essay about online game addiction

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.

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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!

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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.

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Online Gaming Addiction and Basic Psychological Needs Among Adolescents: The Mediating Roles of Meaning in Life and Responsibility

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• Published: 10 January 2023

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• Alican Kaya   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-2933-0161 1 ,
• Nuri Türk   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7059-9528 2 ,
• Hasan Batmaz   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-5979-1586 3 &
• Mark D. Griffiths   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-6524 4  

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Individuals whose basic needs are naturally satisfied are much less dependent on their environment and more autonomous. Basic psychological needs (i.e., the general motivators of human actions) are significant predictors of online gaming addiction. Moreover, it has been posited that meaning and responsibility in life are at the center of life from an existential point of view. Therefore, a hypothetical model was tested to examine the relationships between basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness), online gaming addiction, responsibility, and meaning in life. Data were collected from a sample of 546 participants. Mediation analysis was conducted, and the results indicated that basic psychological needs, online gaming addiction, responsibility, and meaning in life had significant negative and positive relationships. The findings indicated that responsibility and meaning in life had a serial mediating effect in the relationship between basic psychological needs and online gaming addiction. The findings also showed that the inverse relationship between online gaming addiction and basic psychological needs was at least partially explained by meaning in life and responsibility. The results of the present study are of great importance and suggest that interventions to satisfy the basic psychological needs of adolescents may help prevent online gaming addiction.

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Introduction

Technological addictions have become an area of increasing research interest and are conceptualized as non-chemical (i.e., behavioral) addictions (Kuss & Billieux, 2017 ). Moreover, they can be engaged in actively or passively (Widyanto & Griffiths, 2006 ). For example, television addiction is a passive technological addiction, whereas smartphone addiction and Internet addiction are active technological addictions (Griffiths, 2017 ). Online addictions have increased rapidly due to the increased use of smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Furthermore, overuse of the Internet has been conceptualized in a number of different ways, including problematic Internet use (Aboujaoude et al., 2006 ; Young, 2009 ), excessive Internet use (Choi et al., 2009 ; Lee et al., 2008 ), and Internet addiction (Griffiths, 2017 ) with some considering it to be an impulsive disorder (Young & Rodgers, 2009 ). In addition, online gaming addiction, which is another addiction associated with the Internet, is defined by the American Psychiatric Association (APA, 2013 ) as the consistent and prolonged use of the Internet to play videogames, frequently with other gamers, that causes disruption and clinically impairs several aspects of a person’s life (e.g., personal relationships, occupation and/or education). Key characteristics of online gaming addiction are individuals obsessively playing online videogames to the point of neglecting everything else in their lives, which leads to social and/or psychological disorders in such individuals (Ates et al., 2018 ; Batmaz & Çelik, 2021 ).

Previous studies have indicated various variables that predict and/or are associated with gaming addiction, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety and depression (Andreassen et al., 2016 ), social anxiety (Karaca et al., 2020 ), low self-esteem (Kim et al., 2022 ), inter-personal competence (Lee et al., 2019 ), relationship problems and relationship problems, and hostile family environment (Sela et al., 2020 ). In addition, social skill deficits (Mun & Lee, 2022 ), social and psychological isolation (Young, 2009 ), perceived stress (Rajab et al., 2020 ), suicidality (Erevik et al., 2022 ), and aggressive behaviors (McInroy & Mishna, 2017 ) have been reported among individuals who develop gaming addiction.

Although online gaming meets the various needs of individuals, when the behavior turns into an addiction, it leads to adverse effects on individuals, especially adolescents, where it can impair their mental health (Batmaz et al., 2020 ; Purwaningsih & Nurmala, 2021 ). Among adolescents, online gaming addiction has been reported to disrupt mental health, increase depression, anxiety, and psychoticism, disrupt family relationships (De Pasquale et al., 2020 ), lower quality of life (Beranuy et al., 2020 ), increase social phobia (Wei et al., 2012 ), lower school performance, and improve sleep deprivation (Chamarro et al., 2020 ; Király et al., 2015 ). In short, online gaming addiction negatively affects adolescents’ lives in different areas (Griffiths, 2022 ; Haberlin & Atkin, 2022 ). Therefore, research is needed to delineate the causes of online gaming addiction, eliminate its adverse effects, and implement necessary treatment.

Although many studies have been conducted examining online game addiction among adolescents (see Rosendo-Rios et al., 2022 ) for a recent review of studies), there are few studies examining the relationship between basic psychological needs and online game addiction (Bekir & Celik, 2019 ). In the present study, it is posited that basic psychological needs could be predictors due to the relationship with gaming disorders and problematic gaming (Allen & Anderson, 2018 ; Liu et al., 2021 ; Yu et al., 2015 ). When basic psychological needs are not met, it pushes individuals to exhibit maladaptive behavioral reactions (i.e., online gaming addiction) (Bekir & Çelik, 2019 ). In addition, few studies have addressed the relationship between responsibility and meaning in life and online game addiction (Arslan, 2021 ; Kaya, 2021 ). Moreover, no study has ever examined the mediating role of responsibility and meaning in life in the relationship between basic psychological needs and online game addiction. For these reasons, the present study examined the mediating roles of responsibility and meaning in life in explaining the relationship between basic psychological needs and online game addiction.

Online Gaming Addiction and Basic Psychological Needs

Self-determination theory is a well-established motivational theory comprising six mini-theories (Ryan & Deci, 2017 ). One of these mini-theories is the Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT), which claims that the satisfaction of basic psychological needs is associated with better health and greater psychological well-being (Ryan & Deci, 2000 ). Basic psychological needs are requirements for psychological development, integrity, and well-being (Deci & Ryan, 2000 ). In contrast to the often-frustrating real world, videogames are designed to satisfy all three psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness) (Rigby & Ryan, 2011 ). Satisfaction of the needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness can explain large amounts of the variance in game enjoyment (Rigby & Ryan, 2011 ; Tamborini et al., 2011 ). Online gaming can fulfill the (i) need for relatedness by directing players to social relationships with real or fictional characters, (ii) need for autonomy by giving them management and control within the game, and (iii) need for competence by making them feel successful in playing challenging videogames (Allen & Anderson, 2018 ).

