widespread public interest in problematic gaming interventions, questions regarding the empirical status of treatment efficacy persist. We conducted pairwise and network meta-analyses based on 17 psychological intervention studies on excessive gaming ( n  = 745 participants). The pairwise meta-analysis showed that psychological interventions reduce excessive gaming more than the inactive control (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 1.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.27 to 2.12) and active control (SMD = 0.88, 95% CI 0.21 to 1.56). The network meta-analysis showed that a combined treatment of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness was the most effective intervention in reducing excessive gaming, followed by a combined CBT and Family intervention, Mindfulness, and then CBT as a standalone treatment. Due to the limited number of included studies and resulting identified methodological concerns, the current results should be interpreted as preliminary to help support future research focused on excessive gaming interventions. Recommendations for improving the methodological rigor are also discussed.

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Introduction.

Excessive gaming refers to an inability to control one’s gaming habits due to a significant immersion in games. Such an immersion may result in experienced difficulties in one’s daily life 1 , including health problems 2 , poor academic or job performance 3 , 4 , and poor social relationships 5 . Although there is debate regarding whether excessive gaming is a mental disorder, the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) included Gaming Disorder as a disorder in 2019 6 . While there is no formal diagnosis for Gaming Disorder listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), the DSM-5 included Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) as a condition for further study 7 . In the time since the DSM-5’s publication, research on excessive gaming has widely continued. Although gaming disorder’s prevalence appears to be considerably heterogeneous by country, results from a systematic review of 53 studies conducted between 2009 and 2019 indicated a global prevalence of excessive gaming of 3.05% 8 . More specifically, a recent study found that Egypt had the highest IGD prevalence rate of 10.9%, followed by Saudi Arabia (8.8%), Indonesia (6.1%), and India (3.8%) among medical students 9 .

While the demand for treatment of excessive gaming has increased in several countries 10 , standard treatment guidelines for problematic gaming are still lacking. For example, a survey in Australia and New Zealand revealed that psychiatrics— particularly child psychiatrists, reported greater frequency of excessive gaming in their practice, yet 43% of the 289 surveyed psychiatrists reported that they were not well informed of treatment modalities for managing excessive gaming 11 . Similarly, 87% of mental health professionals working in addiction-related institutions in Switzerland reported a significant need for professional training in excessive gaming interventions 12 . However, established services for the treatment of gaming remain scarce and disjointed.

Literature has identified a variety of treatments for excessive gaming, but no meta-analysis has yet been conducted on effectiveness of the indicated interventions. The only meta-analysis to date has focused on CBT 13 , and while results demonstrated excellent efficacy in reducing excessive gaming. However, the study did not compare the intervention with other treatment options. Given that gaming behavior is commonly affected by cognitive and behavioral factors as well as social and familial factors 14 , 15 , 16 , it would also be important to examine the effectiveness of treatment approaches that reflect social and familial influences. While two systematic reviews examined diverse therapeutic approaches, they primarily reported methodological concerns of the current literature and did not assess the weight of evidence 17 , 18 . Given that studies in this area are rapidly evolving and studies employing rigorous methodological approaches have since emerged 19 , 20 , a meta-analytic study that analyzes and synthesizes the current stage of methodological limitations while also providing a comprehensive comparison of intervention options is warranted.

In conducting such a study, undertaking a traditional pairwise meta-analysis is vital to assess overall effectiveness of diverse interventions. Particularly, moderator and subgroup analyses in pairwise meta-analysis provide necessary information as to whether effect sizes vary as a function of study characteristics. Furthermore, to obtain a better understanding of the superiority and inferiority of all clinical trials in excessive gaming psychological interventions, it is useful to employ a network meta-analysis, which allows for a ranking and hierarchy of the included interventions. While a traditional pair-wise analysis synthesizes direct evidence of one intervention compared with one control condition, a network meta-analysis incorporates multiple comparisons in one analysis regardless of whether the original studies used them as control groups. It enters all treatment and control arms of each study, and makes estimates of the differences in interventions by using direct evidence (e.g., direct estimates where two interventions were compared) and indirect evidence (e.g., generated comparisons between interventions from evidence loops in a network 21 . Recent meta-analytic studies on treatments for other health concerns and disorders have used this analysis to optimize all available evidence and build treatment hierarchies 22 , 23 , 24 .

In this study, the authors used a traditional pairwise meta-analysis and network meta-analysis to clarify the overall and relative effectiveness of psychological treatments for excessive gaming. The authors also conducted a moderator analysis to examine potential differences in treatment efficacy between Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs, age groups, regions, and research qualities. Finally, the authors examined follow-up treatment efficacy and treatment effectiveness on common comorbid symptoms and characteristics (e.g., depression, anxiety, and impulsivity).

The protocol for this review has been registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Review (PROSPERO 2021: CRD 42021231205) and is available for review via the following link: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=231205 . Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) network meta-analysis checklist 25 is included in Supplementary Material 1 .

Identification and selection of studies

The authors searched seven databases, which included ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Research Information Sharing Service (RISS), and DBpia. Given that a substantial number of studies have been published particularly in East Asia and exclusion of literature from the area in languages other than English has been discussed as a major limitation in previous reviews 17 , 18 , the authors gave special attention to gaming treatment studies in English and other languages from that geographical area. Additionally, the authors searched Google Scholar to ensure that no studies were accidentally excluded. The authors conducted extensive searches for studies published in peer-reviewed journals between the first available year (year 2002) and October 31, 2022, using the following search terms: “internet”, or “video”, or “online”, or “computer”, and “game”, or “games”, or “gaming”, and “addiction”, or “addictions”, or “disorder”, “disorders”, or “problem”, or “problems”, or “problematic”, or “disease”, or “diseases”, or “excessive”, or “pathological”, or “addicted”, and “treatment”, or “treatments”, or “intervention”, or “interventions”, or “efficacy”, or “effectiveness”, or “effective”, or “clinical”, or “therapy”, or “therapies”. Search strategies applied to each database is provided in Supplementary Material 2 .

