Impact of Role Playing Games on Child and Adolescents: A Brief Overview

Abstract

Internet gaming is recognized as a psychiatric disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) and International Classification of Disease, version 11 (ICD-11) ‘Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and gaming disorder (GD), respectively. A strong association was seen between internet gaming behaviour and psychiatric disorders such as anxiety disorders, depression, suicidal ideation, behavioural disorders, social phobia, autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and personality disorders. But the more profound nexus and causative relationship between internet games and psychiatric disorders are yet to unfold. Gross observations indicate a bidirectional relationship between internet gaming behaviours and psychiatric morbidities.
 With the advent of advanced gaming technology, such as Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) and Role-playing Games (RPGs) and their increasing use by children and adolescents again revamp the quest for some fundamental questions like how internet games affect our brains. Do video games predispose individuals to psychiatric disorders? If at all internet gaming is predisposed to psychiatric disorders, then how? For all practical purposes, we restrict our discussion to Role-playing Games only.