RESEARCH REPORT
doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03104.x
Online video game addiction: identification of addicted
adolescent gamers
add_3104
205..212
Antonius J. van Rooij1, Tim M. Schoenmakers1, Ad A. Vermulst2,
Regina J.J.M. van den Eijnden3 & Dike van de Mheen1,4
IVO Addiction Research Institute, Rotterdam, the Netherlands,1 Behavioural Science Institute, University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands,2 Faculty of Social and
Behavioral Sciences, Utrecht University, the Netherlands3 and Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Center, the Netherlands4
ABSTRACT
Aims To provide empirical data-driven identification of a group of addicted online gamers. Design Repeated
cross-sectional survey study, comprising a longitudinal cohort, conducted in 2008 and 2009. Setting Secondary
schools in the Netherlands. Participants Two large samples of Dutch schoolchildren (aged 13–16 years).
Measurements Compulsive internet use scale, weekly hours of online gaming and psychosocial variables.
Findings This study confirms the existence of a small group of addicted online gamers (3%), representing about 1.5%
of all children aged 13–16 years in the Netherlands. Although these gamers report addiction-like problems, relationships with decreased psychosocial health were less evident. Conclusions The identification of a small group of
addicted online gamers supports efforts to develop and validate questionnaire scales aimed at measuring the phenomenon of online video game addiction. The findings contribute to the discussion on the inclusion of non-substance
addictions in the proposed unified concept of ‘Addiction and Related Disorders’ for the DSM-V by providing indirect
identification and validation of a group of suspected online video game addicts.
Keyword Compulsive internet use, internet addiction, latent class analysis, non-substance addiction, online video
games, psychosocial health, video game addiction.
Correspondence to: A. J. van Rooij, IVO Addiction Research Institute, Heemraadsingel 194, 3021 DM Rotterdam, the Netherlands. E-mail: rooij@ivo.nl
Submitted 10 March 2010; initial review completed 10 May 2010; final version accepted 10 June 2010
INTRODUCTION
Studies have consistently demonstrated the existence
of a small subgroup of video gamers that is seemingly
‘addicted’ to games [1–3]. Although video game addiction is not a new phenomenon [4], the introduction of an
online component in the current generation of games
has probably increased the size and scope of the problem.
This online component in gaming led to the initiation of
(private and public) treatment programmes targeting
gaming addiction [5–7]. Consequently, there is increasing focus upon online games when studying video game
addiction [8–11].
Both Korean and western researchers report specifically that Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games
(MMORPGs) are the main culprits in cases of online video
game addiction [12–14]. In an MMORPG the player
develops one or more characters (avatars) over time in a
persistent virtual world. Examples include World of Warcraft, Age of Conan and Runescape. Typically, higher
levels require players to cooperate to achieve goals. More© 2010 The Authors, Addiction © 2010 Society for the Study of Addiction
over, MMORPGs cannot be completed: due to the regular
introduction of new content it is practically impossible to
finish all assignments. This places a considerable burden
on the player’s time, as they are required to continue
playing to ‘keep up’ with the game. Research among a
sample of World of Warcraft players identified a group of
10% who played an average of 63 hours per week and
showed considerable negative symptoms [15]. Grüsser
et al. sampled readers of an online gaming magazine in
an online survey and found that 12% of those gamers
fulfilled diagnostic criteria of addiction concerning their
gaming behaviour [2].
These findings demonstrate the existence of a small
subgroup of online gamers who can potentially be classified as ‘online video game addicts’. This group is likely to
have various psychological and social problems, as game
overuse can be severely disruptive to school, work and
‘real-life’ social contacts [2,12,16]. Drawing parallels
with the internet addiction literature, we hypothesize
that this ‘flight from reality’ may be associated with negative self-esteem, depressive mood, social anxiety and/or
Addiction, 106, 205–212
206
Antonius J. van Rooij et al.
loneliness [17–20]. However, the relationship between
psychosocial health and online games is potentially more
complicated, as social and psychological benefits from
playing online games have also been reported
[15,21,22]. Moreover, effects might differ based upon the
psychological profile of the gamer, i.e. there may be a
group of addicted heavy gamers who suffer as a result of
their unbalanced life-style, and another group of heavy
gamers who benefit from having multiple social environments. Given the former, and the fact that the vast majority of gamers do not report addictive tendencies [1], we
hypothesize that a second group of heavy gamers is likely
to exist. These non-addicted heavy gamers will probably
not show negative psychosocial outcomes or addictive
symptoms, or perhaps to a lesser extent.
