Video Game and Internet Addiction: Is there a Need for Differentiation?

Abstract

Introduction: The term Internet addiction encompasses a broad range of activities which in isolation have rarely been studied for their clinical relevance. This study looks at whether video game addiction and Internet addiction can be regarded as distinct nosological entities and whether there is a differential impact on those affected. It also aims to describe the type of activities that contribute most to the addiction. Methods: Data was collected in a school survey of Grade 7 to 10 students (M = 14.5 years; n = 4 436). Besides video game addiction (CSAS-II) and Internet addiction (CIUS), indicators of media consumption, functional level, well-being, burden for significant others and psychological strain were collected. Results: Internet and video game addiction can be regarded as two distinct nosological entities. This differentiation is supported by differences in sociodemographic variables and measures of validation. The subjective suffering seems to be higher among adolescent video game addicts than Internet addicts. Girls with an Internet addiction cite social networks almost exclusively as the cause of their problem while boys also name pornography. Discussion: In research on Internet addiction, a greater differentiation is needed regarding the underlying activities.

Problematic Internet Use and Problematic Online Gaming Are Not the Same: Findings from a Large Nationally Representative Adolescent Sample

“…Based on these results, it is not surprising that more adolescents met the criteria for PIU than for POG, while a small group of adolescents showed symptoms of both problem behaviors. These results are in line with the literature suggesting higher Internet use than online gaming 28,29 and higher PIU than POG in adolescent samples. 28 The multivariate multiple regression model also demonstrated a distinction between the two online behaviors.…”

“…These results are in line with the literature suggesting higher Internet use than online gaming 28,29 and higher PIU than POG in adolescent samples. 28 The multivariate multiple regression model also demonstrated a distinction between the two online behaviors. The most notable differences were in terms of sex and time spent on the two activities.…”

How Has Internet Addiction Research Evolved Since the Advent of Internet Gaming Disorder? An Overview of Cyberaddictions from a Psychological Perspective

“…Recently, researchers noted that each type of IA is unique [17,72]. Although both types share similarities (e.g., addictive symptomatology and the medium through which the addiction occurs [14•, 89]), there clearly are differences (e.g., patterns of cognition and usage, personality traits, comorbidities, maladjusted behaviors) that clearly distinguish them from each other (e.g., online gaming addiction vs. online shopping addiction) from a psychosocial perspective.…”

“…Although both types share similarities (e.g., addictive symptomatology and the medium through which the addiction occurs [14•, 89]), there clearly are differences (e.g., patterns of cognition and usage, personality traits, comorbidities, maladjusted behaviors) that clearly distinguish them from each other (e.g., online gaming addiction vs. online shopping addiction) from a psychosocial perspective. The other topics emerging in generalized IA are diverse because the research focused on its measurement and clinical and etiologic implications (considering internal and external factors), as well as on its nature, with the conceptualization issue still under debate in the behavioral addiction field [12,69,70,72] and extended to IGD [9][10][11][12][13]90]. The field of IA continues to evolve [68], but not without controversy and a variety of perspectives [12,16,90].…”

“…Theoretical literature has been published examining the phenomenon from broader perspectives [69,70], as well as empiric testing models such as the addiction component model by Griffiths [71], and demonstrating distinct nosologic entities between general IA and a specific IA, such as online gaming addiction [12,72]. Other works have noted the lack of a conceptual framework, proposing their own rationale [73] or aggregating the psychosocial perspective to provide a multifactorial approach to IA [16].…”