The authors included studies that recruited individuals who were excessively engaging in gaming, according to cutoff scores for different game addiction scales. Since there is not yet an existing consensus on operational definitions for excessive gaming, the authors included studies that recruited individuals who met high-risk cutoff score according to the scales used in each respective study (e.g., Internet Addiction Test [modified in game environments] > 70). The authors also sought studies that provided pretest and posttest scores from the game addiction scales in both the intervention and control groups. Studies meeting the following criteria were excluded: (a) the study targeted excessive Internet use but did not exactly target excessive gaming; (b) the study provided a prevention program rather than an intervention program; (c) the study provided insufficient data to perform an analysis of the effect sizes and follow-up contact to the authors of such studies did not yield the information necessary for inclusion within this paper; and (d) the study conducted undefinable types of intervention with unclear psychological orientations (e.g., art therapy with an undefined psychological intervention, fitness programs, etc.).

Two authors (D.L. and S.L.) independently screened the titles and abstracts of articles identified by the electronic searches and excluded irrelevant studies. A content expert (J.K.) examined the intervention descriptions to determine intervention types that were eligible for this review. All treatments were primarily classified based on the treatment theory, protocol, and descriptions about the procedures presented in each paper. D.L. and S.L.—both of whom have been in clinical training for 2 years categorized treatment type, to which J.K., a licensed psychologist, cross-checked and confirmed the categorization. The authors resolved disagreements through discussion. The specific example of intervention type classification is provided in Supplementary Material 3 .

Risk of bias and data extraction

Three independent authors assessed the following risks of bias among the included studies. The authors used the Risk of Bias 2.0 (RoB 2) tool for RCT studies and the Risk Of Bias In Non-Randomized Studies of Intervention (ROBINS-I) tool for non-RCT studies. The RoB 2 evaluates biases of (a) randomization processes; (b) deviations from intended interventions; (c) missing outcome data; (d) measurement of the outcome; and (e) selection of the reported result, and it categorizes the risk of bias in each dimension into three levels (low risk, moderate risk, and high risk). The ROBINS-I evaluates biases of (a) confounding variables; (b) selection of participants; (c) classification of interventions; (d) deviations from intended interventions; (e) missing data; (f) measurement of outcomes; and (g) selection of the reported result, and it categorizes the risk of bias in each dimension into five levels (low risk, moderate risk, serious risk, critical risk, and no information). After two authors (D.L. and S.L.) assessed each study, another author (J.K.) cross-checked the assessment.

For each study, the authors collected descriptive data, which included the sample size as well as participants’ ages, and regions where the studies were conducted. The authors also collected clinical data, including whether the study design was a RCT, types of treatment and control, treatment duration, and the number of treatment sessions. Finally, the authors collected data on the follow-up periods and the measurement tools used in each study.

Data analysis

The authors employed separate pairwise meta-analyses in active control and inactive control studies using R-package “meta” 26 and employed a random-effects model due to expected heterogeneity among studies. A random-effects model assumes that included studies comprise random samples from the larger population and attempt to generalize findings 27 . The authors categorized inactive control groups including no treatment and wait-list control and categorized active control groups including pseudo training (e.g., a classic stimulus-control compatibility training) and other types of psychological interventions (e.g., Behavioral Therapy, CBT, etc.). The authors also used the bias-corrected standardized mean change score (Hedges’ g ) due to small sample sizes with the corresponding 95% confidence interval 28 . The authors’ primary effectiveness outcome was a mean score change on game addiction scales from pre-treatment to post-treatment. Hedges’ g effect sizes were interpreted as small ( g  = 0.15), medium ( g  = 0.40) and large ( g  = 0.75), as suggested by Cohen 29 . The authors used a conservative estimate of r  = 0.70 for the correlation between pre-and post-treatment measures 30 , and to test heterogeneity, the authors calculated Higgins’ I 2 , which is the percentage of variability in effect estimates due to heterogeneity among studies rather than chance. I 2  > 75% is considered substantial heterogeneity 31 .

The authors conducted moderator analyses as a function of RCT status (RCT versus non-RCT), age group (adolescents versus adults), region (Eastern versus Western), and research quality (high versus low). The authors divided high versus low quality studies using median values of research quality scores (RCT: low [0–2] versus high [3–5], non-RCT: low [0–4] versus high [5]). The authors calculated Cochran’s Q for heterogeneity: A significant Q value indicates a potentially important moderator variable. For the subgroup analyses of follow-up periods and other outcomes, the authors conducted separate pairwise analyses in 1- to 3-month follow-up studies and in 4- to 6-month follow-up studies and separate analyses in depression, anxiety, and impulsivity outcome studies.

The authors sought to further explore relative effectiveness of treatment types and performed a frequentist network meta-analysis using the R-package “netmeta” 4.0.4 version 26 . To examine whether transitivity and consistency assumptions for network meta-analysis were met, the authors assessed global and local inconsistency. To test network heterogeneity, the authors calculated Cochran’s Q to compare the effect of a single study with the pooled effect of the entire study. The authors drew the geometry plot of the network meta-analysis through the netgraph function in “netmeta”, and the thicker lines between the treatments indicated a greater number of studies.

The authors presented the treatment rankings based on estimates using the surface area under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) 32 . The SUCRA ranged from 0 to 100%, with higher scores indicating greater probability of more optimal treatment. The authors also generated a league table to present relative effectiveness between all possible comparisons between treatments. When weighted mean difference for pairwise comparisons is bigger than 0, it favors the column-defining treatment. Finally, funnel plots and Egger’s test were used to examine publication bias.

Included studies and their characteristics

Figure  1 presents the flow diagram of the study selection process. The authors identified 1471 abstracts in electronic searches and identified an additional seven abstracts through secondary/manual searches (total n  = 1478). After excluding duplicates ( n  = 765) and studies that did not meet the inclusion criteria based on the study abstract ( n  = 550), the authors retrieved studies with potential to meet the inclusion criteria for full review ( n  = 163). Of these, 144 studies were excluded due to not meeting inclusion criteria based on full-text articles, leaving 19 remaining studies. Of the 19, two studies did meet this paper’s inclusion criteria but were excluded from this network meta-analysis 33 , 34 because the consistency assumption between direct and indirect estimates was not met at the time of this study's consideration based on previous studies 35 , 36 . Therefore, a total of 17 studies were included in this network meta-analysis, covering a total of 745 participants 36 .

figure 1

Flow diagram of the study selection process.