Individuals addicted to videogames need novelty seeking, socialization, competition, and/or entertainment (Hussain et al., 2012 ; Larrieu et al., 2022 ). Studies have shown that gaming addiction is related to basic needs (Billieux et al., 2015 ) and psychological needs such as success, independence, fun, and respect (Herodotou et al., 2012 ). The increasing demand for playing videogames shows that adolescents try to satisfy some of their psychological needs via the Internet (Shen et al., 2013 ; Turan, 2021 ). One longitudinal study found that problematic online gaming and satisfaction of basic psychological needs were positively associated (Yu et al., 2015 ). It has also been reported that adolescents whose basic psychological needs were not met and whose perceived social support was low had high levels of gaming addiction (Yıldırım & Zeren, 2021 ). In this context, some studies claim that online games are tools for satisfying basic psychological needs (Oliver et al., 2016 ). However, studies have shown that the low level of basic psychological need satisfaction in real life can be met with high need satisfaction in online gaming, which leads to addiction for a small minority (Kardefelt-Winther, 2014 ; Rigby & Ryan, 2017 ; Wu et al., 2013 ). Based on the aforementioned literature, it was expected that there would be a significant negative relationship between basic psychological needs derived from real-life and online gaming addiction.

Online Gaming Addiction and Meaning in Life

The debate about the meaning in life has been ongoing for years (Yalom, 2020 ). Because there are many definitions of meaning in life, making a standard definition of meaning in life has been difficult (King & Hicks, 2021 ; Park, 2010 ). Meaning in life is a multifaceted construct conceptualized in various ways that address the value and purpose of life, meaningful life goals, and sometimes spirituality (Jim et al., 2006 ). According to Ryff ( 1989 ), meaning in life is a sign of a sense of direction, goals, and well-being. Frankl ( 2009 ) states that meaning in life differs from individual to individual, day to day, and hour to hour. Many studies have been conducted regarding meaning in life and concepts in the literature. For instance, some of these studies assert that meaning in life increases happiness (Debats et al., 1993 ) and life satisfaction (Yıkılmaz & Demir Güdül, 2015 ) and that the presence of meaning in life positively affects psychological health (Bailey & Phillips, 2016 ) and has a high level of meaning that can lower the incidence of depression (Mascaro & Rosen, 2005 ).

Similar to the aforementioned studies, adolescents’ having meaning in life can protect them from problematic behaviors such as substance abuse and eating disorders (Brassai et al., 2011 ; Shek et al., 2019 ). Adolescence is a period of seeking identity (Erikson, 1968 ) and decision-making (Marcia, 1980 ). Steger et al., ( 2006 ) pointed out that adolescents’ experience of seeking meaning in life or having a meaning in life may be determinative for successful identity development. However, considering that questioning the meaning in life results from the search for identity, it could be speculated that adolescents who constantly play online videogames will be far from such a search. Although studies have shown that adolescents search for identity in while online gaming (Monacis et al., 2017 ; Subrahmanyam & Šmahel, 2011 ; Tanhan & Özlem, 2015 ), it has been reported that excessive online gaming can also make this exploration more maladaptive, and this may lead to online gaming addiction (King & Delfabbro, 2014 ; Kokkini et al., 2022 ). One study reported that as gaming addiction decreases among adolescents, the level of meaning in life increases (Kaya, 2021 ). In general, it is expected in the present study that the existence of meaning in life in among adolescents will reduce online gaming addiction.

Online Gaming Addiction and Responsibility

One of the characteristic features of online gaming addiction is that individuals spend their time playing online games by procrastinating and/or not doing their daily work (Thatcheret al., 2008 ). According to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria, one criterion for Internet gaming disorder is that individuals continue to play online games despite being aware of psychosocial problems (American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ). Here, individuals fail to engage in important day-to-day responsibilities and play online games instead. Similarly, it has been shown that online gaming addicts jeopardize or lose their job, education, and/or career opportunities to play online games (Kardefelt-Winther, 2014 ). Time spent playing games instead of engaging in life’s more important tasks can be viewed as a lack of responsibility by individuals themselves, their families, and/or friends (Wartberg et al., 2017 ; Zhang et al., 2019 ).

Responsibility consists of three elements: accountability, liability, and imputability (Robinson, 2009 ). Imputability refers to individuals being responsible for their actions and decisions, accountability refers to fulfilling contractual expectations, and liability refers to assuming a moral responsibility without a contract (Holdorf & Greenwald, 2018 ). The concept of responsibility therapy is defined as the ability of individuals to meet their own needs while allowing others around them to meet their needs (Corey, 2015 ). Being conscious of responsibility means that individuals are aware of themselves and their feelings, thoughts, and pain (Yalom, 2020 ). Dökmen ( 2019 ) defines it as a responsibility to accept the consequences on others of what an individual does or does not do based on his thoughts.

In addition, it is discussed in the literature under two dimensions: emotion (Berkowitz & Daniels, 1963 ; Özen, 2013 ) and behavior (Glasser, 2005 ; Taylı, 2006 ). Individuals with a sense of responsibility have characteristics such as acting with awareness of their own and others’ rights, respecting others, and attempting to fulfill their responsibilities (Özen, 2011 ; Yough et al., 2022 ). On the other hand, individuals who do not have a sense of responsibility make themselves and others feel worthless while living without a plan or program (Cüceloğlu, 2015 ). Studies have shown that a low sense of responsibility can lead to aggression, lying, and avoidance of responsibility, while a high level of responsibility can trigger perfectionism, leading to anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorders (Taylı, 2013 ; Wang et al., 2022 ).

The behavior of responsibility, the second sub-dimension of responsibility (Yalom, 2020 ), means that individuals can take responsibility by bearing the consequences of their behavior without attributing it to someone else (Douglass, 2001 ; Shahzadi et al., 2022 ). It has a function that improves positive activities and prevents harmful activities (Kesici, 2018 ). For example, individuals who act responsibly are respected by society and avoid punishment (Douglass, 2001 ). On the other hand, during adolescence, when serious responsibilities begin to be undertaken, a minority of individuals may move away from social life due to gaming addiction. Because of this situation, other people in the individual’s social life (e.g., family and friends) become unimportant to adolescents with low awareness of responsibility. Recent studies have observed that adolescents who excessively play videogames have difficulty fulfilling their responsibilities (Dinçer & Kolan, 2020 ; Doğan & Pamuk, 2022 ). In the present study, it was expected that adolescents with higher levels of responsibility would be less addicted to online gaming (i.e., an inverse relationship).