Unfortunately, there is no consensus on an operational definition of video game addiction [11,23–25].
Despite the ongoing debate on diagnosis and definition,
several methods are used to increase our understanding
of game addiction. Researchers construct new scales to
measure game addiction [1,3], avoid using standardized
scales altogether [2] or approach the specific group of
online games indirectly through more established measures of internet addiction [10,26]. Estimates of the size
of the group of ‘addicted gamers’ are made subsequently
by applying various cut-off points to scales measuring
symptoms of video game addiction or internet addiction
[1,3,27]. This results in a wide variety of estimates,
depending upon the selected cut-off points and composition of the sample. In the absence of consensus on a
definition, the absence of a gold standard with which to
compare results and the lack of clinical studies using
these instruments, these efforts are speculative at best.
The present study contributes to the debate on video
game addiction by applying a different approach. It seeks
to provide empirical, data-driven evidence for the
assumed subgroup of addicted online video gamers,
using two large-scale samples from the Dutch ‘Monitor
Study Internet and Youth’. Results provide a basis for
data-based scale validation and cut-off scores. Identification of this group will be conducted through a combination of two indirect measures: game addiction severity
and time spent on online gaming.
In the present study, internet addiction is thought to
be an appropriate measure of online game addiction
severity for several reasons. First, previous work by our
group (utilizing an earlier Monitor Study sample) established cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships
between online gaming and internet addiction, referred
to as Compulsive Internet Use (CIU) [10]. Secondly, the
latter study found low correlations between various internet activities and online video gaming among adolescents
[28], in line with its immersive nature [29], thus confirming that online gaming is a monolithic activity for adoles© 2010 The Authors, Addiction © 2010 Society for the Study of Addiction
cents (these findings were replicated for the samples
utilized in the present study). In combination with the
inclusion of a measure of time spent on online gaming,
this reduces the risk of misidentification (i.e. erroneously
measuring addiction to various other applications). Consequently, the combination of a high score on CIU with
many hours of online gaming per week is hypothesized to
identify addicted online gamers. Note that we choose to
utilize the term ‘addiction’ for the sake of consistency
with other studies: the group is defined more precisely as
heavy online gamers who score highly on criteria for
non-substance addiction. These criteria are theorized to
be applicable to online behaviour [1,3], also, see Measures [Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS)].
From this, several research questions emerge. Can
the two hypothesized groups of heavy online gamers
(addicted and non-addicted) be identified using a datadriven approach? If so, how large are these groups?
Finally, the present study explores the psychosocial correlates for the addicted versus the non-addicted heavy
gamers, to further elucidate the theoretical relationship
between game addiction and psychosocial wellbeing.
METHODS
Procedure
The Dutch ‘Monitor Study Internet and Youth’ provided
data for the current study [10]. This ongoing longitudinal
study uses stratified sampling to select schools for participation based upon region, urbanization and education
level. Participating classes are included on a school-wide
basis, and repeated yearly participation in the study is
encouraged. Every year, participating adolescents complete a 1-hour questionnaire in the classroom, supervised
by a teacher.
Written instructions are provided to the teacher, and
questionnaires are returned in closed envelopes to
ensure anonymity with regard to other students and
teachers. Given the non-invasive nature of the study,
passive informed consent is obtained from parents every
year. More specifically, parents receive a letter with information about the planned questionnaire study on ‘Internet use and well-being’. If parents do not agree with
their child’s participation they can inform the school
coordinator and/or the researchers, in which case the
child is excluded from participation. Children can refuse
participation either by informing their parents or their
teachers. Refusal by either parents or children rarely
occurred.
Sample
The current study utilizes the 2008 (T1) and 2009 (T2)
samples of the Monitor Study. Total response rate was
Addiction, 106, 205–212
Online video game addiction
207
Table 1 Demographic information on the subsamples.
Full sample
Participating schools
Overall sample size (n)
Gender (% boys)
Dutch ethnicity (%)
Higher education level (%)
Average age (years); mean (SD)
Online gamers,
cohort
Online gamers
T1
T2
T1
T2
T1–T2a
12
4559
49%
78%
66%
14.35 (1.18)
10
3740
52%
78%
62%
14.34 (1.04)
12
1572
82%
78%
64%
14.21 (1.12)
10
1476
81%
80%
58%
14.24 (1.01)
8
467
90%
80%
62%
13.76 (0.79)
a
Values for T1 are reported. SD: standard deviation.