Table 1 lists the characteristics of the 17 included studies. CBT ( n  = 4), Behavioral Treatment (BT) + Mindfulness ( n  = 4), and BT only ( n  = 4) were most frequently studied, followed by CBT + Family Intervention ( n  = 1), CBT + Mindfulness ( n  = 1), virtual reality BT ( n  = 1), Mindfulness ( n  = 1), and Motivational Interviewing (MI) + BT ( n  = 1). Seven studies were conducted in Korea and six were conducted in China, followed by Germany and Austria ( n  = 1), Spain ( n  = 1), the United States ( n  = 1), and the Philippines ( n  = 1). Twelve articles were written in English, and five articles were written in a language other than English. Nine studies conducted a follow-up assessment with periods ranging from one to three months, and two studies conducted a follow-up assessment with periods ranging four to six months. In one study 20 , the authors described their 6-month follow-up but did not present their outcome value, and thus only two studies were included in the four- to six-month follow-up analysis. Among the 17 included studies, eight had no treatment control group, five had an active control group (e.g., pseudo training, BT, and CBT), and four had a wait-list control group. Seven of the studies were RCT studies, and 10 were non-RCT studies.

Pairwise meta-analysis

The results of meta-analyses showed a large effect of all psychological treatments when compared to any type of comparison groups ( n  = 17, g  = 1.47, 95% CI [1.07, 1.86]). The treatment effects were separately provided according to active versus inactive comparison groups in Fig.  2 . The effects of psychological treatments were large when compared to the active control ( n  = 5, g  = 0.88, 95% CI [0.21, 1.56]) or inactive control ( n  = 12, g  = 1.70, 95% CI: [1.27, 2.12]). Substantial heterogeneity was evident in studies that were compared to both the active controls (I 2  = 72%, < 0.01) and inactive controls at p -value level of 0.05 (I 2  = 69%, p  < 0.001).

figure 2

Pairwise Meta-analysis. Psychological treatment effects on excessive gaming by comparison group type (active and inactive controls). SMD standardized mean difference, SD standard deviation,  CI confidence interval, I 2  = Higgins' I 2 .

Moderator analysis

As shown in Table 2 , the moderator analysis suggested that effect sizes were larger in non-RCT studies ( n  = 10, g  = 1.60, 95% CI [1.36, 1.84]) than RCT studies ( n  = 7, g  = 1.26, 95% CI [0.30, 2.23]). However, the results of a Q-test for heterogeneity yielded insignificant results (Q = 0.44, df[Q] = 1, p  = 0.51), indicating that no statistically significant difference in treatment efficacy at p level of 0.05 between RCT and non-RCT studies.

The results of Q-test for heterogeneity did not yield any significant results, indicating no significant differences in treatment efficacy between adults and adolescents (Q = 2.39, df[Q] = 1, p  = 0.12), Western and Eastern regions (Q = 0.40, df[Q] = 1, p  = 0.53), or low and high research qualities among RCT studies (Q = 2.25, df[Q] = 1, p  = 0.13) and non-RCT studies (Q = 3.06, df[Q] = 1, p  = 0.08).

Subgroup analysis

The results demonstrated that the treatment effect was Hedges’ g  = 1.54 (95% CI [0.87, 2.21]) at 1-to-3-month follow-up and Hedges’ g  = 1.23 (95% CI [0.77, 1.68]) 4- to-6-month follow-up. The results also showed that the treatment for excessive gaming was also effective on depression and anxiety. Specifically, treatment on depression was Hedges’ g  = 0.52 (95% CI: [0.22, 0.81], p  < 0.001), and anxiety was Hedges’ g  = 0.60 (95% CI [0.11, 1.08], p  = 0.02), which are medium and significant effects. However, the effect on impulsivity was insignificant, Hedges’ g  = 0.26 (95% CI [− 0.14, 0.67], p  = 0.20).

Network meta-analysis

As shown in Fig.  3 , a network plot represents a connected network of eight intervention types (CBT, BT + Mindfulness, BT, Virtual Reality BT, CBT + Mindfulness, CBT + Family, MI + BT, and Mindfulness) and three control group types (wait-list control, no treatment, treatment as usual). The widest width of nodes was observed when comparing BT + Mindfulness and no treatment, indicating that those two modules were most frequently compared. No evidence of global inconsistency based on a random effects design-by-treatment interaction model was found (Q = 8.5, df[Q] = 7, p  = 0.29). Further, local tests of loop-specific inconsistency did not demonstrate inconsistency, indicating that the results from the direct and indirect estimates were largely in agreement ( p  = 0.12- 0.78).

figure 3

Network plot for excessive gaming interventions. Width of lines and size of circles are proportional to the number of studies in each comparison. BT behavioral therapy, CBT cognitive behavioral therapy, Family family intervention, MI motivational interviewing, TAU treatment as usual.

As shown in Fig.  4 , according to SUCRA, a combined intervention of CBT and Mindfulness ranked as the most optimal treatment (SUCRA = 97.1%) and demonstrated the largest probability of effectiveness when compared to and averaged over all competing treatments. A combined treatment of CBT and Family intervention ranked second (SUCRA = 90.2%), and Mindfulness intervention ranked third (SUCRA = 82.1%). As shown in Table 3 , according to league table, CBT + Mindfulness intervention showed positive weighted mean difference values in the lower diagonal, indicating greater effectiveness over all other interventions. The CBT + Mindfulness intervention was more effective than CBT + Family or Mindfulness interventions, but their differences were not significant (weighted mean differences = 0.23–1.11, 95% CI [− 1.39 to 2.68]). The top three ranked interventions (e.g., CBT + Mindfulness, CBT + Family intervention, and Mindfulness in a row) were statistically significantly superior to CBT as a standalone treatment as well as the rest of treatments.

figure 4

Surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) rankogram of excessive gaming. BT behavioral therapy, CBT cognitive behavioral therapy, Family family intervention, MI motivational interviewing, TAU treatment as usual.

