Digital Game Addiction

Abstract

The internet and the use of digital technologies are more and more generalized for everyday tasks such as school activities—communication but also entertainment. Its use is cross-sectional at various ages, starting earlier and earlier. Thus, this chapter aims to clarify the meaning of digital game addiction and its implication to the child/adolescent life, namely on the family functioning but also other areas. Risk and protector factors will be explored regarding digital game addiction. Positive outcomes that have been considered important in the use of digital games will be explored motives as well for digital gaming. Research in area has shown that parents have difficulties in management of child behavior because they also have difficulties themselves to stop their behaviors, so warning signs of the presence of digital game addiction will also be explored to help parents recognize this problem. Some measures will be presented. Finally, preventive and intervention strategies will be presented at the family level. Some empirically validated intervention strategies stand out.