79% at T1, and 83% at T2. Non-response is mainly attributable to entire classes dropping out due to internal
scheduling problems on schools; 13% of all classes did
not return any questionnaires at T1 and 12% did not
return questionnaires at T2. For the remaining classes,
the average per class response rate was 89% at T1 and
92% at T2. Twelve secondary schools participated in the
study at T1 and 10 secondary schools participated at T2.
Of these schools, eight participated in both years.
Given the aim of the study, i.e. identification of a
group of online gamers, the full sample is restricted to
a subsample of online game players for both T1 (35%,
n = 1572) and T2 (40%, n = 1476). Secondly, a longitudinal subsample, namely a cohort of online gamers who
were included in both samples, can be identified between
T1 and T2 (n = 467). Analyses in the present study span
the first four classes of Dutch secondary school (average
per year ages of 13, 14, 15 and 16 years, respectively).
Table 1 presents demographic information on the subsamples for gender, ethnicity (Dutch/non-Dutch), higher
secondary education (i.e. preparatory college and preuniversity education) or lower secondary education (i.e.
pre-vocational training), and average age.
Measures
Compulsive internet use
The 14-item version of the CIUS [30] was used to measure
CIU, with its Dutch phrasing slightly adjusted for adolescents. This questionnaire (employing a five-point scale)
covers several core components typical of behavioural
addiction: withdrawal symptoms, loss of control, salience,
conflict and coping (mood modification) [30], and
includes questions such as ‘Have you unsuccessfully tried
to spend less time on the internet?’ and ‘Do you neglect to
do your homework because you prefer to go on the internet?’ The CIUS showed good validity [30] and internal
reliability [30–32], and showed good reliability in the
current samples (Cronbach’s a = 0.88 at both T1 and T2).
© 2010 The Authors, Addiction © 2010 Society for the Study of Addiction
Weekly hours online gaming
Hours per week spent on online gaming were calculated
by combining results from two questions (answers on a
five-point scale) measuring days per week of online
gaming [ranging from ‘never’, ‘1 day per week or less’,
‘2/3 days per week’, ‘4/5 days per week’, to ‘(almost)
daily’], and a seven-point scale measuring average hours
of use on a gaming day (ranging from ‘don’t use’, ‘less
than 1 hour’, ‘1–2 hours’, ‘2–4 hours’, ‘4–6 hours’, ‘6–8
hours’ to ‘8 hours or more’. These questions were recoded
to an interval scale and multiplied to obtain an approximation of number of hours per week. Note that although
‘online game playing’ includes more than just
MMORPGs, an open question in the Monitor Study
revealed that MMORPGs and First Person Shooters
(shooting games utilizing a first person perspective, i.e.
Call of Duty or Counterstrike) were the most popular
types of online game [33].
Psychosocial outcome measures
The psychosocial measures in the present study were: the
Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale [20,34], the UCLA Loneliness Scale [35,36], the Depressive Mood List [37–39] and
the Revised Social Anxiety Scale for Children [40–42].
These scales have been used in Dutch studies and demonstrated good reliability in the past [32,43] and in the
current samples (Cronbach’s a > 0.80). For all four
scales, a higher score indicates more reported problems.
To facilitate comparison between the scales, the present
study reports standardized results.
Statistical analyses
Latent class analysis
Mplus 5.1 was used to perform a latent class analysis
(LCA) [44]. LCA is an example of a mixture modelling
technique used to identify meaningful groups of people
(classes) that are similar in their responses to measured
Addiction, 106, 205–212
208
Antonius J. van Rooij et al.
variables [45]. In the present study, these groups were
based on scores for the variables CIU and Weekly Hours
Online Gaming.
The present study used LCA in an exploratory
manner, aiming to establish the presence of a (small) subgroup of addicted online video gamers. Besides fitting
with this theoretical expectation, goodness-of-fit indices
should be used to select a model of sufficient quality [46].
