A comparative study of online gaming between high-performing and low-performing students-A case from China

Children are a nation's future. In the digital era, online gaming has become deeply ingrained in the lives of children, significantly impacting them. Thus, comprehensively examining this situation is imperative. However, the existing research has predominantly focused on analyzing online gaming among underachieving students. This narrow focus has magnified the negative implications of gaming among this group while overlooking the underlying structural realities. To address this, in contrast to prior studies emphasizing underachieving students' gaming behavior, this paper takes a holistic and group-specific approach. Based on academic performance and using purposive sampling, 35 participants (18 students, 12 parents, and 5 teachers) were selected for a comprehensive investigation. This study compares the gaming behavior, significance, external assessments, and the urban-rural and socioeconomic factors associated with underachieving and high-achieving students. The study reveals stark differences in gaming behavior between the two groups. Underachieving students tend to engage in excessive gaming, whereas their high-achieving counterparts exhibit more moderate gaming habits. Further analysis uncovers distinct meanings associated with online gaming for these two groups. Underachieving students' gaming patterns align with the established theory of compensatory gaming, fulfilling their lack of achievement and meaning in real life. Conversely, high-achieving students conform to the enrichment theory, viewing gaming as a means to enrich their learning and overall lives, rather than a substitute for what is lacking. The disparity in gaming behavior is further amplified by the differential evaluations provided by parents and teachers. Moreover, this study underscores the deeper structural distinctions between these two groups rooted in urban-rural backgrounds and family education.

Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Gaming Motivation Scale

OBJECTIVE

Gaming motivations are a central aspect of playing video games, and their importance to understanding both healthy and problematic gaming behavior has been increasingly elucidated. In this study, we aimed to translate the 18-item Gaming Motivation Scale (GAMS-18) to Persian and validate it in a population of Persian speaking gamers, specifically for the assessment of online gaming.

METHODS

After translation from English to Persian, content validity of the questionnaire was assessed by a panel of experts and test-retest reliability was calculated in a sample of 70 students. Data from an online survey of 791 Iranian online gamers were used for the assessment of construct validity using confirmatory factor analysis.

RESULTS

The item content validity index and the scale content validity index for clarity and relevance ranged from 0.80 to 1.00. Internal consistency reliability of the GAMS-18 was 0.90 and the test-retest reliability was 0.89. The test-retest reliability of the GAMS-18 was 0.89, and the internal consistency was 0.90. The GAMS factors had acceptable correlation with other motivational scale such as Player Experience of Need Satisfaction. Incorporating the proposed additional error paths improved the model fit to an acceptable level.

CONCLUSION

The Persian version of the GAMS can assess digital gaming behavior based on the six self-determination theory motivation types, and measures different aspects of motivation that other instruments. It is also demonstrated to have good reliability and validity and could be used in research on the motivations of online gamers in Persian-speaking populations.

Exploring Internet gaming disorder: an updated perspective of empirical evidence (from 2016 to 2021)

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Since the acceptance of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) as a "disorder due to addictive behaviors", research has proliferated exponentially. The present review focuses on the conceptualization of IGD, its diagnosis and assessment, associated factors and existing prevention and treatment plans to address it.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The discrepancies between the diagnostic criteria for IGD proposed by the two central diagnostic entities, as well as the questioning of their clinical validity, have generated multiple proposals for the diagnosis and psychometric evaluation of IGD. Likewise, there have been numerous suggestions to prevent this pathology, with the involvement of governments, the gaming industry and health institutions. Finally, multiple treatment plans have been proposed, both pharmacological and psychological, although only the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy has been tested. It is essential, therefore, to delve deeper into this disorder by addressing the central limitations of the current literature.

Psychometric Assessment of the Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire Among Iranian Gamers

OBJECTIVE

Gaming motivations are crucial aspects of healthy and problematic video gaming behavior. The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the widely used Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire (MOGQ).

METHODS

Test-retest reliability was evaluated in a sample of 66 university students. Data from 791 participants in an online survey of Iranian online gamers were examined to assess convergent validity and construct validity using confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency of MOGQ factors was assessed in both samples.

RESULTS

The item content validity index (I-CVI) and the scale content validity index (S-CVI) were between 0.8 and 1.0 for clarity and relevancy. The test-retest reliability of the 27-item questionnaire was 0.85 and internal consistency was 0.94. After incorporating additional error paths, model fit improved to an acceptable level. The MOGQ factors had acceptable correlations with relevant motivational scales such as Gaming Motivation Scale and Player Experience of Need Satisfaction. Recreation motives had the highest average score in the sample and social ones had the lowest, and males scored higher than females across all motivation domains except escape.