Risk of bias

Figure  5 displays an overview of the risk of bias across all included studies. Of note was that in the RCT studies, bias due to missing outcome data was least problematic, indicating a low dropout rate (six out of seven studies). In contrast, bias due to deviations from intended interventions was most problematic, indicating that, in some studies, participants and trial personnel were not blinded and/or there was no information provided as to whether treatments adhered to intervention protocols (six out of seven studies). In the non-RCT studies, bias in the selection of participants in the study was least problematic, indicating that researchers did not select participants based on participant characteristics after the start of intervention (10 out of 10 studies). In contrast, bias in the measurement of outcomes was most problematic, indicating that participants and outcome assessors were not blinded and/or studies used self-reported measures without clinical interviews (10 out of 10 studies).

figure 5

Overview of risk of bias results across all included studies. Cl bias in classification of interventions, Co bias due to confounding, De bias due to deviations from intended interventions, Me bias in measurement of the outcome, Mi bias due to missing outcome data, R bias arising from the randomization process, RoB risk of bias, ROBINS-I risk of bias in non-randomized studies of intervention, Sp bias in selection of participants in the study, Sr bias in selection of the reported result.

Funnel plots and Egger’s test showed no evidence of publication in network meta-analyses. Funnel plots were reasonably symmetric and the result from Egger’s test for sample bias were not significant ( p  = 0.22; see Supplementary Material 4 ).

In this pairwise and network meta-analyses, the authors assessed data from 17 trials and analyzed the overall and relative effectiveness of eight types of psychological treatments for reducing excessive gaming. The pairwise meta-analysis results indicated large overall effectiveness of psychological treatments in reducing excessive gaming. Although the effectiveness was smaller when compared to the active controls than when compared to the inactive controls, both effect sizes were still large. However, this result needs to be interpreted with caution because there are only seven existing RCT studies and several existing low-quality studies. Network meta-analysis results indicated that a combined treatment of CBT and Mindfulness was the most effective, followed by a combined therapy of CBT and Family intervention, Mindfulness, and then CBT as a standalone treatment, however, this finding was based on a limited number of studies. Overall, the findings suggest that psychological treatments for excessive gaming is promising, but replications are warranted, with additional attention being placed on addressing methodological concerns.

The large effect of psychological treatments in reducing excessive gaming seems encouraging but the stability and robustness of the results need to be confirmed. These authors’ moderator analysis indicated that the effect size of non-RCT studies was not significantly different from that of RCT studies. The authors conducted a moderator analysis using the research quality score (high vs low) and found that research quality did not moderate the treatment effect. The authors also examined publication bias using both funnel plots and Egger’s test and found no evidence of publication bias in network meta-analysis. Because most of the studies included in the review were from Asian countries, the authors examined the generalizability of the finding by testing moderator analysis by regions and found no significant difference of treatment effect sizes between Eastern and Western countries. Finally, although limited studies exist, treatment benefits did not greatly diminish after 1–6 months of follow-ups, indicating possible lasting effects.

Network meta-analysis findings provide some preliminary support for the notion that a combined treatment of CBT and Mindfulness and a combined treatment of CBT and Family intervention are most effective in addressing individuals’ gaming behaviors. These combined therapies were significantly more effective than the CBT standalone approach. CBT has been studied and found to be highly effective in addiction treatment—particularly in reducing excessive gaming due to its attention to stimulus control and cognitive restructuring 13 . However, adding Mindfulness and family intervention may have been more effective than CBT alone, given that gaming is affected not only by individual characteristics, but also external stress or family factors.

Mindfulness generally focuses on helping individuals to cope with negative affective states through mindful reappraisal and aims to reduce stress through mindful relaxation training. The effectiveness of Mindfulness has been validated in other substance and behavioral addiction studies such as alcohol 37 , gambling 38 , and Internet 39 addiction treatments. Indulging in excessive gaming is often associated with the motivation to escape from a stressful reality 40 , and mindful exercises are likely to help gamers not depend on gaming as a coping strategy.

Because excessive gaming is often entangled with family environments or parenting-related concerns—particularly with adolescents, addressing appropriate parent–adolescent communication and parenting styles within excessive gaming interventions are likely to increase treatment efficacy 41 , 42 , 43 . Based on a qualitative study focused on interviews with excessive gamers 43 , and per reports from interviewed gamers, parental guidance to support regulatory control and encouragement to participate in other activities are important factors to reduce excessive gaming. However, at the same time, if parents excessively restrict their children’s behavior, children will feel increased stress and may further escape into the online world through gaming 44 as a means of coping with their stress. Our study indicates that appropriate communication among parents and adolescents in addition to parenting styles with respect to game control must be discussed in treatment. However, because only two studies examined the top two ranked combined interventions within this paper, such findings warrant replication.

Limitations and future directions

These authors identified methodological limitations and future directions in the reviewed studies, which include the following. The authors included non-RCTs to capture data on emerging treatments, but a lack of RCT studies contributes to this paper’s identified methodological concerns. Of 17 studies included, seven were RCT studies and 10 were non-RCT studies. The lack of RCT studies has been repeatedly mentioned in previous review studies 17 , 18 . In fact, one of the two identified reviews 17 made the criticism that even CBT (the most widely studied treatment for excessive gaming) was mostly conducted in non-RCT studies, which was commensurate with this paper’s data (only one out of four CBT studies included in this review is a RCT). Including non-RCTs may be likely to increase selection bias by employing easily accessible samples and assigning participants with more willingness (which is an indicator of better treatment outcome) to intervention groups. Selection bias may have increased the effect size of treatments than what is represented in reality and may limit the generalizability of this finding. Thus, more rigorous evaluation through RCTs is necessary in future studies.

While there are concerns surrounding assessment tools, given that all included studies used self-report measures without clinical interviews, this may lead to inaccurate results due to perceived stigma. Additionally, 11 self-reported measurement tools were employed in the included studies—and some of those tools may have poor sensitivity or specificity. A previous narrative review 45 and a recent meta-analytic review 46 suggested that the Game Addiction Scale-7, Assessment of Internet and Computer Addiction Scale-Gaming, Lemmens Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-9, Internet Gaming Disorder Scale 9- Short Form, and Internet Gaming Disorder Test-10 have good internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Thus, there is a need for studies to employ clinical interviews and self-report measures with good psychometric features.

Many studies in this included review did not describe whether participants and experimenters were blinded and there was no information about whether treatments adhered to intervention protocols. Although blinding of participants and personnel may be impossible in most psychotherapy studies, it is crucial to evaluate possible performance biases such as social desirability. Also, a fidelity check by content experts is needed to confirm whether treatments adhered to intervention protocols.