Two kinds of indices are used: measures of parsimony of
the model and statistical tests to evaluate if the k + 1
solution is superior to a k class solution [47]. The preferred measure of parsimony is the Bayesian information
criterion (BIC) [48], as shown in simulation studies
[45,49]. Lower BIC values indicate a more parsimonious
model. Statistical evaluation of model improvement was
performed with the bootstrap likelihood ratio test (BLRT)
[45]. Significant values for the BLRT indicate that the
tested model (k) is superior to the previous model (k - 1).
After selecting a solution (see Results), identified class
membership was transferred to SPSS version 17 to
examine longitudinal transition.
The data were standardized to facilitate interpretability and comparability of classes (groups). Standardized
Table 2 Bayesian information criterion (BIC) values and
entropy for different latent class analysis models.
T1 (n = 1572)
T2 (n = 1476)
Classes
BIC
Entropy
BIC
Entropy
1
2
3
4
5
6
8941
8071
7594
7221
6690
6353
—
0.977
0.968
0.965
0.972
0.989
8399
7437
6973
6619
6264
5847
—
0.981
0.967
0.967
0.962
0.989
psychosocial correlates were explored through a Wald c2
test for mean equality of potential latent class predictors
[50], followed by post-hoc tests to test for between-class
differences. This test has the advantage of taking the
probabilistic nature of class membership into account,
leading to less biased estimates.
RESULTS
Latent class identification
Table 2 gives the model fit indicators for the 1–6 latent
class models when identifying classes on the basis of CIU
and Weekly Hours Online Gaming (Online Gaming).
The BLRT consistently reports significant outcomes
(P < 0.001) and BIC values are decreasing, indicating
that each model is superior to the previous one. Entropy
values are consistently high, indicating good classification quality.
A subgroup of assumed addicted gamers, with a higher
amount of weekly online gaming and a higher score on
CIU, is identified from the three-class solution onwards.
This group remains stable in the four- and five-class solutions for both time-points (T1: n = 56; n = 1572; T2:
n = 75, n = 1476). For the three-, four- and five-class solutions the relationship between CIU and online gaming
seems to have a linear nature: classes are distributed along
a straight line, where increases in online gaming are
related linearly to simultaneous increases in CIU. The sixclass model breaks this trend, as it splits the class with the
highest CIU into two groups. Table 3 shows that the first
group (class five) has a moderate increase in hours spent
on online gaming, while CIU scores remain stable or drop.
Thus, class five identifies the non-addicted heavy gamers.
The second group shows a moderate increase in hours
spent on online gaming, accompanied by a disproportionate increase in CIU. As this group (class six) identifies the
Table 3 Six latent class model, standardized and unstandardized results for the six classes.
T1
T2
Online gaming
(hours per week)
Compulsive
internet use scale
Online gaming
(hours per week)
Compulsive
internet use scale
Class
n
%
Z-score
hours/week
Z-score
CIUS
n
%
Z-score
hours/week
Z-score
CIUS
1
2
3
4
5
6
Total
813
421
198
84
18
38
1572
51.7%
26.8%
12.6%
5.3%
1.1%
2.4%
-0.65
-0.01
0.87
1.94
3.04
3.86
1.8
9.3
19.7
32.5
45.5
55.3
-0.21
-0.04
0.36
0.56
0.30
1.75
1.7
1.8
2.1
2.2
2.0
2.9
773
374
179
75
27
48
1476
52.4%
25.3%
12.1%
5.1%
1.8%
3.3%
-0.64
-0.05
0.77
1.76
2.76
3.52
1.7
9.3
19.8
32.5
45.5
55.3
-0.22
0.00
0.23
0.48
0.51
1.65
1.7
1.8
2.0
2.1
2.1
2.8
CIUS: Compulsive Internet Use Scale.
© 2010 The Authors, Addiction © 2010 Society for the Study of Addiction
Addiction, 106, 205–212
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Online video game addiction
Table 4 Six class model classes compared on standardized psychosocial outcome measures within T1 and T2.
T1
Depressive mood
Loneliness
Social anxiety
Negative self-esteem
Class
T1
T2
T1
T2
T1
T2
T1
T2
1
2
3
4
5
6
c2
P
0.05
-0.11
0.00
-0.08
-0.05
0.31
9.89
0.078
0.02**
-0.02**
-0.14
-0.03
-0.21**
0.47
11.42
0.044
0.06
-0.12*
0.08
-0.16**
-0.37
0.16
19.96
0.001
-0.01*
-0.05*
-0.11
0.04
0.41
0.67
10.59
0.06
0.00
-0.03
0.06
-0.06
0.02
0.13
1.70
0.889
0.00
-0.02
-0.06
0.11
0.01
0.27
2.90
0.715
0.03
-0.07
-0.03*
0.04
-0.15
0.39
8.62
0.125
0.04**
-0.11***
-0.16
0.03*
0.13
0.67
20.56
0.001
Comparisons are made between group six and the other groups (*P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001). Standardized values are reported for all four
psychosocial outcome measures. Higher values indicate more reported problems on the respective scale.