Basic Psychological Needs, Meaning in Life, Responsibility, and Online Game Addiction

Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT) focuses on the satisfaction and frustration of psychological needs and argues that these needs significantly impact individuals’ psychological health and well-being (Ryan & Deci, 2000 ). Lack of fulfillment of basic psychological needs leads to negative consequences (e.g., depression, stress, and addiction) (Cantarero et al., 2021 ; Levine et al., 2022 ; Orkibi & Ronen, 2017 ; Xiao & Zheng, 2022 ). However, satisfying these needs is associated with positive outcomes such as general self-efficacy (İhsan et al., 2011 ), mental resilience (Kilinç & Gürer, 2019 ), subjective well-being (Akbağ & Ümmet, 2018 ), and obtaining meaning in life (Çelik & Gazioğlu, 2017 ). Furthermore, Weinstein et al. ( 2012 ) suggested that the search for meaning increased significantly when these needs were satisfied. Individuals whose needs are fulfilled are more prone to seek meaning in their life and, therefore, to experience meaning in their life, whereas individuals whose needs are not fulfilled experience a sense of meaninglessness (Eakman, 2013 ). According to Steger ( 2006 ), although individuals continue to search for meaning in one area of their lives, they may have meaning in a different area of their life. Meaning in life is defined as the purpose and importance of the life that individuals derive from their experiences (Baumeister & Vohs, 2002 ; Steger et al., 2006 ). Frankl ( 1969 ) posited that to achieve the meaning of life, an individual must take responsibility for realizing their potential, even at a young age. Therefore, a meaningful life requires individuals taking responsibility for themselves and others.

Responsibility refers to the individual’s sense of duty toward family, friends, and society (Geçtan, 2006 ), and can be examined in personal and social dimensions (Arslan & Wong, 2022 ). Personal responsibility means that an individual is accountable to themselves and to the needs or well-being of others (Ruyter, 2002 ). It also emphasizes self-responsibility by representing the individual’s behaviors and choices that can affect themselves and others (Mergler & Shield, 2016 ). Social responsibility relates to values that support individuals’ moral and prosocial behavior (Wray-Lake & Syvertsen, 2011 ). It includes decisions and actions that benefit others and society (Martins et al., 2015 ). Moreover, it is an important source of support in strengthening individuals’ mental health and improving their life skills (Martins et al., 2017 ) as well as coping with addictions (Amini et al., 2020 ). Therefore, individuals’ personal and social responsibility can protect them against negative situations such as developing addictions (e.g., online gaming addiction) (Chiou & Wan, 2007 ).

Online games allow individuals to meet other players, have fun, achieve status, and obtain financial benefits (Ballabio et al., 2017 ; Columb et al., 2022 ). In addition, escaping from the problems of real life, even temporarily, and achieving relaxation are among the benefits that individuals gain through gaming (Yee, 2006 ). Consequently, online gaming can lead individuals to play online games frequently and for long periods of time, which in turn can lead to the risk of addiction (Luciana, 2010 ; Sachdeva & Verma, 2015 ). The 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) characterized gaming disorder as a repetitive or persistent pattern of gaming behavior (World Health Organization, 2019 ). Individuals that are affected by online gaming addiction have also been reported to experience problems with interpersonal relationships (Wongpakaran et al., 2021 ), occupation (Lelonek-Kuleta et al., 2021 ), and health (Chan et al., 2022 ). As such, online gaming addiction can lead to situations that threaten the lives and functionality of individuals through the process and its consequences.

The Present Study

The present study was framed according to self-determination and existentialist positive psychology theories. Self-determination theory (SDT) suggests that the non-satisfaction or inhibition of basic psychological needs can lead to negative consequences (i.e., online gaming addiction). In addition, it emphasizes that behaviors emerge from the individual’s beliefs, meaning, and value judgments rather than external factors (i.e., social norms and group pressure). According to the SDT, need (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) predicts meaning in life (Eakman, 2013 ). Moreover, in a longitudinal study based on SDT, individuals whose basic psychological needs were fulfilled had increased meaning in life (Zhang et al., 2022 ). In addition, the existentialist theory of positive psychology suggests that the meaning in life, which individuals create themselves, can be sustained through responsibility. Individuals having responsibility can also enable them to lead a meaningful life (Arslan & Yıldırım, 2021 ; Wong, 2019 ). According to Wong ( 2010 ), meaning consists of the components of purpose, understanding, responsibility, and enjoyment (PURE). In addition to responsibility being one of the basic concepts that constitute meaning, the search for meaning in life continues intensely during adolescence (Steger, 2012 ). This is especially the case for adolescents who begin to question people and the world deeply, having a meaningful life can protect them from behavioral addictions (Qiu et al., 2022 ; Zhao et al., 2020 ). Considering the role of responsibility and meaning in the life of adolescents, it is important to examine online game addiction, which may be affected by basic psychological needs. Therefore, a serial mediation model was determined based on the assumptions of self-determination and existential positive psychotherapy theory.

In addition to the aforementioned theoretical framework, studies have shown that unfulfilled basic psychological needs are predictors of online gaming addiction (Allen & Anderson, 2018 ; Liang et al., 2021 ; Mills & Allen, 2020 ; Yu et al., 2015 ). However, studies conducted with adolescents have found a relationship between online gaming addiction and responsibility and meaning in life (Doğan & Pamuk, 2022 ; Kaya, 2021 ). In the present study, which also considers the different dynamics in online gaming addiction, a new model is proposed to examine the relationship between basic psychological needs and online gaming addiction through responsibility and meaning in life. In this context, the present study assessed whether basic psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, relatedness, competence) affect the relationship between online gaming addiction, meaning in life, and responsibility among adolescents. Four research questions were investigated: Do basic psychological needs predict online gaming addiction? (RQ1); Does the level of responsibility have a mediating effect on the relationship between basic psychological needs and online game addiction? (RQ2); Does meaning in life have a mediating effect on the relationship between basic psychological needs and online game addiction? (RQ3); Do responsibility and meaning in life have a serial mediating effect on the relationship between basic psychological needs and online game addiction? (RQ4).

Participants

Power analysis was performed via the G* Power 3.1.9.7 program to determine the sample size required for the present study. For this purpose, at the conventional significance level of 0.05 and power at 0.80, a small effect size is determined as r = 0.20 (Cohen, 2013 ). As a result of the analysis, it was determined that the required sample size was 395. The sample in the present study comprised 546 individuals (393 females and 153 males). The participants ranged from 15 to 18 years old, with a mean age of 16.25 years (SD ± 0.82). Just below half the sample of the participants were in the 9th grade ( n =252; 46.2%), 156 were in the 10th grade (28.6%), 74 were in the 11th grade (13.6%), and 64 were in the 12th grade (11.7%). Over one-third of the sample self-reported their socioeconomic status (SES) as being low ( n =210; 38.5%), 224 reported it as being medium (41.0%), and 112 reported it as being high (20.5%). Participants stated that they played videogames 3.56 h daily on average (SD ± 3.12). The number of devices they used to play online videogames was 2.09 (SD ± 0.96).

