Addiction to the internet and online gaming

Research indicates that maladaptive patterns of Internet use constitute behavioral addiction. This article explores the research on the social effects of Internet addiction. There are four major sections. The Introduction section overviews the field and introduces definitions, terminology, and assessments. The second section reviews research findings and focuses on several key factors related to Internet addiction, including Internet use and time, identifiable problems, gender differences, psychosocial variables, and computer attitudes. The third section considers the addictive potential of the Internet in terms of the Internet, its users, and the interaction of the two. The fourth section addresses current and projected treatments of Internet addiction, suggests future research agendas, and provides implications for educational psychologists.

CNS Spectrums, 2016

This article re-examines the popular concept of Internet addiction, discusses the key problems associated with it, and proposes possible alternatives. The concept of Internet addiction is inadequate for several reasons. Addiction may be a correct designation only for the minority of individuals who meet the general criteria for addiction, and it needs to be better demarcated from various patterns of excessive or abnormal use. Addiction to the Internet as a medium does not exist, although the Internet as a medium may play an important role in making some behaviors addictive. The Internet can no longer be separated from other potentially overused media, such as text messaging and gaming platforms. Internet addiction is conceptually too heterogeneous because it pertains to a variety of very different behaviors. Internet addiction should be replaced by terms that refer to the specific behaviors (eg, gaming, gambling, or sexual activity), regardless of whether these are performed online or offline.

CyberPsychology & Behavior, 1998

Anecdotal reports indicated that some on-line users were becoming addicted to the Internet in much that same way that others became addicted to drugs or alcohol which resulted in academic, social, and occupational impairment. However, research among sociologists, psychologists, or psychiatrists has not formally identified addictive use of the Internet as a problematic behavior. This study investigated the existence of Internet addiction and the extent of problems caused by such potential misuse. This study utilized an adapted version of the criteria for pathological gambling defined by the DSM-IV (APA, 1994). On the basis of this criteria, case studies of 396 dependent Internet users (Dependents) and a control group of 100 non-dependent Internet users (Non-Dependents) were classified. Qualitative analyses suggests significant behavioral and functional usage differences between the two groups. Clinical and social implications of pathological Internet use and future directions for research are discussed.

Research indicates that maladaptive patterns of Internet use constitute behavioral addiction. This article explores the research on the social effects of Internet addiction. There are four major sections. The Introduction section overviews the field and introduces definitions, terminology, and assessments. The second section reviews research findings and focuses on several key factors related to Internet addiction, including Internet use and time, identifiable problems, gender differences, psychosocial variables, and computer attitudes. The third section considers the addictive potential of the Internet in terms of the Internet, its users, and the interaction of the two. The fourth section addresses current and projected treatments of Internet addiction, suggests future research agendas, and provides implications for educational psychologists.

Research shows that studies investigating IA prevalence rate do not consider a user's motivation(s) for Internet use and possible inherent offline addictive behaviours as a check to identify addicts to the internet. This review explores the issues surrounding Internet addiction (IA), shedding light on the conceptions and terminological discrepancies attributed to IA, and an appropriate IA conceptualization that should be upheld by future survey studies investigating IA prevalence. It articulates issues of IA in various theoretical and empirical studies, presenting them through empirical, subjective and philosophical approaches. Thirty-two current literature from 2007 to 2012 (23 survey studies and 9 literature review studies) on IA were reviewed. Section 1 reviewed and critiqued definitions and major issues surrounding IA. Section 2 presents the perception of issues on IA from the subjective and philosophical telescope. Section 3 reviewed and critiqued the theories, models, views and conceptions on the cause of IA. Section 4 reviewed and critiqued studies to identify common weaknesses. Section 5 made a clear cut conceptualization of IA measurement using mathematical theory of set, while section 6 presents the concluding remarks.

Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Fourth Edition, 2018

Journal of Management Research and Analysis

In the 2000s, online games became popular, while internet game addiction studies appeared, outlining the negative consequences of excessive gaming, the prevalence and associated risk factors. Establishment of a special care center in Southeast Asia, the US and Europe reflects the growing need for professional help. It is said that only by understanding the appeal of Internet gaming, context, and correlate neurobiologic internet game addiction phenomenon can be understood comprehensively. The purpose of this study is to provide insight into the current perspective on the internet game addiction using a holistic approach, taking into account the mass appeal of online games, the context of internet gaming addiction, and related neuroimaging findings, and current diagnostic framework adopted by the American Psychiatric Association. The study cited shows that the context of the individual is a significant factor that marks the dividing line between excessive gaming and gaming addiction, and the context of a game can get is important for players, depending on their life situation and gaming preferences. In this review article it is emphasized more on how addiction of internet games occurs, causes, clinical diagnosis, how to reduce it.