Table 5 Latent class membership and longitudinal persistence.
T2
T1
1
2
3
4
5
6
n
1
2
3
4
5
6
n
60.6%
37.5%
25.3%
17.2%
0.0%
0.0%
202
24.6%
38.2%
25.3%
27.6%
16.7%
16.7%
135
10.3%
14.6%
34.2%
17.2%
16.7%
0.0%
75
3.4%
6.3%
11.4%
24.1%
16.7%
0.0%
33
0.5%
0.0%
1.3%
10.3%
16.7%
33.3%
8
0.5%
3.5%
2.5%
3.4%
33.3%
50.0%
14
203
144
79
29
6
6
467
hypothesized group of addicted online gamers, the sixclass model is selected as final model.
Table 3 gives the standardized and unstandardized
means for this six-class model, revealing consistent class
identification in both years. Unstandardized results are
reported to illustrate the actual number of hours played
and to support future development of cut-off scores for
the CIUS. This result can be attributed partially to
repeated measurement. However, the longitudinal cohort
represents approximately 30% of the respective samples
(T1 and T2). From this, it is assumed that the classes are
both stable and replicable. When the data are weighed
against national statistics [51] (using learning year,
region, gender, ethnicity and education level) to obtain a
nationally representative estimate for the Netherlands,
the percentage of addicted heavy online gamers (i.e. class
six) translates to 1.6% of the entire population aged
13–16 years in the Netherlands at T1 and 1.5% at T2.
Examination of psychosocial correlates
Table 4 presents the six-class model through comparison
of standardized psychosocial variables across the various
classes. Significant overall differences were found for
depressive mood (T2, P < 0.05), loneliness (T1, P < 0.01)
© 2010 The Authors, Addiction © 2010 Society for the Study of Addiction
and negative self-esteem (T2, P < 0.01). Visual inspections of the table shows overall higher mean scores for all
four psychosocial variables in class 6 (the most addicted
group). Post-hoc tests comparing the most addicted class
(6) with the other classes revealed several significant differences for depressive mood (T2), loneliness (T1, T2) and
negative self-esteem (T1, T2). Focusing specifically upon
the two groups of heavy gamers (addicted, class 6 and
non-addicted, class 5), only one significant difference was
found, i.e. at T2 the addicted gamers were more depressed
than the heavy gamers.
Longitudinal persistence of class membership
Table 5 presents longitudinal (year-to-year) transitions
for the various classes. Results show that, apart from the
first class, retention for the sixth class is higher than for
other classes. In this cohort, although the absolute
number of people in the sixth class is low, results indicate
that half the addicted online gamers at T1 (n = 6) are still
addicted at T2 (n = 3).
DISCUSSION
The present study has identified successfully two distinct
groups of gamers: one group of addicted heavy online
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Antonius J. van Rooij et al.
gamers and another group of heavy but non-addicted
online gamers, thus confirming our main hypothesis. The
addicted heavy online gamers differed only slightly from
the non-addicted heavy gamers (and various other
groups) in terms of psychosocial health. However, some
of these addicted gamers showed persistence over time,
i.e. half the addicted online gamers were still addicted 1
year later.
Two large-scale samples from a nationally representative study were used to classify online gamers with CIU.
Using a data-driven approach, analyses showed the existence of six distinct groups within the data. The vast
majority of online gamers (95%) are located in four
groups, which show a linear increase in CIU as the hours
per week of gaming increase. The fifth and sixth groups
break this trend. The fifth group is identified as a group of
heavy online gamers who play many hours per week, but
show stability or even a drop in addiction (2008) when
compared to the previous groups. This group of nonaddicted heavy online gamers is relatively small (about
1–2% of the online gamers, see Table 3).