CONCLUSION

The MOGQ is a suitable instrument for the assessment of online gaming motivations in the Iranian population.

#KidsAnxiety and the Digital World

This article discusses child onset anxiety disorders in conjunction with the risks and benefits of the rapidly changing digital world including screen time, social media, and potential treatment platforms. A section includes the impact of pandemic stressors including social distancing, quarantining, the association of the pandemic and youth mental health, and prolonged screen time.

Problematic use of the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic: Good practices and mental health recommendations

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the accelerated spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus came jurisdictional limitations on mobility of citizens and distinct alterations in their daily routines. Confined to their homes, many people increased their overall internet use, with problematic use of the internet (PUI) becoming a potential reason for increased mental health concerns. Our narrative review summarizes information on the extent of PUI during the pandemic, by focusing on three types: online gaming, gambling and pornography viewing. We conclude by providing guidance for mental health professionals and those affected by PUI (with an outline of immediate research priorities and best therapeutic approaches), as well as for the general public (with an overview of safe and preventative practices).

Assessing online gaming and pornography consumption patterns during COVID-19 isolation using an online survey: Highlighting distinct avenues of problematic internet behavior

Background and aim

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has required drastic safety precautions to contain virus spread, involving a protracted self-isolation period. Those with greater perceived or actual life stress are vulnerable to develop problematic internet behaviors. Thus, we assessed how COVID-19 social isolation affected online gaming (OG) and pornography viewing (PV) in the general population.

Methods

We developed an online cross-sectional survey, Habit Tracker (HabiT), completed by 1,344 adults (≥18 years). HabiT was released internationally with individuals from 80 countries participating; a majority residing in the United States and United Kingdom. We measured changes in OG (IGDS9-SF) and PV (CYPAT) behaviors before and during the COVID-19 quarantine period. We also assessed psychiatric factors such as anxiety, depression (HADS), and impulsivity (SUPPS-P). The primary outcome measures were change in amount of, and current OG and PV severity during quarantine. These measures were related to ten COVID-19-related stress factors.

Results

Overall, we observed a large increase in OG and a minor increase in PV. Those who increased OG (63%) and PV (43%) during quarantine were younger individuals, males, those who left the quarantine household infrequently, those who reported low frequency or poor quality social interactions, and those with higher depression, anxiety, and urgency impulsivity.

Discussion

Our findings highlight similarities between forms of problematic internet behaviors driven by stress, depression, anxiety; while highlighting distinct avenues which these behaviors can manifest.

Conclusion

We emphasize the relevance of identifying those in need of emotional regulation interventions, to mitigate problematic internet behaviors in the context of COVID-19 isolation.

Korean validation of the Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire: Focusing on its factor structure and incremental validity

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Research has suggested that considering gaming motives can be useful in differentiating between heterogenous online game users. This study validated the Korean version of the Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire (K-MOGQ) and attempted to reconcile the mixed findings on its factor structure. We also examined the incremental validity of the K-MOGQ beyond the personality variables implicated in Internet gaming disorder (IGD).

METHODS

After informed consent, six hundred and forty-one Korean online game users (mean age = 21.49 years) completed a survey package including the K-MOGQ. After exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted, all existing models were compared using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). A hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to demonstrate the incremental variance explained by gaming motives.

RESULTS

The K-MOGQ demonstrated a satisfactory reliability. The EFA and CFA revealed a six-factor (fantasy, escape, skill development, competition, recreation, and social motives) solution in which the coping factor disappeared from the original seven-factor structure. In addition, the escape and fantasy motives significantly predicted increased IGD symptoms even when introversion, neuroticism, and impulsivity were controlled for.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate that the K-MOGQ possesses good psychometric properties for measuring the motivational basis of online gaming in Korean-speaking populations. Furthermore, escape and fantasy factors emerged as the most salient motives for IGD symptoms. More research is required to clarify whether a Western-Eastern distinction applies to the factor structure of the MOGQ.

Internet gaming disorder, psychological distress, and insomnia in adolescent students and their siblings: An actor-partner interdependence model approach

Background

Associations between internet gaming disorder (IGD), psychological distress, and sleep have been reported. However, little is known whether such associations exist across siblings; that is, whether adolescents' IGD symptomatology may impact their siblings' psychological distress and sleep. This study aimed to examine whether siblings' IGD symptoms may relate to depressive, anxiety symptoms or sleep quality among each other.