Finally, future studies need to examine treatment efficacy in treating both excessive gaming and its comorbid psychiatric symptoms. Internet/gaming addiction has been reported to have a high comorbidity with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, anxiety, and other substance abuse 47 , 48 . Our results showed that CBT, BT, and BT + Mindfulness may be effective in reducing depression or anxiety symptoms of excessive gamers. However, other psychological and/or pharmacological treatments such as CBT + Bupropion or Bupropion as a standalone treatment have been also reported as potentially effective treatments for excessive gamers with major depressive disorder 49 , 50 . Thus, it would be worthwile to examine efficacy of treatments on excessive gamers with dual diagnoses.

TO the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first pairwise meta-analytic and network meta-analytic study that examined the overall effectiveness of psychological treatments and compared the relative effectiveness of diverse treatment options for excessive gaming. Although the authors intentionally used network meta-analysis because of its usefulness in comparing relative effectiveness of currently existing literature, this finding should be interpreted with caution due to the small number of studies. However, as previously indicated, the global prevalence of excessive gaming highlights the need for greater attention to this topic. Studies focused on the effectiveness of diverse gaming interventions help meet the call for further inquiry and study on this topic placed by the DSM-5 7 , and allow greater advances to be made in treating individuals who may have difficulty controlling excessive gaming habits. As such, this study can provide preliminary support for beneficial treatment interventions for excessive gaming as well as recommendations for more rigorous studies to be directed at helping those who have excessive gaming habits.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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This research was supported by the project investigating scientific evidence for registering gaming disorder on Korean Standard Classification of Disease and Cause of Death funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Korea Creative Content Agency.

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essay on online gaming addiction

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Essay on Online Games Addiction

Students are often asked to write an essay on Online Games Addiction in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Online Games Addiction

Understanding online games addiction.

Online games addiction means playing games on the internet too much. This happens when someone spends more time playing games than doing other important things. This can cause problems like poor grades in school, less time with friends and family, and even health issues.

Reasons for Addiction

There are many reasons why people get addicted to online games. Some people play to escape from real-world problems. Others find the games exciting and challenging. Some people even play to feel a sense of achievement.

Effects of Addiction

Playing games too much can cause many problems. It can lead to poor performance in school or at work. It can also cause health problems like eye strain and lack of sleep. It can even hurt relationships with friends and family.

Overcoming Addiction

Overcoming online games addiction can be tough, but it’s possible. It’s important to set limits on how much time you spend playing games. It can also help to find other hobbies or activities to do instead of playing games. It might also be helpful to talk to a counselor or therapist.

Online games can be fun, but it’s important not to let them take over your life. If you think you might be addicted, it’s important to seek help. Remember, there’s a lot more to life than just playing games!

Also check:

  • Speech on Online Games Addiction

250 Words Essay on Online Games Addiction

What is online games addiction.

Online games addiction is when a person cannot stop playing games on the internet. They spend too much time playing these games and ignore other important things in life. This can harm their studies, health, and relationships.

Why Do People Get Addicted?

People get addicted to online games for many reasons. Some find these games fun and exciting. They enjoy the challenges and rewards that these games offer. Others use these games to escape from stress or problems in real life.

Effects of Online Games Addiction

Online games addiction can have many bad effects. It can cause poor grades in school because students spend too much time playing games instead of studying. It can also lead to health problems like eye strain and lack of sleep. Moreover, it can harm relationships with family and friends because the person is always busy with the games.

How to Overcome Online Games Addiction

Overcoming online games addiction is not easy, but it is possible. One way is to set a limit on how much time you can spend on games each day. Another way is to find other fun activities to do, like playing sports or reading books. It can also help to talk to a trusted adult about the problem.

In conclusion, online games addiction is a serious issue. It can harm a person’s studies, health, and relationships. But with the right help and effort, it can be overcome. It is important to balance online gaming with other activities and responsibilities in life.

500 Words Essay on Online Games Addiction

Online games addiction is when a person spends too much time playing games on the internet and finds it hard to stop. This can lead to problems in other parts of life like school, work, or relationships. It’s a bit like when someone can’t stop eating sweets, even though they know it’s bad for them. They might want to stop, but they find it very hard to do so.

There are many reasons why people get addicted to online games. Some people play games to escape from real-life problems or to feel good about themselves. Games can make people feel like they’re winning or achieving something, which can be very satisfying. Other people might get addicted because the games are so much fun and they lose track of time. Sometimes, people get addicted because they’re trying to be the best at the game and can’t stop until they are.

The Impact of Online Games Addiction

Online games addiction can cause many problems. Firstly, it can lead to poor performance in school or work. This is because people who are addicted to games often spend so much time playing that they don’t have time for anything else. They might also lose sleep because they stay up late to play games.

Secondly, addiction can harm relationships. If a person spends too much time playing games, they might not spend enough time with their friends and family. This can make people feel lonely and isolated.

Lastly, spending too much time playing games can also be bad for health. It can lead to problems like poor posture, eye strain, and lack of physical activity.

How to Prevent and Overcome Online Games Addiction

Preventing online games addiction starts with setting limits. It’s fine to play games, but it’s important to have a balance. This means making time for other activities like studying, playing sports, or spending time with friends and family.

If someone is already addicted to online games, it might be hard for them to stop on their own. In this case, it can be helpful to seek help from a professional, like a counselor or a psychologist. They can provide guidance and support to help the person overcome their addiction.

