Online gaming has greatly increased in popularity in recent years, and with this has come a multiplicity of problems due to excessive involvement in gaming. Gaming disorder, both online and offline, has been defined for the first time in the draft of 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). National surveys have shown prevalence rates of gaming disorder/addiction of 10%-15% among young people in several Asian countries and of 1%-10% in their counterparts in some Western countries. Several diseases related to excessive gaming are now recognized, and clinics are being established to respond to individual, family, and community concerns, but many cases remain hidden. Gaming disorder shares many features with addictions due to psychoactive substances and with gambling disorder, and functional neuroimaging shows that similar areas of the brain are activated. Governments and health agencies worldwide are seeking for the effects of online gaming to be addressed, and for preventive approaches to be developed. Central to this effort is a need to delineate the nature of the problem, which is the purpose of the definitions in the draft of ICD-11.

Gaming disorder: Its delineation as an important condition for diagnosis, management, and prevention

Aim Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is a serious disorder leading to and maintaining pertinent personal and social impairment. IGD has to be considered in view of heterogeneous and incomplete concepts. We therefore reviewed the scientific literature on IGD to provide an overview focusing on definitions, symptoms, prevalence, and aetiology. Method We systematically reviewed the databases ERIC, PsyARTICLES, PsycINFO, PSYNDEX, and PubMed for the period January 1991 to August 2016, and additionally identified secondary references. Results The proposed definition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition provides a good starting point for diagnosing IGD but entails some disadvantages. Developing IGD requires several interacting internal factors such as deficient self, mood and reward regulation, problems of decision-making, and external factors such as deficient family background and social skills. In addition, specific game-related factors may promote IGD. Summarizing aetiological knowledge, we suggest an integrated model of IGD elucidating the interplay of internal and external factors. Interpretation So far, the concept of IGD and the pathways leading to it are not entirely clear. In particular, long-term follow-up studies are missing. IGD should be understood as an endangering disorder with a complex psychosocial background. What this paper adds In representative samples of children and adolescents, on average, 2% are affected by Internet gaming disorder (IGD). The mean prevalences (overall, clinical samples included) reach 5.5%. Definitions are heterogeneous and the relationship with substance-related addictions is inconsistent. Many aetiological factors are related to the development and maintenance of IGD. This review presents an integrated model of IGD, delineating the interplay of these factors.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/dmcn.13754

Internet gaming disorder in children and adolescents: a systematic review.

Gaming addiction has become a topic of increasing research interest. The last decade has witnessed a significant increase in the number of empirical studies examining various aspects of problematic video game play and video game addiction. This paper begins with a brief past history of how research into video game addiction has changed over the last three decades (i.e., the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s). It then examines more thoroughly the contemporary research literature by analyzing the (i) prevalence of problematic video game use and video game addiction, (ii) negative consequences of excessive video game use, (iii) factors associated with problematic video game use and video game addiction, and (iv) the treatment of problematic video game use and video game addiction. The paper concludes by looking at the trends in the field and a somewhat theoretical examination of what the future of video game addiction might be.

/pdf/video-game-addiction-past-present-and-future-5c6txudn8s.pdf

Video Game Addiction: Past, Present and Future

Gender differences in the relationship between internet addiction and depression

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of Internet addiction in a nationally representative sample of Chinese elementary and middle school students and to investigate Internet addiction among Internet users with different usages. The data were from the National Children's Study of China (NCSC) in which 24,013 fourth- to ninth-grade students were recruited from 100 counties in 31 provinces in China. Only 54.2% of the students had accessed the Internet. According to the criteria of Young's Diagnostic Questionnaire (YDQ), an eight-item instrument, the prevalence of Internet addiction in the total sample was 6.3%, and among Internet users was 11.7%. Among the Internet users, males (14.8%) and rural students (12.1%) reported Internet addiction more than females (7.0%) and urban students (10.6%). The percentage of Internet addicts in elementary school students (11.5%) was not significantly lower than the percentage of middle school students (11.9%). There was no statistically significant difference between the four geographical regions (9.6%, 11.5%, 12.3%, 11.1%) characterized by different levels of economy, health, education, and social environment. As the frequency of Internet use and time spent online per week increased, the percentage of Internet addicts increased. When considering the location and purpose of Internet use, the percentage of Internet addicts was highest in adolescents typically surfing in Internet cafes (18.1%) and playing Internet games (22.5%).

/pdf/internet-addiction-among-elementary-and-middle-school-44nn560mdw.pdf

Internet addiction among elementary and middle school students in China: a nationally representative sample study.

Background: This study aimed to investigate and compare the social skills of students addicted to computer games with normal students. The dependent variable in the present study is the social skills. Methods: The study population included all the students in the second grade of public secondary school in the city of Isfahan at the educational year of 2009-2010. The sample size included 564 students selected using the cluster random sampling method. Data collection was conducted using Questionnaire of Addiction to Computer Games and Social Skills Questionnaire (The Teenage Inventory of Social Skill or TISS). Findings: The results of the study showed that generally, there was a significant difference between the social skills of students addicted to computer games and normal students. In addition, the results indicated that normal students had a higher level of social skills in comparison with students addicted to computer games. Conclusion: As the study results showed, addiction to computer games may affect the quality and quantity of social skills. In other words, the higher the addiction to computer games, the less the social skills. The individuals addicted to computer games have less social skills. Keywords: Computer games, Addiction to computer games, Social skills, Guidance school students.

http://ahj.kmu.ac.ir/article_84534_14f79622fc280a740dd4fec8cb199c79.pdf

Comparing the social skills of students addicted to computer games with normal students.

Background:
This study aimed to investigate the effects of addiction to computer games on physical and mental health of students.

http://ahj.kmu.ac.ir/article_84523_bd9faec0058c14f0806ec23d364bb90c.pdf

Effect of Addiction to Computer Games on Physical and Mental Health of Female and Male Students of Guidance School in City of Isfahan

Background:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate various educations in primary schools to prevent drug addiction

Eshrat Zamani

Papers

Comparing the social skills of students addicted to computer games with normal students.

Effect of Addiction to Computer Games on Physical and Mental Health of Female and Male Students of Guidance School in City of Isfahan

Exploit the developed countries experiences of primary school education to prevent drug addiction and implications for iran.