GAMING

ADDICTION
By: Janina & Keith
Land Acknowledgement
■ In the spirit of reconciliation,
we acknowledge that we live, work and play
on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot
Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the
Tsuut’ina, the Nakoda Nations, the Métis
Nation (Region 3), and all people who
make their homes in the Treaty 7 region
of Southern Alberta.
 History of Internet Gaming
Internet Gaming Disorder
Agenda
Mental Health Factors
Role of Trauma
Treatment Theories
Interventions
Harm Reduction Lens
Medical & Psychiatric Support
 After the creation of the
Internet in 1969, Dr. Ivan
Goldberg, created a fictional
problem called “Internet
addiction disorder”
Internet
Addiction Defined as ”compulsive Internet use that results
in negative consequences”
History
Internet gaming has been the
most researched topic among
the other Internet addictions
Individuals started
resonating with this
and felt like they met
the criteria
First reference to
video game
addiction in 1983
Gaming under the
umbrella of Internet
addiction
Kimberly Young in 1999 advanced this
Internet
idea to five different types of addictions
• Computer games
Addiction(s)
• Cybersex
• Cyber-relationships
• Information overload (addiction to surfing the web)
• Net compulsions (online gambling, online shopping)

Other researchers who view Internet

addictions on a spectrum
• Distinguishing between addictions to the Internet
and addictions on the Internet

Alderson, 2020
Internet Gaming Disorder
(IGD)
■ One of the reasons as to why gaming addiction is
coming to the forefront is the controversy surrounding
the exact nature of Internet addiction.
– DSM-5 considers as a possible diagnosable
condition.
– It is slowly being recognized as an addiction and
that behaviours can be addictive
■ Can be seen with the recent inclusion of gambling
disorder in the DSM-5 as the only non-substance-
related disorder

Alderson, 2020
3 most popular game genres most
frequently associated with IGD:
– Role-playing games (RPGs)
– First-person shooter games (FPS)
– Real-time strategy games (RTS)

Alderson, 2020
Mental Health Factors
■ Reasons why addicted individuals play
– Escapism
– Entertainment
– Online friendships
■ Social connection and approval are strong
motivators for playing
Alderson, 2020
 Improves prosocial behaviours

Enhance life satisfaction

Benefits to
Decreases internalizing and externalizing problems
Playing
Video Games Predicts creativity

Increases selective attention and prevents cognitive

decline in seniors

Provides people to connect socially and enhance their

self-esteem

Alderson, 2020
ROLE OF
TRAUMA
TREATMENT
THEORIES
Measurement Theories

■ Easily understood measurement tools that can be

practically used in time sensitive clinical environment
are valuable
■ Linked to DSM-5 criteria for Internet Gaming
Disorder (American Psychological Association, 2013)
■ Most theories biopsychosocial in nature

(Lemmens, 2015, p. 567-583)

Internet Gaming Disorder Scale

(Lemmens, 2015, p. 567-583)

Lemmens Game Addiction Scale

1. Did you think about playing a game all day long? (Salience)

2. Did you spend increasing amounts of time on games? (Tolerance)

3. Did you play games to forget about real life? (Mood modification)

4. Have others unsuccessfully tried to reduce your game use? (Relapse)

5. Have you felt bad when you were unable to play? (Withdrawal)

6. Did you have fights with others (e.g., family, friends) over your times spent on games? (Conflict),

7. Have you neglected other important activities to play games? (Problems)

(Lemmens, 2014)
Internet Gaming Disorder Test
1. When you were not playing, how often have you fantasized about gaming? (“preoccupation”)
2. How often have you felt restless, irritable, anxious and/or sad when you were unable to play or played less
than usual? (“withdrawal”)
3. Have you ever in the past 12 months felt the need to play more often or played for longer periods to feel that
you have played enough? (“tolerance”)
4. Have you ever in the past 12 months unsuccessfully tried to reduce the time spent on gaming? (“loss of
control”)
5. Have you ever in the past 12 months played games rather than meet your friends or participate in hobbies and
pastimes that you used to enjoy before? (“giving up other activities”)
6. Have you played a lot despite negative consequences such as losing sleep, not being able to do well in school
or work, having arguments with your family or friends, and/or neglecting important duties? (“continuation”)
7. Have you tried to keep your family, friends or other important people from knowing how much you were
gaming or have you lied to them about your gaming? (“deception”)
8. Have you played to relieve a negative mood such as helplessness, guilt, or anxiety? (“escape”)
9. Have you risked or lost a significant relationship because of gaming? (“negative consequences”)
10. Have you ever in the past 12 months jeopardized your school or work performance because of gaming?
(“negative consequences”) (Männikkö, N., 2019)
 Culture and the
biopsychosocial
model
■ Behavioural impacts (Baum
& Posluszny, 1999)
■ Definition of culture (Hatala,
2012)
■ Implications
– Theories
– Counselling

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

(A & E, 2022)
Interventions
■ Majority of treatment for GD use
individual approach
■ Most common therapy CBT
■ Some use of pharmacological
intervention

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC.

Individual CBT
■ Identify distorted emotions (Griffiths, 2009)
■ Learn coping skills (Orzack, 2006)
■ Recovery includes issues underlying the habit (Young, 2009)
■ Additional techniques include (Griffiths)
– motivational interviewing to set positive goals,
– making contracts to specify videogame use, This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

– development of other recreational pursuits

■ Acknowledging and changing motivational factors key (Orzack, 2006)

(Costa & Kuss, 2019)

Individual Interventions

CBT

Psycho-educative training (Torres-Rodrígue et al., 2019)

Sleep hygiene (Petrovsky, et al. 2014; Cassoff, 2012)

Virtual reality therapy (Park et al., 2019)

 Craving warm up discussion main activity
Behavior
Intervention
(CBI)
summary homework

(Costa & Kuss, 2019)

(A & E, 2022)
evidence-based, client-centred approach
which applies specific strategies aimed at
Harm
reducing the negative consequences (harm) of
gaming without the need for complete
Reduction Lens
abstinence.
(Canadian Mental Health Association, n.d.)

•Develop understanding of why gaming is important in their life

•Answers to this question can be internal or external

​
•Ethical implications in either case
(A & E, 2022)
 Medications (bupropion, methylphenidate) decreases IGD symptoms

CBT Based psychotherapy interventions

• Mindfulness-based treatment saw decrease in IGD symptoms
• Addition of CBT improved effects of bupropion on IGD symptoms

Medical & Other interventions looked at family therapy and brief abstinence
which both saw a significant decrease in IGD symptoms
Psychiatric South-East Asian countries higher prevalence of gaming addiction
Support • South Korea views Internet gaming addiction as a public health concern
• Japan’s development of “fasting camps”

Specialized treatment centers and programs

• Outpatient clinic for behavioural addiction established in Germany, UK
• Inpatient centers like RESTART Internet Addiction Recovery Program in Seattle
• Digital detoxification and recovery center in Pennsylvania

Zajac et al.
(2020)
References
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