In conclusion, online games addiction is a serious problem that can affect a person’s school, work, relationships, and health. It’s important to balance time spent on gaming with other activities and seek professional help if needed. Remember, games are meant to be fun, not something that takes over your life.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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Social Effects of Online Game Addiction in Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Profile image of Brigita Karouw

This study aimed to determine the social effects of online game addiction in adolescents and increase our knowledge of adolescents who experience online game addiction. This was a systematic review of the literature using the Scopus, Science Direct and SAGE Journals databases during five years with a randomized controlled trial. All the studies included online game addiction, focusing on the effect of social influence on online gaming addiction in adolescents. Based on the findings of 15 research articles used showed that there was a social influence on online gaming addiction experienced by adolescents. Social constraints proved to be an essential factor in the excessive internet use of adolescents. Other findings showed that associated internet gaming disorders and a lack of attention suggests that individualistic cultural orientations exacerbate these relationships without gender differences

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Jolanta Szymańska

Introduction. Dependence on the Internet and online games is a growing problem worldwide. Aim. The aim of this study was to determine the differences between girls and boys as well as between adolescents living in urban vs. rural areas in regard to prevalence of playing online games, the amount of time devoted to playing games, the severity of symptoms of online gaming addiction, and preferences for game genres. Also, significant predictors of online game addiction in the studied group of young people were identified. Material and methods. The study involved 827 adolescents aged 14 to 19 years. When it comes to 488 (60.02%) of them, they lived in the countryside and 325 (39.98%) in a city. The following instruments were used: a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Online Gaming Addiction Questionnaire and the Disturbed Family Relations Questionnaire, all developed by Pawłowska and Potembska. Results. Statistically significant differences were found between girls and boys and between ...

essay on online gaming addiction

Mark D Griffiths

Research suggests that excessive online gaming may lead to symptoms commonly experienced by substance addicts. Since games are particularly appealing to children and adolescents, these individuals may be more at risk than other groups of developing gaming addiction. Given these potential concerns, a literature review was undertaken in order (i) to present the classification basis of online gaming addiction using official mental disorder frameworks, (ii) to identify empirical studies that assess online gaming addiction in children and adolescents, and (iii) to present and evaluate the findings against the background of related and established mental disorder criteria. Empirical evidence comprising 30 studies indicates that for some adolescents, gaming addiction exists and that as the addiction develops, online gaming addicts spend increasing amounts of time preparing for, organizing, and actually gaming. Further evidence suggests that problematic online gaming can be conceptualized as a behavioral addiction rather than a disorder of impulse control.

Selahattin Çavuş , Bünyamin AYHAN

This study carried out in order to analyze the characteristics of game addiction among the adolescents. The research was tackled within the frame of screening model and data was collected in accordance with it. The questionnaire used as a data collecting instrument was applied in a secondary school and a high school which are considered to have the capacity of representing the socioeconomic and cultural structure of Selçuklu district of Konya province. After the analysis, it was determined that the average of the boys as for game addiction were higher than those of girls. Moreover, the boys were observed to spend more money on games. The socioeconomic reasons such as educational status of parents, the number of siblings, having computers and having a private room weren't seen to be discriminative characteristics. However, a differentiation related to addiction was observed among genders and stages. The research suggests that it is necessary to activate the patterns of social communication networks such as friendly footing, taking more responsibilities, and highlighting social life to diminish game addiction.

Research suggests that excessive online gaming may lead to symptoms commonly experienced by substance addicts. Since games are particularly appealing to children and adolescents, these individuals may be more at risk than other groups of developing gaming addiction. Given these potential concerns, a literature review was undertaken in order (i) to present the classification basis of online gaming addiction using official mental disorder frameworks, (ii) to identify empirical studies that assess online gaming addiction in children and adolescents, and (iii) to present and evaluate the findings against the background of related and established mental disorder criteria. Empirical evidence comprising 30 studies indicates that for some adolescents, gaming addiction exists and that as the addiction develops, online gaming addicts spend increasing amounts of time preparing for, organizing, and actually gaming. Evidence suggests that problematic online gaming can be conceptualized as a behavioral addiction rather than a disorder of impulse control.

Research suggests that excessive online gaming may lead to symptoms commonly experienced by substance addicts. Since games are particularly appealing to children and adolescents, these groups may be more at risk than other groups of developing gaming addiction. Given these potential concerns, a literature review was undertaken in order (i) to present the classification basis of online gaming addiction using official mental disorder frameworks, (ii) to identify empirical studies that assess online gaming addiction in children and adolescents, and (iii) to present and evaluate the findings against the background of related and established mental disorder criteria. Empirical evidence comprising 30 studies indicates that for some adolescents, gaming addiction exists and that as the addiction develops, online gaming addicts spend increasing amounts of time preparing for, organizing, and actually gaming. Further evidence suggests that problematic online gaming can be conceptualized as a behavioral addiction rather than a disorder of impulse control.

Belitung Nursing Journal

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Background: Understanding factors influencing Internet and game addiction in children and adolescents is very important to prevent negative consequences; however, the existing factors in the literature remain inconclusive.Objective: This study aims to systematically map the existing literature of factors related to Internet and game addiction in adolescents.Methods: A scoping review was completed using three databases - Science Direct, PROQUEST Dissertations and Theses, and Google Scholar, which covered the years between 2009 to July 2020. Quality appraisal and data extraction were presented. A content analysis was used to synthesize the results.Results: Ultimately, 62 studies met inclusion criteria. There were 82 associated factors identified and grouped into 11 categories, including (1) socio-demographic characteristics, (2) parental and family factors, (3) device ownership, Internet access and location, social media, and the game itself, (4) personality/traits, psychopathology fa...

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Digital games are tools where individuals from all ages have fun, socialize, and spend time. They have positive effects as well as negative effects. One of the most notable negative effects is addiction. In general terms, digital game addiction is playing games without control. To that end, this study examines adolescents' digital game addictions by their digital game tendencies, gender, and gaming spending. In this direction, the research sample consists of a total of 191 adolescents, 90 female and 101 male. Descriptive statistics and independent samples t-tests were used in the data analysis. When the digital game-playing tendencies of adolescents are analyzed, it is concluded that the games are generally played on the smartphone, are in the battle royale type, and are played for entertainment purposes. Another result collected in the study is that the mean addiction score is statistically significantly higher for males than for females and for those who spend money on games compared to those who do not. The research results were discussed in relation to the studies in the literature, and suggestions were made.

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Internet Gaming Addiction: A Systematic Review of Empirical Research

  • Published: 16 March 2011
  • Volume 10 , pages 278–296, ( 2012 )

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The activity of play has been ever present in human history and the Internet has emerged as a playground increasingly populated by gamers. Research suggests that a minority of Internet game players experience symptoms traditionally associated with substance-related addictions, including mood modification, tolerance and salience. Because the current scientific knowledge of Internet gaming addiction is copious in scope and appears relatively complex, this literature review attempts to reduce this confusion by providing an innovative framework by which all the studies to date can be categorized. A total of 58 empirical studies were included in this literature review. Using the current empirical knowledge, it is argued that Internet gaming addiction follows a continuum, with antecedents in etiology and risk factors, through to the development of a “full-blown” addiction, followed by ramifications in terms of negative consequences and potential treatment. The results are evaluated in light of the emergent discrepancies in findings, and the consequent implications for future research.