Methods

Using a cross-sectional design with two-stage cluster sampling, 320 dyads of adolescent students and their siblings participated in the study. Each dyad completed the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS-SF9), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). The actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) was applied to examine relationships between IGD, psychological well-being, and insomnia severity in the dyadic data.

Results

Actor effects of IGDS-SF9 scores on depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia severity were significant in both adolescents (e.g., adolescents' IGDS-SF9 scores on their depression scores) and their siblings (e.g., IGDS-SF9 scores of adolescents' siblings' scores on their depression scores). Partner effects of IGDS-SF9 scores on depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia severity were significant in both adolescents (e.g., adolescents' IGDS-SF9 scores on their siblings' depression scores) and their siblings (e.g., IGDS-SF9 scores of adolescents' siblings on adolescents' depression scores).

Conclusions

The present study demonstrated that adolescent students and their siblings had mutual impacts of IGD on psychological health and sleep. Thus, healthcare providers may consider involving siblings when they design programs reducing IGD-related problems or improving psychological health and sleep for adolescents.

Exploring the myth of the chubby gamer: A meta-analysis on sedentary video gaming and body mass

RATIONALE

High body mass and obesity are frequently linked to the use of sedentary media, like television (TV) or non-active video games. Empirical evidence regarding video gaming, however, has been mixed, and theoretical considerations explaining a relationship between general screen time and body mass may not generalize to non-active video gaming.

OBJECTIVE

The current meta-analysis had two main goals. First, we wanted to provide an estimate of the average effect size of the relationship between sedentary video gaming and body mass. In doing so we acknowledged several context variables to gauge the stability of the average effect. Second, to provide additional evidence on processes, we tested the displacement effect of physical activity by video gaming time with the help of a meta-analytic structural equation model (MASEM).

METHOD

Published and unpublished studies were identified through keyword searches in different databases and references in relevant reports were inspected for further studies. We present a random-effects, three-level meta-analysis based on 20 studies (total N = 38,097) with 32 effect sizes.

RESULTS

The analyses revealed a small positive relationship between non-active video game use and body mass, ρˆ=.09, 95% CI [0.03, 0.14], indicating that they shared less than 1% in variance. The studies showed significant heterogeneity, Q (31) = 593.03, p < .001, I² = 95.13. Moderator analyses revealed that the relationship was more pronounced for adults, ρˆ=.22, 95% CI [0.04, 0.40], as compared to adolescents, ρˆ=.01, 95% CI [-0.21, 0.23], or children, ρˆ=.09, 95% CI [-0.07, 0.25]. Meta-analytic structural equation modeling found little evidence for a displacement of physical activity through time spent on video gaming.

CONCLUSION

These results do not corroborate the assumption of a strong link between video gaming and body mass as respective associations are small and primarily observed among adults.

Escaping reality through videogames is linked to an implicit preference for virtual over real-life stimuli

BACKGROUND

From the theory of compensatory Internet use, escapism through videogames may constitute a coping strategy that is sometimes helpful but, in some cases, maladaptive. To date, however, evidence supporting this view has been gathered only through the use of explicit self-reported questionnaires, which are known to be biased. Accordingly, the aim of the current study was to test whether the escapism motive is related to a preference for the virtual environment.

METHOD

A laboratory task that allowed the measurement of implicit attitudes, namely, the Affect Misattribution Procedure, was created with stimuli from real world and videogames. The task was administered online with a series of questionnaire and completed by 273 online gamers from the community.

RESULTS

Participants had more positive attitudes toward pictures depicting virtual environments than toward those depicting real environments. Furthermore, participants who frequently used videogames to escape real life and were highly engaged in video gaming had a more pronounced positive implicit attitude toward virtual environments.

DISCUSSION

This study contributes to a better understanding of the psychological processes underlying escapism in videogames and calls for a refinement of the escapism construct, which can be related to both problematic (i.e., potential coping strategy) and nonproblematic patterns of videogame use. Among the limitations, it should be noted that the selection of stimuli related to videogames is restricted to one genre of game, and that the participants' environment could not be controlled due to the online design.

A preliminary cross-cultural study of Hikikomori and Internet Gaming Disorder: The moderating effects of game-playing time and living with parents

Background

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and Hikikomori (an extreme form of social real-life withdrawal, where individuals isolate themselves from society) have both been suggested as mental disorders that require further clinical research, particularly among young adult populations.