Basic Psychological Needs Scale (BPNS)

The 21-item BPNS (Deci & Ryan, 2000 ; Turkish version: Kesici et al., 2003 ) was used to assess basic psychological needs. The scale consists of three subscales: (i) autonomy (AU), (ii) competence (CMP), and (iii) relatedness (RLT). The scale has 21 items that tap into the satisfaction of autonomy (e.g., “I feel free to decide how to live my life”), relatedness (e.g., “There aren’t many people in my life that I feel close to”), and competence (e.g., “The people I know say that I am successful in what I do”) which are rated on five-point Likert scale from 1 ( strongly disagree ) to 5 ( strongly agree ). The higher the score, the greater fulfillment of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. In the present study, the scale’s internal reliabilities for the need for autonomy were α=.76, McDonald’s ω= 76; the need for competence were α =.67, McDonald’s ω= 68; and the need for relatedness were α =.82, McDonald’s ω= 83.

Meaning in Life Questionnaire Scale (MILQS)

The 10-item MILQS (Steger et al., 2006 ; Turkish version: Demirbaş-Çelik and İşmen-Gazioğlu, 2015 ) was used to assess meaning in life. Items (e.g., “I’m always looking for my life’s purpose”) are rated on seven-point Likert scale from 1 ( definitely disagree ) to 7 ( definitely agree ). The total score ranges between 10 and 70. The higher the score, the higher the individual’s level of search for meaning in life. In the present study, the internal reliability for the existence of meaning in life was α=.85 and for seeking meaning in life was α=.82. For the overall scale, Cronbach’s α was .67, and McDonald’s ω was .72.

Sense of Responsibility and Behavior Scale (SRBS)

The 18-item SRBS (Özen, 2013 ) was used to assess responsibility. Items (e.g., “I feel responsible for being a member of charitable organizations”) are rated on four-point scale ranging from 1 ( never ) to 4 ( always ). The total score ranges between 18 and 72. The higher the score, the greater the level of responsibility. The SRBS consists of two subscales and each can be used separately. The sense of responsibility sub-dimension was used in the present study. For this sub-dimension, Cronbach’s α was .86, and McDonald’s ω was .87.

Online Game Addiction Scale (OGAS)

The 21-item OGAS (Başol & Kaya, 2018 ) was used to assess online gaming addiction. Items (e.g., “My friendships were damaged/broken due to online games”) are rated on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ( absolutely disagree ) to 5 ( absolutely agree ). The total score ranges between 21 and 105 points. The higher the score, the greater the risk of online gaming addiction. In the present study, Cronbach’s α was .88, and McDonald’s ω was .89.

Procedure and Ethics

Participants were selected from three different high schools in Turkey in the cities of Ağrı, Karabük, and Siirt. The schools were informed about the purpose and duration of the study. The researchers visited the schools, and informed consent forms were distributed. Written informed consent forms were obtained from the legal guardians or parents of the adolescents who volunteered to participate in the study. The purpose of the study was explained to the participants. The eligibility criteria for participation in the study were being an adolescent and being an individual who played (or used to play) one or more online videogames. An online link to the survey was sent to the participants, and each participant was allowed to complete the survey only once. All data were collected using Google Forms in the classroom. Participants were reminded that they might stop answering at any stage of the survey process if they wanted to. Participants were asked not to provide personal information to ensure anonymity and confidentiality. Ethics committee approval of this research was obtained from Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University (reference number: 110), and every research stage was carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Data Analysis

All analyses were carried out using SPSS version 26, Hayes’ ( 2018 ) PROCESS Macro (version 3), and G* Power 3.1.9.7 programs. Before starting the analysis, the necessary assumptions to perform the analysis were tested. The kurtosis and skewness values were examined to understand whether the assumptions required for the prerequisites of parametric tests were met. The skewness and kurtosis values for a normal distribution have acceptable threshold values if they are ±2 (George, 2010 ). There were no assumption violations in the research data. In addition, it was found that the correlation between the study variables was not high. The correlations ranged between .17 and .63 ( p <.001). The research variables were also examined to ensure there were no multicollinearity issues. When the tolerance, variance inflation factor (VIF), and confidence interval (CI) values were examined, these values were all within acceptable limits. It was determined that VIF was between 1.12 and 1.48, the tolerance value was between .67 and .89, and CI was between 7.21 and 17.88. The limit values required to avoid multicollinearity problems are more than 0.20 for the tolerance value, less than 10 for the VIF value, and less than 30 for the CI value (Albayrak, 2005 ; Büyüköztürk, 2016 ; Şata, 2020 ). Consequently, no multicollinearity problems were detected. Mahalanobis distance values were examined to determine whether there were outliers in the sample. A total of 21 outliers were identified in the dataset. These outliers were excluded from the analysis, meaning the final sample size was 546. SPSS PROCESS macro was utilized to conduct mediation analyses (Hayes, 2018 ). The bootstrapping method was employed with 5000 resampling and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to test the significance of the mediating pathways. An effect is deemed significant if the confidence interval does not contain zero (Preacher & Hayes, 2008 ).

Table 1 shows the correlations between all the main variables in the study (basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness), online gaming addiction, responsibility, and meaning in life). Pearson correlations indicated that all variables were significantly (albeit moderately and weakly) related.

Serial Multiple Mediational Analyses—Modeling Data

Table 2 , Table 3 , and Table 4 show the results of the serial mediation analysis. First, there was a direct effect of autonomy on online gaming addiction ( β =−.67, p <.001). Moreover, the relationship between competence and online gaming addiction was examined. There was a direct effect of competence on online gaming addiction ( β =−.63, p < . 001). When the relationship between relatedness, the last of the basic psychological needs, and online gaming addiction was examined, there was a direct effect of relatedness on online gaming addiction ( β =−.48, p < . 001). There was also a significant indirect effect of autonomy on online gaming addiction via responsibility (indirect effect=−.12, SE=.02, 95% CI= [−.20, −.06]). Also, the indirect effect of competence on online gaming addiction via responsibility was significant (indirect effect=−.19, SE=.02, 95% CI= [−.31, −.10]). Lastly, the indirect effect of relatedness on online gaming addiction via responsibility was significant (indirect effect=−.17, SE=.01, 95% CI= [−.26, −.10]).

