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By Stephen Beech
One in 10 boys become addicted to gaming, according to new research.
They meet the criteria for computer game addiction – called “internet gaming disorder” or IGD – at least once between the ages of 10 and 18, say scientists.
Many children and teenagers enjoy playing games such as Fortnite and Minecraft, often online with people they know and sometimes strangers.
Researchers say it can be a great way to socialize with friends and acquaintances, but it can get “completely out of hand” for some.
Study co-author Professor Lars Wichstrøm said: “When gaming over a long period of time affects the young person’s ability to relate to the outside world, it may be due to computer game addiction, or internet gaming disorder.”
An international team – including researchers from Nottingham Trent University, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia, and Norway – were also involved in the study.
The team investigated how symptoms of computer game addiction develop, and how stable the symptoms are from childhood to late adolescence.
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The researchers said some of the numbers can be “troubling” with two factors repeated across age and gender among those who were diagnosed with IGD: strong involvement – a lot of gaming – and negative consequences.
Wichstrøm, of Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, said: “Around one in 10 boys met the diagnostic criteria for computer game addiction, called IGD, at least once between the ages of 10 and 18.
“Boys are most easily hooked on gaming. Just 1% to 2% of girls develop this kind of problem.
“An average incidence overall of between 5% and 6% thus hides large gender differences.”
Boys are simply more competitive, according to Wichstrøm.
He said: “We don’t really know why more boys become addicted, but boys have always been more interested in gaming than girls, whether it’s computer games, Ludo or chess.”
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When boys and men do things together, Wichstrøm says it is often centred around an activity, such as football, carpentry or playing- but girls don’t need that type of structure as much.
He said the fact that boys are simply gaming much more than girls also makes them more vulnerable to becoming addicted.
Co-author Dr. Beate Hygen, a senior researcher at NTNU, said: “The brain releases dopamine in the its reward centre when we do activities we enjoy, like gaming.
“This release increases when we expect a positive experience and when the expectation is actually met,”
Dr. Hygen has extensive experience in studying the conditions surrounding computer games.
She said: “Research has shown that dopamine is released during gaming, mostly when you are doing well and especially in competition with others.
“Boys play competitive games more often, which can result in more frequent dopamine releases.
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“Perhaps this is also part of the explanation for why boys are more often hooked on gaming.”
The research group obtained the figures from a group of young people in Trondheim.
The Trondheim Early Secure Study is a long-term study with 812 participants from the 2003/2004 group followed up five times from 10 to 18 years of age, with participants roughly equally divided between boys and girls.
The measurements were largely comparable across ages, according to the findings published in the journal Addiction.
Wichstrøm said: “We see that the proportion who are heavily involved in gaming increases from the age of 10 to the age of 16.
“But then this clearly falls when they are 18.”
Despite the fact that gaming decreased for the 18-year-olds, the research team found that the negative consequences remained stable.
They say that may indicate that many people are quitting or reducing their gaming.
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But a smaller group continues to game, with negative consequences for some.
The researchers say that parents who wonder if their child can become addicted to computer games are wise to address the issue early.
Wichstrøm said: “Children who are heavily involved in gaming as they approach their teenage years are more likely to become even more involved later on.
“They also experience negative consequences more often, especially when they are 14- to 18-years-old.”
He added: “Early adolescence, around 12 years of age, can be an important time for prevention and early intervention.
“This is before the symptoms become more complex and difficult to change.”