Objective

To add to the extant literature, the present study used a cross-cultural, cross-sectional design to investigate the association between Hikikomori and IGD, and the potential moderating effects of reported game-playing time and living with parents.

Method

Two online samples of 153 Australian and 457 U.S.-North American young adult players of Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games were collected. The nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS-SF9), and the Hikikomori Social Withdrawal Scale were administered to dimensionally assess IGD and Hikikomori, respectively.

Results

Linear regression analyses confirmed that Hikikomori symptoms are associated with IGD. Additionally, moderation analyses indicated that the association was exacerbated by longer game playing time across both populations. Gamers living with their parents was a significant moderator of the relationship for the Australian sample.

Conclusions

Extreme real-life social withdrawal and IGD are related, and this association is exacerbated for those who spend more time playing MMOs per day, and, for Australian participants, living with their parents.

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Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and Hikikomori are two relatively new disorders.

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Hikikomori symptoms are associated with higher IGD scores.

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Longer periods of gaming exacerbated the Hikikomori-IGD association.

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Living with parents exacerbated IGD among Australian gamers.

Passion or addiction? Correlates of healthy versus problematic use of videogames in a sample of French-speaking regular players

A criticism of current diagnostic approaches to gaming disorder is that they fail to take into account that high and repeated engagement is not problematic per se, nor is it necessarily associated with adverse consequences. To tackle this controversy, we used Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to test, in regular gamers (N = 268), whether high (but healthy) engagement can be distinguished from problematic engagement by using the Addiction-Engagement Questionnaire (Charlton & Danforth, 2007). We then tested whether differential relationships exist between the engagement and addiction constructs, DSM-5 criteria for Internet gaming disorder (IGD), and psychological factors linked to gaming use and misuse (self-reported impulsivity, motives to play, and depression). Results indicated that a model holding engagement and addiction as two distinct, but related, constructs fits the data well. Second, we showed that although both constructs are linked to the number of IGD criteria endorsed, the relationship is more pronounced for the addiction construct. Third, a differential pattern of correlations was observed with the other study variables, further supporting the need to distinguish the two constructs. Our study emphasizes that research is needed to refine the diagnostic approach to gaming disorder to avoid conflating healthy passion with pathological behavior.

#KidsAnxiety and Social Media: A Review

This article reviews the available literature regarding the interaction between child and adolescent anxiety and electronic media. It reviews current research contributing to understanding of the correlation of youth anxiety with engagement in social media and other online platforms, including risk and protective factors. mHealth and eHealth prevention and treatment options, available via various digital resources, are discussed. Suggestions for mental health clinicians' assessment of client's online behaviors and a review of novel treatment options are provided. The article concludes with proposing healthy online technology interventions, including popups for overuse and identification of digitally enhanced posts.

Treatment Considerations in Internet and Video Game Addiction: A Qualitative Discussion

Internet and video game addiction has been a steadily developing consequence of modern living. Behavioral and process addictions and particularly Internet and video game addiction require specialized treatment protocols and techniques. Recent advances in addiction medicine have improved our understanding of the neurobiology of substance and behavioral addictions. Novel research has expanded the ways we understand and apply well-established addiction treatments as well as newer therapies specific to Internet and video game addiction. This article reviews the etiology, psychology, and neurobiology of Internet and video game addiction and presents treatment strategies and protocols for addressing this growing problem.

The Metacognitions about Online Gaming Scale: Development and psychometric properties

OBJECTIVES

Recent research has suggested that metacognitions may play a role across the spectrum of addictive behaviours. The goal of our studies was to develop the first self-report scale of metacognitions about online gaming.

METHOD

We conducted two studies with samples of online gamers (n=225, n=348) to test the structure and psychometric properties of the Metacognitions about Online Gaming Scale and examined its capacity to predict weekly online gaming hours and Internet addiction.

RESULTS

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a three-factor solution: positive metacognitions about online gaming, negative metacognitions about the uncontrollability of online gaming, and negative metacognitions about the dangers of online gaming. Internal consistency, predictive and divergent validity were acceptable. All the factors of the Metacognitions about Online Gaming Scale correlated positively with weekly online gaming hours and Internet addiction. Regression analyses showed that negative metacognitions about the uncontrollability of online gaming and levels of Internet addiction were the only significant predictors of weekly online gaming hours, and that positive metacognitions about online gaming and negative metacognitions about the uncontrollability of online gaming were the only significant predictors of Internet addiction.

CONCLUSIONS

The Metacognitions about Online Gaming Scale was shown to possess good psychometric properties, as well as predictive and divergent validity within the populations that were tested.