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Kuss, D.J., Griffiths, M.D. Internet Gaming Addiction: A Systematic Review of Empirical Research. Int J Ment Health Addiction 10 , 278–296 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-011-9318-5

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15.9 Cause-and-Effect Essay

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  • Read an example of the cause-and-effect rhetorical mode.

Effects of Video Game Addiction

Video game addition is a serious problem in many parts of the world today and deserves more attention. It is no secret that children and adults in many countries throughout the world, including Japan, China, and the United States, play video games every day. Most players are able to limit their usage in ways that do not interfere with their daily lives, but many others have developed an addiction to playing video games and suffer detrimental effects.

An addiction can be described in several ways, but generally speaking, addictions involve unhealthy attractions to substances or activities that ultimately disrupt the ability of a person to keep up with regular daily responsibilities. Video game addiction typically involves playing games uncontrollably for many hours at a time—some people will play only four hours at a time while others cannot stop for over twenty-four hours. Regardless of the severity of the addiction, many of the same effects will be experienced by all.

One common effect of video game addiction is isolation and withdrawal from social experiences. Video game players often hide in their homes or in Internet cafés for days at a time—only reemerging for the most pressing tasks and necessities. The effect of this isolation can lead to a breakdown of communication skills and often a loss in socialization. While it is true that many games, especially massive multiplayer online games, involve a very real form of e-based communication and coordination with others, and these virtual interactions often result in real communities that can be healthy for the players, these communities and forms of communication rarely translate to the types of valuable social interaction that humans need to maintain typical social functioning. As a result, the social networking in these online games often gives the users the impression that they are interacting socially, while their true social lives and personal relations may suffer.

Another unfortunate product of the isolation that often accompanies video game addiction is the disruption of the user’s career. While many players manage to enjoy video games and still hold their jobs without problems, others experience challenges at their workplace. Some may only experience warnings or demerits as a result of poorer performance, or others may end up losing their jobs altogether. Playing video games for extended periods of time often involves sleep deprivation, and this tends to carry over to the workplace, reducing production and causing habitual tardiness.

Video game addiction may result in a decline in overall health and hygiene. Players who interact with video games for such significant amounts of time can go an entire day without eating and even longer without basic hygiene tasks, such as using the restroom or bathing. The effects of this behavior pose significant danger to their overall health.

The causes of video game addiction are complex and can vary greatly, but the effects have the potential to be severe. Playing video games can and should be a fun activity for all to enjoy. But just like everything else, the amount of time one spends playing video games needs to be balanced with personal and social responsibilities.

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Online Video Games Addiction Essay

Online video games have already become an essential component of popular culture. A variety of technological products is actively used to train pilots and other safety occupations for better professional skills. Until recently, there was no specific knowledge or empirical evidence with regard to the effect video games may produce on users’ skills. It appears, however, that video games can become a relevant source of better practical knowledge and abilities which young users are to use in the practice. Unfortunately, there is no sufficient information that could unilaterally confirm the positive nature of video games when used by users in practical performance, but the results of recent researches suggest that video games provide unlimited opportunities for the development of better practical skills and avoiding major mistakes (Soukup 43). Video games are often linked to problems including bad grades and violent behavior of people. The idea has been accentuated in the ScienCentral News video reports. The study suggests that might make users do a better job. Confidentiality relates to information sought, obtained, or held by an organization, the disclosure of which might be detrimental to that organization or to the third party that supplied it. In many cases, it is difficult to control e-mail communication between employees and protect information security (Aarseth, 99). The paper will try to answer and research the question “Why people are addicted to online video games? How does it affect their life?”

Online video games create a new reality and can be interested as a “second life” of the user. Bad communications lead to conflict. In this situation, employees cannot find a unified and single solution for the project or program competing with one another during meetings and negotiations. Also, e-mail is not an ideal form to solve current business problems, because it takes time to type an e-mail instead of “simply calling someone if the message is short” (Hartt n.d.). In some cases, employees must accept e-mails inflexibilities, and learn how to interpret the information provided to them and how to make correct deci­sions based on written short messages. On the other hand, electronic mail systems store and then deliver to electronic ‘mail boxes’ which enable the recipient to retrieve the message when convenient.. The main problems that affected e-mail communication include lack of mutual understanding, lack of openness in relations, and damaged relations, chaos situations (Bates, 45). Critics admit that:

Despite this growing concern, children still seem to be spending time playing video games. A recent report released by the Kaiser Family Foundation (1999) reveals that a majority of 2- to 18-year-old children in this country have access to video game technology in their homes. (Smith 54).

As such, whatever is happening in the society in According the theory of the social construction of reality, each person is undeniably a perception and interaction with others. As such, this proves that culture is a vital component that affects the formation of one’s identity. In line with this, the concept of cultural identity was formed. Cultural Identity is often described as an individual’s feeling or perception of his or her belongingness to a certain cultural group. It is also described as the extent to which this feeling affects him or her and influences him/her to act in accordance with the actions, beliefs, traditions, and behavior imposed by the cultural group. A cultural group, on the other hand, refers to a set of individuals, which may be or maybe not be bounded by time and place. However, it is given that members of a cultural group carry the same set of symbolic meanings used in the interpretation of actions and communication. Normally, cultural groups exist in a common cultural space and time also (Berger, 98).

Through the sense of belongingness to a certain online video game, one tries to modify his/her behavior and practices in such a way that they are in accordance with the norms that are accepted by the online video game, to which the individual belongs. Thus, the end product will be that of identity. However, if an individual identifies himself/herself as a member of online video games that have cultural practices that oppose each other, he or she will be exposed to the question of which tradition to follow. Thus, his or her online video game identity will be compromised. In this case, the sense of free will, motivated by which cultural group he/she thinks he/she can more identify with, acts. In the analysis of the cultural identity of the interviewee, the act that he only tries to stay in line with norms of the “majority” while strongly not acting against the norms of his Islam community emphasizes that he identifies himself more as a member of the latter one. However, the fact that the interviewee acknowledges the norms of the “majority” also signifies his appreciation of the culture of this group, and therefore the concept of online video game assimilation exists (Faber, 76).

