Understanding the lives of professionals (Wang, DeMaria, Goldberg,

problem gamers: The & Katz, 2016). They have also been found
meaning, purpose, and to support student learning by
influences of video gaming
stimulating their engagement in field
Jing Shi, Rebecca Renwick, Nigel E. Turner,
Bonnie Kirsh, observations (Hwang & Chen, 2017),
Volume 97, 2019, Pages 291-303, ISSN 0747-5632,
improve visual-spatial cognition (Spence

The popularity of playing video games & Feng, 2010), arithmetic, memorization,

has grown immensely over the past leadership, and team functioning

decade. Approximately half of Americans (Thirunarayanan & Vilchez, 2012).

play video games on various electronic However, it is also known that problems
Intro
devices while 10% of those who play self- may arise when video game playing is
Cons
identify as being a gamer (someone who excessive. In Canada, a survey study Time playing
video games/
problems which
consistently plays video games and using the Problematic Videogame Playing resemble
dependence
identifies with the gaming community) syndrome
Scale (Tejeiro Salguero & Moran, 2002)

(Pew Research Centre, 2016). A growing found that 9.4% of adolescent gamers

body of research has found positive uses experience problematic gaming with 1.9%

for video games (Ferguson, 2010), being described as having severe

including reducing flashbacks

Pros problems (Faulkner, Irving, Adlaf, &

from posttraumatic stress Turner, 2014; Turner et al., 2012).

disorder (Holmes, James, Coode-Bate, & Although there is an ongoing debate Result of
Deeprose, 2009), reducing chronic pain the pros
regarding the inclusion of gaming
and cons
(Jones, Moore, & Choo, 2016), and disorder in the ICD-11 (van Rooij et al.,
International
training of health care 2018), it is generally understood that Classification
of Diseases
 There is a difference in severity
problem gaming is not necessarily
“addicted” gaming.
Problem gaming can be defined as a
persistent and recurrent involvement in
Definition
video gaming that results in psychological
distress and functional impairment
(American Psychiatric Association,
2013; Shapira et al., 2003). Recent
longitudinal studies demonstrated
conflicting views of the stability of
problem video gaming. A 3-year
longitudinal study conducted among
Conflicting adolescents in Sweden found problem
Studies
gaming to be relatively stable over time
(Vadlin, Aslund, & Nilsson, 2018). A 5-
year longitudinal study among adults in
Canada had contradicting findings
from Vadlin et al. (2018) where it found
problem gaming be transient for most
gamers (Thege, Woodin, Hodgins, &
Williams, 2015). Furthermore, a
correlational panel study of German
adolescents also found that excessive
gaming is often episodic in that it may
appear and disappear quickly from one's
life (Rothmund, Klimmt, & Gollwitzer,
2016).
Gamers have been found to play for a
variety of reasons. In a qualitative
study, Snodgrass et al. (2014) found
problematic play was a response to life
stress where using video games
excessively was a diversion that lead to
problems. In a survey of non-problem
MMORPG gamers, Yee (2006) found
three overarching motivations—
achievement, immersion, and a social
component. Other studies with a small
Experience this
percentage of problem gamers found myself in one
form or another
escapism/coping, mechanics, a social
component, experiencing fantasy, and
obtaining in-game wealth/achievements
were motivations to gaming (King, Herd,
& Delfabbro, 2018; Kuss, Louws, & Wiers,
2012; Laconi, Pires, & Chabrol, 2017).
Although several studies have examined
 Why is that?
gaming motivations, few have Polatajko, 2013, pp. 71–80). Boredom is a

intentionally sampled only problem lack of engagement in meaningful activity

gamers to obtain first-hand accounts. and consequently a lack of function.

