Abstract
Three studies assessed the construct of pathological video game use and tested its predictive validity. Replicating previous research, Study 1 produced evidence of convergent validity in 8th and 9th graders (N = 607) classified as pathological gamers. Study 2 replicated and extended the findings of Study 1 with college undergraduates (N = 504). Predictive validity was established in Study 3 by measuring cue reactivity to video games in college undergraduates (N = 254), such that pathological gamers were more emotionally reactive to and provided higher subjective appraisals of video games than non-pathological gamers and non-gamers. The three studies converged to show that pathological video game use seems similar to other addictions in its patterns of correlations with other constructs. Conceptual and definitional aspects of Internet Gaming Disorder are discussed.
Highlights
Changes in technologies bring the potential for changes in users’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors [1].new media technologies, such as video games, often engender worries about potential problems associated with them [2]
Participants spent a typical amount of time playing video games for this age group (M = 9.5 hours/week, SD = 12.1)
In this version of the instrument, we dropped the item that had the highest endorsement in Study 1 (“After playing video games, do you often play again to try to get a higher score?”)
Summary
New media technologies, such as video games, often engender worries about potential problems associated with them [2]. Positive effects such as improved visual performance (e.g., [3]; increased pro-social behavior [4]; and improved surgical performance [5]) have been documented. Negative effects of video-gaming have been documented, such as disturbing school learning [6], increasing aggression ([7,8]), and decreasing pro-social behavior [9,10]. The general public colloquially speak of games being “addicting,” historically there has been considerable debate about how to define internet/video-game addictions among clinicians and researchers interested in this phenomenon [11,12,13,14,15].
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