When indirect effects were examined, there was a significant indirect effect of autonomy on online gaming addiction via meaning in life (indirect effect=−.07, SE=.02, 95% CI= [−.14, −.00]). Also, the indirect effect of competence on online gaming addiction via meaning in life was significant (indirect effect=−.11, SE=.02, 95% CI= [−.22, −.00]). Lastly, the indirect effect of relatedness on online gaming addiction via meaning in life was significant (indirect effect=−.05, SE=.01, 95% CI= [−.10, −.01]).

Moreover, the indirect effects of autonomy on online gaming addiction via meaning in life and responsibility were tested. The effect was significant (testing serial multiple mediation; effect=−.04 SE=.01, 95% CI= [−.07, −.01]). Also, the indirect effects of competence on online gaming addiction via meaning in life and responsibility were tested. The effect was significant (testing serial multiple mediation; effect=−.02 SE=.01, 95% CI= [−.04, −.00]). Moreover, the indirect effects of relatedness on online gaming addiction via meaning in life and responsibility were tested. The effect was significant (testing serial multiple mediation; effect=−.02 SE=.01, 95% CI= [−.06, −.01]). In the relationship between basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness) and online gaming addiction, meaning in life and responsibility had serial mediating effects.

The results indicated that autonomy predicted online gaming addiction. When autonomy was entered as the predictor, it significantly predicted online gaming addiction ( β  = −0.67, t = −5.58,  p  < .001), and accounted for 5.4% of the variance in the model. Figure 1  shows the regression coefficients of the mediation model. The indirect path mediated by responsibility ( β =−.12, 95% CI= [−.20, −.06]) produced a higher change in variance than the indirect path mediated by meaning in life ( β =−.07, 95% CI= [−.14, −.00]) in the relationship between relatedness and online gaming addiction (see Table 2 ). Therefore, responsibility appeared to have a higher effect than meaning in life. Autonomy predicted a higher level of meaning in life. It also predicted a higher level of responsibility. Higher meaning in life was associated with a higher level of responsibility. Higher level of responsibility was associated with lower online gaming addiction. Consequently, the results indicated that the relationship between autonomy and online gaming addiction was partially mediated by meaning in life and responsibility (see Fig. 1 ).

The results of the serial multiple mediational models

It was also found that competence predicted online gaming addiction. There was also an indirect relationship between competence and online gaming addiction ( β = −0.64, t = −4.13, p < .001), accounting for 4.7% of the variance in the model. Competence predicted meaning and responsibility in life. The indirect path mediated by responsibility ( β =−.19, 95% CI= [−.31, −.10]) produced a higher change in variance than the indirect path mediated by meaning in life ( β =−.11, 95% CI= [−.22, −.00]) in the relationship between competence and online gaming addiction Furthermore, the relationship between competence and online gaming addiction was mediated by meaning in life and responsibility separately (see Table 3 ). The results also showed that meaning in life and responsibility had serial mediation effects in the relationship between competence and online gaming addiction (see Fig. 2 ).

Lastly, the results indicated that relatedness predicted online gaming addiction ( β = −0.48, t = −4.63, p < .001). When relatedness was included in the model, it was found that it accounted for 3.8% of the variance. Moreover, there was also an indirect relationship between relatedness and online gaming addiction. When the indirect effects are examined, the indirect path mediated by responsibility ( β =−.17, 95% CI= [−.26, −.10]) produced a higher change in variance than the indirect path mediated by meaning in life ( β =−.05, 95% CI= [−.10, −.01]) in the relationship between relatedness and online gaming addiction (see Table 4 ). The results suggested that the relationship between relatedness and online gaming addiction was partially mediated by meaning in life and responsibility (see Fig. 3 ).

In self-determination theory (SDT), basic psychological needs comprise autonomy, competence, and relatedness. In SDT (Deci & Ryan, 2000 ), basic psychological needs are expressed as essential psychological nutrients for psychological development, integrity, and well-being. Negative psychological consequences occur when requirements are not met, neglected, or prevented (Deci & Ryan, 2000 ). If individuals cannot satisfy a basic need, they engage in activities that give pleasure to individuals momentarily, even if they do not satisfy them (Antunes et al., 2020 ; Deci & Ryan, 2011 ). One of these activities is online gaming, which has an incredibly interactive structure. At the same time, online videogames are appreciated because they create an environment where both the need for relatedness and autonomy are met in the virtual world. Individuals naturally seek new challenges to experience a sense of efficacy even when no external rewards (e.g., money) are earned (Dindar, 2018 ; Matsumoto, 2009 ). The fact that online games have a reward mechanism is suitable for activating feelings of competence among individuals. It is thought that adolescents tend to meet their basic psychological needs (need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness) that they cannot fully meet from their parents or close friends through online gaming.

The present study examined the mediating role of meaning in life and the level of responsibility in the relationship between online gaming addiction and basic psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness) among adolescents. Findings showed that autonomy predicted online game addiction. In other words, autonomy had significant negative effect on online game addiction. Considering that addiction is related to reduced autonomy (Amatem, 2008 ), it can be said that the finding is compatible with the literature. However, there is a study in which there was a negative relationship between the need for autonomy and digital game addiction among adolescents (Dursun and Çapan, 2018 ), which supports the research finding. On the contrary, there is a study in which autonomy and online game addiction had significant positive relationships (Bekir and Çelik, 2019 ). Similarly, it is known that the need for autonomy has a positive relationship with social media addiction (Young-Ju et al., 2018 ) and a negative relationship with Internet addiction (Piri et al., 2018 ; Zeren & Can, 2019 ). These studies, which have obtained different results, make the relationship between the need for autonomy and digital addictions open to discussion but also show that further research is needed.

According to the present study’s findings, it was found that relatedness and competence, as well as autonomy, predicted online gaming addiction. Studies have shown that competence and relatedness have significant relationships with online gaming addiction (Bekir and Çelik, 2019 ; Dursun and Çapan, 2018 ). In addition, research has shown that relatedness has a negative relationship with short-form video addiction (Yang et al., 2022 ), and relatedness dissatisfaction positively correlates with Internet gaming disorder (Hui et al., 2019 ). Moreover, significant negative relationships have been found between competence and smartphone addiction (Gao et al., 2022 ; Sun et al., 2020 ) and Internet addiction (Zeren & Can, 2019 ; Canoğulları, 2014 ). Based on these results concerning technological addictions, it can be said that the literature findings and the results of the present study are compatible.

The tendency of individuals to play online videogames may be to meet their autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs (Ryan et al., 2006 ). In addition, when basic psychological needs are prevented, technological addictions (gaming addiction, smartphone addiction, social network addiction, and Internet addiction) increase (Gugliandolo et al., 2020 ). This may be the compensation for unmet basic psychological needs through addiction (Kuss et al., 2017 ; Mills et al., 2018 ). Therefore, fulfilling basic psychological needs in real life and eliminating the problems that prevent this satisfaction can be a protective factor against online gaming addiction.