1.1. Gaming as “occupation” and impact Function is described as a feature of Functional

Main point
impairment
on function gaming disorder in the ICD-11 and the and how it
connects to
DSM-V (APA, 2013; World Health problem
Occupations are everyday activities that gaming
Organization, 2017). The importance of
people engage in that bring meaning and
functional impairment has also been
purpose to life (World Federation of
highlighted in recent debates regarding
Occupational Therapists, 2016). Humans
the disorder (Billieux et al., 2017). Studies
are naturally occupational beings who
have demonstrated that functional
need to use time in a meaningful and
impairment is present in problem
purposeful way (Wilcock, 1993). These
gamers. Functional impairment was also
activities contribute to identity,
emphasized by gamers in a mixed-
motivation, and routines (Wasmuth,
methods study conducted at a video game
Crabtree, & Scott, 2014). The activity of
convention in the USA, in which gamers
gaming has been described by gamers as
agreed that functional impairment was
fun and meaningful activity (Rogers,
the top sign of problematic gaming
Woolley, Sherrick, Bowman, & Oliver,
Importance 2017). It is particularly important to have (Colder Carras et al., 2018). Among the
of hobbies
and the functional issues reported were:
activities in life that offer choice and
definition of
boredom neglecting their own needs/
control to prevent occupational
responsibilities and a loss of interest in
deprivation (or boredom) (Townsend &
previous hobbies/activities (Colder
Carras et al., 2018). Several other studies a pragmatism worldview that was used to

have identified productivity issues at guide this study. The social ecological

work and school (Cole & Griffiths, model provides a holistic conceptual

2007; Gentile, Lynch, Linder, & Walsh, framework that human behaviors,

2004; Hastings et al., 2009; Hellström, environmental conditions, and well-being

Nilsson, Leppert, & Slund, 2012). are inter-related (Stokols, 1996). Applied

Although the implications of functional to problem gaming, it proposes that the

impairment in activities relating to forces underlying the problem are not

Main
point
gamers’ lives have some very practical solely based in the individual gamer but

repercussions and are directly related to also on the interrelationships between the

well-being, directly addressing gamer and his/her surroundings.

function through the examination of daily

Examining factors outside of the
activities has generally not been the focus Lack of guidance
individual found reciprocal and discipline
of research studies.
relationships within family dynamics

1.2. Thematic anchors and study aims where poorer parental relationships were

associated with increase problem gaming

Qualitative research focuses on obtaining
and long-term problem gaming had
an in-depth understanding of a specific
negative effects on the family (Schneider,
set of experiences with in real-world Supporting
statement
King, & Delfabbro, 2017). Furthermore,
contexts (Creswell, 2009; Mays & Pope,
a systematic review of longitudinal trends
2000). Hence, the social ecological model
with those who experienced Internet use
as a guiding model for this study
and problematic Internet use examined
demonstrates excellent compatibility with
issues occurring at the individual, peer,
 family, and classroom levels (Anderson, examine first-hand accounts from

Steen, & Stavropoulos, 2017). This study problem gamers without bias from non-

found an interplay between these internal problem gamers. The aim of this study is

and contextual factors that moderate and to gain a more complex understanding of

individual's engagement in Internet use. the activities in the daily lives of problem

How However, such studies group gaming with video gamers, particularly: 1) What
much
does the other Internet-related activities such as activities are important to them? 2) What
gaming
factor
into social media use and online motivates gaming? 3) What supports/
these
studies? gambling. Snodgrass et al. (2014) used a constraints to engagement they

culturally-sensitive approach that found experience in other life activities?

that problem gaming is on a continuum The cause of problem

gaming could also be its
effect Reference
with positive play experiences.
Shi, J., Renwick, R., Turner, N. E., &
Conclusion
The social and environmental forces
Kirsh, B. (2019). Understanding
associated with problem video gaming
the lives of problem gamers: The
need to be considered in combination

with individual ones to reveal a more meaning, purpose, and influences

complex picture of problem video gaming

of video gaming. Computers in
that the current literature has not yet
Human Behavior, 97, 291-303.
captured. Currently, a full appreciation of

how problem gaming impacts the daily https://doi.org/10.1016/

lives of gamers is lacking. Moreover, j.chb.2019.03.023

there has been a lack of studies that focus

on functional activities and aim to