The changes are far-reaching: the definition of online video game; the nature of the information ‘commons’ for the citizen; the right of privacy in communicated expressions; the regulation of information infrastructures (computer operating systems and networks); the definition of information goods; and the nature of government communication with its citizens. These changes mostly revolve around information ownership and yet no consistent framework has yet to emerge as the question has mostly been approached in a piecemeal way. It is argued in conclusion that a new information dispensation must be built which guarantees information ownership, as this is the foundation on which systems of trading, governance, and research can be built. More interesting, though, was the extent to which users of the Internet as a news source said that as a result, they are using traditional news. It seems that using online video sites may have a more negative effect on news viewing than news reading. This might be because Internet users most often go online for the sort of information featured by television news, especially cable. In the early days, online companies did their very best to replicate the printed or media product (Berners-Lee, 33).

These emergent online video game standards now pose a major problem for competition regulators around the world as they span jurisdictions and the market dominance they create is not easily broken up by their nature. Although in some markets the developers may license the ‘standard’ technology to widen participation (the digital cellular phone standard GSM is one example), in others the standard-setter may aggressively protect its control over the standard as it regards it as an asset. At present most of the dominant information standards have been developed by US companies and they can only be regulated effectively by the US Department of Justice. These technological questions will, however, mark out the information infrastructures of the next century. In the emerging technological and commercial environment defined by the digital encoding of information representations ‘ownership’ is coming to mean different things (Aarseth, 33).

The internet and online video websites have become a new sales channel uncontrolled by the state and free for mass consumers. If any element of the channel can be provided in a more cost-effective way, either by another organization or the application of technology, then the producer will have a strong incentive to change their sales strategy. Mainstream media is limited by censorship and regulations, channels of communication, and geographical scope. In other words, this situation creates a channel conflict for mainstream media. Whenever there are a number of different sales channel elements that can address the same customer base, then there is the potential for conflict. The computer industry is renowned for having multiple channels which often find themselves in direct competition. There have been many instances when the computer manufacture, its distributors and resellers are all fighting for the same business (Smith et al 54).

The online video game is an area occupied by online companies. Some direct marketers have long suspected that the reliance of media advertising on attitudinal factors, instead of behavioral ones, has resulted in “much ado about nothing.” Moreover, they consider the Internet an information media and therefore antithetical to media advertising. When these capabilities are combined to address traditional business situations, it is possible to generate tangible benefits. The American media marketplace is not only larger but far more specialized than any other environment worldwide (Smith et al 54). Also, historically, marketing and advertising, in particular television and electronic media, have had a far more significant role in the United States than elsewhere. These abrupt turns can best be seen through annual changes. In the light of the Internet and its direct potential, these targeting options remained narrow and one-sided. Based on a broadcast model, they made real-time interactivity impossible. Having assessed the degree to which the Internet will affect the organization, the challenge is to manage the adoption of the new technology and the changes it will cause to existing processes. Decisions will be required about the advisability and cost implications of running multiple sales channels and the conflicts that can be created (Aarseth, 66).

Constraints on the geographic, industry, or application areas of trading, available to each channel element, can suddenly disappear. Perhaps the most important thing that can be done is to recognize that a problem will exist and to ensure that the existing channel elements have been informed of how the changes will affect them. If possible, these existing channel partners should be involved in the use of technology and encouraged to accept the changes by sharing part of the planned benefits. There are several reasons why it may be necessary to reduce the level of margin on media products that are being sold via the Internet-related sales channel. It may be sensible to offer a pricing advantage to encourage customers to use the channel. This does not necessarily affect the overall net margin since the cost structure of maintaining the channel may be significantly lower than the traditional alternatives (Berners-Lee 5).

In sum, it was found that people are addicted to online video games because they help users to change their own identity and create the ideal personality they cannot reach in real life. Jones writes that: “As in a video game, in which players acquire new weapons and capabilities within its digital geography and learn more and more about how to play from the collective knowledge of gamers online, both Lost’s characters and its audience are acquiring sequentially the “tools” they need to play. (51). Aarseth states that: “virtual environment has penetrated identity unevenly, thus marketers and advertising use this medium to promote their” (61). These quotes agree that online video games create a new reality for users but do not have a positive and educational impact on their personalities. Lack of regulations and censorship help video websites better position themselves against mainstream media companies. Online video sites succeed in moving economic activity closer to users (viewers) proposing low transaction costs, low barriers to entry, and improved access to information for the consumer. Thus, they have a negative and threatening impact on mainstream media, its audiences, and media messages. (Jones 51). Taking this measure helps the people to engage themselves in doing different kinds of exercises. The same thing can be told about the classic game Asteroids. This game has many important characteristics. One of these characteristics is the ability to rotate the wrist moves of a spaceship. The game is often associated with the waste of time. This is especially true when we are talking about the vast majority of people who are engaged in the research.

Works Cited

Aarseth, E. Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997.

Bates, B. Game Design: the Art and Business of Creating Games Roseville, CA: Prima Tech (Game Development Series), 2001.

Berger, A.A. Narratives in Popular Culture, Media and Everyday Life Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1997.

Berners-Lee, Tim. Weaving the Web. London: Orion Business Books, 1999.

Faber, L. Re: Play Ultimate Games Graphics London: Laurence King Publishing, 1998.

Jones, S. E. Dickens on Lost: Text, Paratext, Fan-Based Media. Wordsworth Circle , 38 (2007), 51.

Smith, S. L. et al. Popular Video Games: Quantifying the Presentation of Violence and Its Context. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media , 47 (2003), 54.

Soukup, Ch. Mastering the Game: Gender and the Entelechial Motivational System of Video Games. Women’s Studies in Communication , 30 (2007), 43.

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IvyPanda. (2021, November 24). Online Video Games Addiction. https://ivypanda.com/essays/online-video-games-addiction/

"Online Video Games Addiction." IvyPanda , 24 Nov. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/online-video-games-addiction/.

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Bibliography

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