The sixth group, which contains about 3% of the
online gamers in the period 2008/09, spends many
hours on online gaming and reports more symptoms of
CIU than other groups. Thus it is identified as a group of
addicted heavy online video gamers. These numbers
translate to an average national estimate of 1.5% (2008)
and 1.6% (2009) of addicted heavy online gamers
among all Dutch adolescents in the first four classes of
secondary education (aged 13–16 years). These adolescents report an average of 55 hours per week on gaming.
Subsequently, psychosocial correlates were examined
for the addicted online video gamers. Visual inspection of
the data shows higher scores on depressive mood, loneliness, social anxiety and negative self-esteem for addicted
online gamers compared to other online gamers.
However, post-hoc testing revealed that most of the actual
bilateral relationships are non-significant from the perspective of the addicted online gamers. When compared
to non-addicted heavy gamers, only one significant difference was found: in 2009 the addicted heavy gamers were
more depressed than the non-addicted heavy gamers.
These ambiguous results illustrate the complexity of
the relationship between online video game use, online
video game addiction and psychosocial health. Especially
in the case of outcome variables with a strong social
element, such as loneliness and self-esteem, video gaming
may well have a dualistic effect. First, it expands the
horizon of the gamer by offering a second environment in
which to experiment [52] and, later on, it may constrain
social options in ‘real life’ when the second life starts to
overshadow the first [8]. In this way, depressive symptoms, loneliness and negative self-esteem might decrease
for some gamers as they find refuge in online games; on
© 2010 The Authors, Addiction © 2010 Society for the Study of Addiction
the other hand, these correlates may increase for others
because relying exclusively on online relationships may
fail to provide the full spectrum of social contacts and
support the gamer’s needs in real life. This hypothesis fits
well with earlier theoretical work on ‘problematic internet use’ by Caplan [17,18]. Further examination of these
complex relationships in the case of online gaming might
benefit from using statistical methods focusing upon
modelling, such as structural equation modelling. Clinical studies will need to be utilized to establish the actual
harm and treatability of the problems associated with
‘online video game addiction’.
The identification of a small group of addicted heavy
online gamers supports future efforts to develop and validate questionnaire scales aimed at measuring the phenomenon of ‘online video game addiction’. It also
confirms the existence of the group through an alternative approach, thereby confirming earlier results for the
subgroup of online gamers [1,3]. Additionally, it provides
a basis on which to establish empirically supported cut-off
points for scales aiming to measure online video game
addiction. Although an addicted group of gamers was
found, substantial caution should be exercised before the
creation of a new ‘disorder’, due to the modest impairment and longitudinal persistence.
The current study has several strengths. It provides a
data-driven prevalence estimate for ‘video game addiction’ in the Netherlands, based upon two large-scale
samples. Additionally, it provides some of the first longitudinal data on the development of this phenomenon
over time. However, the study also has some limitations.
First, the study uses self-report data, which is known to
carry the risk of bias [53]; this should be taken into
account when comparing estimates with external
outcome variables, such as the number of people reporting for clinical treatment with game addiction as the
main complaint. Secondly, the ‘hours per week’ variable
was the result of a multiplication and might be affected
by ceiling effects; as such, it should be viewed as an estimate and not as an absolute value. Thirdly, clinical measures were restricted to psychosocial measures and a
measure of addiction: future research might benefit
from the inclusion of specific clinical measures of, for
example, hyperactivity and mania. Finally, different
types of online video games are available. Whereas
‘online video games’ are an advancement of the unified
‘video games’ approach, future research may benefit
from further differentiation, e.g. by distinguishing online
First Person Shooter games from online Role Playing
Games.
In summary, this study confirms the existence of a
small percentage (3%) of addicted online gamers. This
group represents approximately 1.5% of all children aged
13–16 years in the Netherlands. Although these gamers
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Online video game addiction
report addiction-like problems, relationships with
decreased psychosocial health were less evident. While
survey-based data cannot determine the exact clinical
nature of game addiction, the present findings contribute
to the discussion on the proposed unified concept of
‘Addiction and Related Disorders’ (which includes nonsubstance addictions) in the DSM-V [54].
Declarations of interest
11.
12.
13.
None.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the following organizations for
funding data collection of the Monitor Study Internet and
Youth: the Netherlands Organization for Health Research
and Development (ZonMw, project no. 31160208), the
Volksbond Foundation Rotterdam, Addiction Care North
Netherlands, the Kennisnet Foundation, Tactus Addiction Care and the De Hoop Foundation.
14.
15.
16.
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