Another finding of the present study was that the level of responsibility hads a mediating effect on the relationship between basic psychological needs and online gaming addiction. However, there was a positive and significant relationship between basic psychological needs and responsibility. In contrast, a significant negative relationship was found between responsibility and online gaming addiction. Considering that the components of responsibility (accountability, liability, and imputability) in Robinson’s ( 2009 ) definition appear less important in online environments, it is assumed that adolescents who are addicted to online gaming experience less sense of responsibility. A recent study found that a higher level of responsibility significantly predicted online gaming addiction, whereas a lower level of responsibility negatively affected online gaming addiction (Kesici, 2020 ).

Research conducted by Arslan ( 2021 ) found that secondary school students’ sense of responsibility and behavior had a crucial predictive role in online gaming addiction. Another study reported a significant negative relationship between the students’ videogame addiction and their personal and social responsibility behavior (Dinçer & Kolan, 2020 ). Based on previous studies and the results of the present study, it is thought that increasing the level of responsibility of secondary and high school students would reduce gaming addiction. Adolescents whose level of responsibility increases are also more likely to engage in responsible behavior. This is supported by studies in the literature that physical education and sports play an essential role in helping adolescents acquire responsible behavior (Bayraktar et al., 2016 ; Bugdayci, 2019 ; Tazegül, 2014 ). These studies’ results are considered necessary regarding online gaming addiction because such behavior leads to a sedentary lifestyle (Cómez-Mármol et al., 2017 ).

Findings indicated that meaning in life had a mediating effect on the relationship between basic psychological needs and online gaming addiction. However, there was a positive and significant relationship between basic psychological needs and meaning in life. In contrast, a significant negative relationship between meaning in life and online gaming addiction was found. These findings demonstrate the importance of meaning in life in preventing online gaming addiction among adolescents. A study by Kaya ( 2021 ) on adolescent online gaming addiction found that as the level of online gaming addiction decreased, the level of meaning in life increased. These results suggest that meaning in life affects online gaming addiction as a cause and consequence. Considering that having a meaningful life increases resilience (Batmaz et al., 2021 ; Doğrusever et al., 2022 ), low resilience increases gaming addiction (Canale et al., 2019 ), and gaming addiction reduces happiness (Kaya, 2021 ; Turan, 2021 ), meaning in life seems to be an essential variable that can affect gaming addiction.

What makes the present study unique to the online gaming addiction literature is that responsibility and meaning in life had a serial mediating effect on the relationship between basic psychological needs and online gaming addiction. In other words, the results indicated that the relationship between relatedness, competence, and autonomy with online gaming addiction was partially mediated by meaning in life and responsibility. This finding suggests that the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness increases the level of meaning in life, which in turn reduces online game addiction. Similarly, online game addiction can decrease as the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness increases the level of responsibility. In addition, based on the serial mediation effect, it suggests that meeting the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness can reduce adolescents’ online game addiction by increasing their meaning in life and their level of responsibility.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present study is the first to examine the mediating role of responsibility and meaning in life between basic psychological needs and online gaming addiction. The associations between these variables provide greater understanding and knowledge concerning online gaming addiction and provide additional insight into the significant causes that underlie playing games online (which may be potential factors in the acquisition, development, and maintenance of online gaming addiction among adolescents). Moreover, fulfilling basic psychological needs appears to increase responsibility and meaning in life and reduce susceptibility to online gaming addiction. The findings enrich the literature because it suggests new protective factors that might prevent adolescents from developing online gaming addiction.

The findings offer relevant practical implications for adolescents, educators, families, private and public health institutions, and mental health professionals to assist them in designing addiction prevention strategies and policies. Results also suggest that basic psychological need satisfaction fulfilment in real life plays an important role in the development and maintenance of online gaming addiction among adolescents. Educators, parents, and adolescents could utilize awareness of the factors contributing to online gaming addiction to help them take preventive measures against it. In addition, if adolescents have high levels of responsibility and meaning in life, it may help reduce online game addiction. Considering the findings, it is recommended that mental health professionals provide training and services that increase the level of responsibility among adolescents and enable them to have meaning in their lives to prevent the onset of online gaming addiction. In addition, private and public health institutions should implement training programs to improve the skills of parents, such as digital parenting, to cope with online gaming addiction. This training should also ensure that parents behave with awareness of the basic psychological needs of adolescents in the family and that they gain thoughts and approaches that can add responsibility and meaning in life.

Limitations

As in all studies, the present study also has some limitations. The first is that the study was cross-sectional. Conducting a cross-sectional study means that causality between the study variables cannot be determined. Second, completing the survey online may have influenced respondents’ responses (with those without home Internet access unable to participate). The online data were also collected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, adolescents living in isolated environments may have increased their gaming during this period. This unusual situation may have resulted in a lower sense of responsibility and a less meaningful life. This is consistent with the present study’s findings. Another limitation is that the participants were high school students studying in different schools in Turkish provinces, so the findings are not necessarily generalizable to all Turkish schoolchildren. The sample was also limited because it did not include other education levels, such as primary and secondary schools and children from different geographical and cultural regions in Turkey and/or other countries. Future studies are needed with different age groups, such as primary school, secondary school, university students, adults, and various geographical regions in the sample groups (both in and outside Turkey). Such studies are needed to confirm the findings reported here and should include other research designs (e.g., longitudinal studies to determine causality between variables) and other types of data (e.g., qualitative interview data to attain richer data). Another limitation of the present study was that the participant’s responses were self-report and therefore subject to well-established method biases (e.g., social desirability, memory recall).

The study’s findings indicated that adolescents whose basic psychological needs were met exhibited lower levels of online gaming addiction than adolescents whose basic psychological needs were not met. Consequently, the adverse effects of online gaming addiction may be reduced by interventions that meet adolescents’ basic psychological needs. Similarly, a significant negative relationship was found between responsibility and online gaming addiction. Consequently, it appears that adolescents who fulfill the requirements of individual and social responsibilities (studying, spending time with family, going out with friends, etc.) have greater protection from the more negative effects of online gaming. However, when meaning in life and responsibility are included in the relationship between basic psychological needs and online gaming addiction, the effect of basic psychological needs on online game addiction decreases. This suggests that meaning in life and responsibility have a serial mediating role between basic psychological needs and online gaming addiction.

Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the first author upon reasonable request.

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Alican Kaya

Department of Guidance and Psychological Counselling, Siirt University, Siirt, Turkey

Department of Guidance and Psychological Counselling, Sakarya University PhD Student, Sakarya, Turkey

Hasan Batmaz

International Gaming Research Unit, Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, 50 Shakespeare Street, Nottingham, NG1 4FQ, UK

Mark D. Griffiths

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Contributions

Study conception/design: AK, HB, NT, and MDG. Data collection: AK, HB, and NT. analysis: AK and HB. Drafting of manuscript: AK, HB, NT, and MDG. Editing: MDG. Statistical expertise: AK and HB. Administrative/technical/material support: HB and HYK.

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Correspondence to Mark D. Griffiths .

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All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of University’s Research Ethics Board and with the 1975 Helsinki Declaration.

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Informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no competing interests except for MDG. MDG’s university has received research funding from Norsk Tipping (the gambling operator owned by the Norwegian Government). MDG has also received funding for a number of research projects in the area of gambling education for young people, social responsibility in gambling and gambling treatment from Gamble Aware (formerly the Responsible Gambling Trust) , a charitable body which funds its research program based on donations from the gambling industry. MDG regularly undertakes consultancy for various gambling companies in the area of player protection and social responsibility in gambling.

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Kaya, A., Türk, N., Batmaz, H. et al. Online Gaming Addiction and Basic Psychological Needs Among Adolescents: The Mediating Roles of Meaning in Life and Responsibility. Int J Ment Health Addiction (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-022-00994-9

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The Impact of Online Game Addiction on Adolescent Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences

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The American Psychiatric Association recently included Internet gaming disorder (IGD) as a potential diagnosis, recommending that further study be conducted to help illuminate it more clearly. This paper is a summary of the review undertaken by the IGD Working Group as part of the 2015 National Academy of Sciences Sackler Colloquium on Digital Media and Developing Minds. By using measures based on or similar to the IGD definition, we found that prevalence rates range between ∼1% and 9%, depending on age, country, and other sample characteristics. The etiology of IGD is not well-understood at this time, although it appears that impulsiveness and high amounts of time gaming may be risk factors. Estimates for the length of time the disorder can last vary widely, but it is unclear why. Although the authors of several studies have demonstrated that IGD can be treated, no randomized controlled trials have yet been published, making any definitive statements about treatment impossible. IGD...

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Expert advice on gaming addiction in young people and children

Jason Shiers Dip.Psyh MBACP is a Certified Transformative Coach & Certified Psychotherapist who is Creative Innovations Manager for UK Addiction Treatment.

In 2019, the global games market was worth $152 billion. With growing concerns about the amount of time children and teenagers spend playing online games and the impact it can have, Psychotherapist Jason Shiers, shares his insight on gaming addiction in children.

81% of under 18s regularly play online games and in moderation, gaming can be fun, sociable and interactive with opportunities for children and young people to learn and solve problems. Most will not experience any harm but there are known impacts of gaming addiction in children you need to be aware of:

Gaming addiction and financial concerns

• Social relationships  

Effects of gaming addiction on physical health  

• Effects of gaming addiction on education and personal growth 
• Gaming addiction effect on mental health  

Tips to combat bad gaming habits in children 

• Gaming addiction and financial concerns 
• Effects of gaming on physical health  

Tips to combat bad gaming habits in children

Games that have in-app purchases to buy ‘tokens’ or ‘passes’ could possibly lead to children running up unexpected credit card bills for parents and carers..

To access games, many platforms or developers require credit card details  sometimes even for free downloads. Unless sufficient parental controls are set up – for example, password protection, spending restrictions, and alerts, separate accounts for children or unlinking credit cards from the child’s device – then parents can be stung with big bills for in-game purchases.

• What are in-game and in-app purchases? Although many games are free-to-play, they also include premium features that you have to pay for to access. These could include certain characters, points or virtual currency. So children may use real money in the game to buy these items to enhance their gameplay or progress further in the game.
• Can you get a refund for unauthorised in-game purchases? If your child accidentally spends too much on in-game purchases getting a refund depends on the terms and conditions of the gaming platform or game developer. It’s not always possible to claim the money back – including in cases where parental controls aren’t set up properly.
• One of the biggest gaming sensations, Fortnite , does offer refunds for unauthorised purchases by children – but there’s a limit on how many times they will do this. Other platforms and developers are much less flexible.
• What are loot boxes and what are the risks for children? Loot boxes unlock special features, characters or items in a game. However, they come with a fee and players do not know what’s inside until they have paid. So, you could receive items you really want or nothing of use. Loot boxes have been criticised globally for promoting underage gambling and encouraging multiple purchases. In the UK, there have been calls to ban the sale of loot boxes to children.
• Getting into debt If parents can’t get a refund for unauthorised purchases, they can find themselves with a large debt that is accumulating interest. Sometimes parents insist that their child pays back the debt – including by docking pocket money, reducing spending on other treats or by asking teenagers for contributions from earnings. Children and young adults can also run up large debts from gaming – including students with first-time access to loans and credit cards.
• Legal issues In extreme cases, parents have reported their children to the police for ‘friendly fraud’ . This is usually when they have been unsuccessful in getting a refund for in-game purchases. Although rare, this puts young people at risk of being questioned by the police and even criminalised.

Effects of gaming addiction on education and personal growth

Implications of excessive gaming may result in harmful effects on children’s education and wellbeing..

• Interference with studies – One of the signs of gaming addiction is the impact on other areas of life. If school work is suffering – including boredom in lessons, difficulty concentrating or low motivation to complete homework – then their gaming habits should be assessed.
• Exposure to violent, graphic or sexualised content – Ofcom  found that increasing numbers of parents are concerned about the content of games they play. This includes 25% of parents of 3-4-year-old gamers (compared to 10% in 2017). Most major titles do come with age guidance but as with films or TV shows, many children access the content at a younger age. Fortnite, for example, is rated 12+ – yet many primary school-age children play.

Games with violent, sexualised or highly realistic content (including augmented reality and virtual reality games) can also have an emotional impact on children, especially the younger kids . It’s a controversial area with conflicting research but a study from Science Daily has linked violent video games to aggression in young people.

Social relationships

If gaming is at the expense of connection with friends in real life, then this withdrawal can affect relationship skills in everyday situations..

Gaming can be a social activity. Whether playing with siblings on a console or competing with friends online, there are benefits for social development in gameplay. Increasingly, children and young people are playing games online. In 2018, Ofcom found that three-quarters of 5-15-year-old gamers only ever play online – up from two-thirds in 2017.

Gaming addiction effect on mental health

All of the following elements can indicate gaming addiction. these symptoms tend to be more pronounced when children or young people are not gaming – including if they are prevented from playing..

• Anger or rage – If a parent interrupts a gaming session or broadband goes down, what is the reaction? If children or young people respond with anger or rage – including shouting, screaming or physical attacks, then this is something worth noting.
• Compulsivity – Is there a strong sense of urgency to get back to gaming? Is it difficult to pull yourself away? With children and young people, compulsive play can manifest in playing past switch-off times, late at night or secretively.
• Isolation and loneliness – If children spend long periods of time playing games by themselves, this reduces interaction with relatives and friends in real life. Though many young gamers use online chat in multiplayer games, including to talk to friends in real life – this should be balanced with interactions in the same physical space.
• Depression – In regular gamers, ongoing listlessness, sadness or lethargy can be signs of problem gaming. Depressive symptoms will be most apparent when they are not playing the game – i.e. in the withdrawal phase.

Effects of gaming addiction on physical health

Excessive gaming repeatedly over long periods can potentially cause physical strain on gamers..

• Repetitive strain injury (RSI) Children and young people who play games for extended periods can be affected by RSI. Stiffness, aches, pain and numbness are signs to watch out for. For example, ‘nintendinitis’ refers to thumb, wrist and hand problems associated with playing on gaming consoles. Eye strain is also common if you look at screens for long periods without taking breaks. Screen glare can also affect vision.
• Poor posture If you’re slouching in a chair or you’re hunched over your mobile, then it’s time to take a break. Whilst these positions won’t harm most children immediately, they can lead to serious problems in adulthood.
• Headaches and migraines Headaches may be related to physical causes such as eye strain, bad posture or dehydration. Or they may be related to mental health issues – including anxiety and depression. Young gamers who get regular headaches should get checked out by a doctor.
• Lack of physical activity Playing sedentary games for long periods can mean that people miss out on exercise. The World Health Organisation recommends that children and young people, aged 5 to 17, do at least 60 minutes of activity per day.
• Poor nutrition or self-care When gaming addiction takes over, children and young people may skip meals, rely on junk food, resist taking toilet breaks or have poor hygiene.
• Poor quality sleep Playing stimulating games for many hours at a time, particularly late at night, will make it harder to get to sleep.

It’s understandable to believe that if you can get your child’s gaming under control, then everything will return to normal. However, every addiction is best understood as a symptom rather than the problem. For this reason, telling your child to reduce their gaming, punishing them for breaking rules or restricting their access to devices, probably won’t solve their difficulties permanently.

The key to real change is this – what is so distressing or unsatisfactory about your child’s life when s/he is not gaming? To overcome gaming addiction, your son or daughter will need help to discover the answers to this question, as well as learning how to cope in healthier ways.

Of course, it’s an important step for your child to acknowledge the consequences of harmful gaming, including how health, relationships, education and finances are affected – but this is only the start. Lasting recovery from gaming disorder comes through awareness and emotional resilience . Your child needs to know how to recognise and handle emotional distress including when they crave game play.

More to Explore

See more resources and articles to support children online:

• Advice for 11-13 years
• Advice for 14+ year olds
• Advice for 6-10 years
• Online gaming resources
• Support wellbeing with tech

On site links

• Online gaming – the basics
• Online safety issues
• Just Jack – a positive experience in the digital world
• Top 9 age-specific video games for children to play during holidays

Related Web Links

Learn more about Jason Shiers

Nintendo related injuries and other problems research

Ofcom media use and attitudes report

NHS report on autism and ADHD association with video game addiction

NHS Long Term Plan for children with a gaming addiction

BBC article on gaming addiction debt

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Online Gaming Essay | Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Gaming

Online gaming is the most talked about fun topic among the teenagers of the 21st century. At the same time, it is the most talked about serious topic among the parents and teachers. Everyone has their own reasons to discuss online gaming. Our reason today is to help you write an Essay on Online Gaming so that you are exposed to the unseen side of online gaming addiction.

Long Essay on Online Gaming Addiction in 500 words | Argumentative Essay on Online Games Good or Bad

How online gaming started.

The Internet has changed the way we live, we eat, we dress, we work and we play. It has become a preferred and comfortable mode which has made our lives way too easy. Today almost everything is available at the click of a button. You ask for a thing and it reaches your doorstep within days. Amidst these gratifying moments, when we are saved from the daily hustle-bustle, another trend of online gaming has emerged. 

Advantages of Online Games

Online gaming is a huge platform today. A platform that has broken all barriers and boundaries amidst countries around the world. In online gaming, you can connect to anyone anywhere in the world and play. Sometimes you don’t even know with whom you are playing and this mystery makes the experience even more thrilling. It also gives the player an opportunity to make new friends from other countries and get a chance to showcase their talent worldwide.

Nowadays, many online gaming championships are organized where gamers get a platform to compete with the best of the best and enhance their skills. It has gained much popularity over the years because one can play an online game on even a basic smartphone. What one requires is a consistent internet connection. Developing, designing and marketing online games has turned into a full-fledged profession and many are earning their bread and butter through it. 

Disadvantages of Online Gaming

But then there is always the other side of a coin which is often dark and dingy. The other side of online gaming is not only dark but dreadful too. Many tend to become addicted to online gaming and it takes away all of their productive time. When money gets involved in it through betting, families are ruined. It pulls an individual into isolation as mostly online gamers play alone. Their social interaction becomes nil which leads to depression and loneliness.

Online harassment through many gaming sites is not a new thing. Children can easily be trapped in this way. Long hours spent in front of the computer can harm their posture and eyes too. These games, through their catchy visuals, entice young children and they become addicted to them to such an extent that they forget to eat or sleep and prefer to sit in front of the screen all the time. Such addiction not only harms the individual but the whole family suffers due to it. Besides social effects, there are many psychological symptoms like anxiety, irritability and uncontrollable mood swings which take a toll on the health of an individual due to addiction.  

Ways to Control Online Gaming Addiction

Self-control, time management and focus can serve as the three pillars for fighting the addiction to online gaming. The external prohibitions from the government in the form of laws, certain regulations and even a ban on a few of them are not going to solve the problem. Good parenting, positive family time and socializing with friends can prove to be helpful.  In some severe cases, guidance from a counsellor could become necessary. Positive reinforcement & support from loved ones is required for an individual to come out of this addiction. 

‘Nothing can be more exciting and thrilling than a victory in real life’. So, let’s look forward to a win in real life than online.

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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/.

IvyPanda . (2021) 'Online Video Games Addiction'. 24 November.

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

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

Bibliography

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

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