Open access Review

Research progress and debates on

gaming disorder
Qianjin Wang, Honghong Ren, Jiang Long, Yueheng Liu, Tieqiao Liu

To cite: Wang Q, Ren H, Long J, Abstract the following aspects may be involved: first,
et al. Research progress Gaming disorder has become a significant issue in the game’s built-in reward system may be the
and debates on gaming
disorder. General Psychiatry
mental healthcare. While gaming is an important form cause of the gaming disorder.7 For example,
of entertainment, excessive gaming may cause serious many games, particularly massively multi-
2019;32:e100071. doi:10.1136/
consequences for players. At present, there are still player online role-playing games, rely on a
gpsych-2019-100071
controversies in the academic community concerning the
‘compulsion loop’, a cycle of activities that
Received 02 April 2019 public health problems related to gaming disorder. This article
involve rewarding the player and driving
Revised 28 May 2019 attempts to expound the definition, epidemiology, aetiology,
Accepted 03 June 2019 diagnosis, treatment and prevention of gaming disorder, in them to continue through another cycle,
order to contribute to future conceptualization of gaming retaining them in the game.8 Many players
disorder. refuse to quit the game because they are
rewarded in the game. The expectation of
Definition and prevalence of gaming this kind of reward can increase dopamine
disorder in the brain, activate the reward system
Gaming disorder is defined as a negative gaming and, once the player is rewarded, he/she
behaviour pattern characterised by the loss can become addicted in the long run. This
of control over the game and total time spent mechanism is similar to the neurobiological
playing the game, resulting in other interests mechanism of gambling disorder.9 More-
and daily activities being given away to the game. over, in the virtual world generated by the
Even if there are negative consequences, game game, the person with gaming disorder can
behaviour continues or continues to escalate. gain confidence and satisfaction that cannot
For the diagnosis of gaming disorder, the game be obtained in the real world.4 In addition,
behaviour pattern must be serious enough for high testosterone load may be a risk factor
at least 12 months to cause significant damage for adults with gaming disorder.10 There is
in an individual’s personal life, family, social, research indicating that4 11 genetic factors,
educational, professional, or other important marital status, history of abuse and trauma,
areas of functioning.1 modes of education, history of mental
‘The statistical report on the development disorders, demographic factors, person-
of the internet in China’ pointed out that ality and psychological factors, family and
China had 486 million people playing internet social factors, and factors related to the
games by June 2018, accounting for 60.6% of game (such as game type and game experi-
all internet users.2 A recent systematic review ence) also play an important role in gaming
of epidemiological studies on gaming disorder disorder.
found that the prevalence of gaming disorder
was 0.7%−27.5%, and it was mainly among young
men.3 Another group conducted a meta-anal- Diagnostics of gaming disorder
ysis of 36 studies in China, covering 362 328 There is still no consensus on the diagnostic
© Author(s) (or their internet gamers.4 The prevalence of online criteria for gaming disorder. Many of the previ-
employer(s)) 2019. Re-use gaming disorder in China was 3.5%−17%. The ously proposed criteria for gaming disorder
permitted under CC BY-NC. No were similar to the fourth edition of the
prevalences of gaming disorder in Europe and
commercial re-use. See rights
and permissions. Published by the USA were relatively low, for example, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
BMJ. USA was about 0.3%−1.0%,5 and Germany was Disorders’ (DSM-IV) diagnoses for substance
Department of Behavioral 1.16%.6 use disorders, which relied on scales and
Medicine, The Second Xiangya questionnaires.12
Hospital of Central South In May 2013, the DSM-5 issued by the
University, Changsha, China Causes and possible mechanisms of gaming American Psychiatric Association did not
Correspondence to disorder include gaming disorder. It was believed that
Dr Tieqiao Liu; The cause of gaming disorder is not yet fully there was not enough evidence to classify it as
​liutieqiao123@​csu.​edu.​cn understood. Most research indicates that a mental disorder, but the proposed standard

Wang Q, et al. General Psychiatry 2019;32:e100071. doi:10.1136/gpsych-2019-100071 1

General Psychiatry

for gaming disorder was placed in the appendix of DSM-5 only online games. (2) ICD-11 contains the diagnostic
as a ‘clinical phenomenon requiring further research’.13 classification of hazardous use of games, but this diag-
The revision experts of DSM-5 admitted that gaming nostic classification is not seen in DSM-5. (3) ICD-11 is a
disorder would have a negative impact on patients’ diagnostic guide. It introduces the diagnosis and differen-
personal and social lives. Therefore, they still provided tial diagnosis of gaming disorder and provides good guid-
nine diagnostic criteria for gaming disorder, and believed ance for diagnosis. DSM-5 is a diagnostic standard. One
that meeting five of the nine criteria over the course of 12 can be diagnosed with a gaming disorder by meeting five
months warranted a diagnosis of gaming disorder.3 Those or more of the nine criteria. Furthermore, the diagnostic
nine criteria were the following: (1) being completely criteria of the DSM-5 are more detailed than the ICD-11,
focused on the game; (2) when stopping the game, symp- so it has good operability. (4) DSM-5 also discusses the
toms such as anxiety and irritability appear; (3) the time prevalence, diagnosis, influencing factors, differential
spent playing games gradually increases; (4) those with diagnosis and comorbidity of online gaming disorder.
gaming disorder are unable to reduce the amount of time
spent playing the game and cannot quit the game; (5)
individuals with gaming disorder will give up other activi- Treatment of gaming disorder
ties and lose interest in other hobbies; (6) even when the Excessive gaming can damage an individual’s daily life and
person understands that the game has a negative impact social functioning. Therefore, professional treatment for
on life, they still focus on the game; (7) the person will people with gaming disorder is necessary. Unfortunately,
hide the amount of playing time from family members there is currently a lack of recognised treatment measures
or others; (8) mitigating negative emotions such as guilt, for gaming disorder.18 Because the pathogenesis of the
despair, and so forth, due to playing games will be present; gaming disorder is not yet clear, the current intervention
and (9) loss of functioning in work, studies or social life measures are basically based on the treatment experience
due to gaming. It should be pointed out that only DSM-5 of mental disorders such as substance use disorder. Treat-
has given diagnostic criteria for online gaming disorder. ment measures generally include psychobehavioural treat-
In June 2018, the WHO included gaming disorder in ment, drug treatment and comprehensive treatment.19
the chapter of substance and behavioural addiction in the
11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases Psychological therapy
and Related Health Problems (ICD-11). They listed the Psychological therapy, including individual and group
diagnostic criteria as the following: (1) obsession with the therapy, is currently the most commonly used method for
game that is difficult to control for more than 12 months; treating gaming disorder.
(2) the degree of obsession with the game is higher than
other interests, resulting in a reduction in daily activities; Individual treatment
and (3) even if one is aware of the negative impact, the Among individual treatments, cognitive−behavioural
game behaviour continues or escalates.14 However, the therapy (CBT) is the most commonly used.20 The main
WHO’s move has caused opposition from some scholars form of the treatment is individual consultation. The
and members of the Game Association. They believe that typical length of the CBT treatment is several months and
the classification of gaming disorder lacks scientific basis, generally requires 8–28 treatments, ranging from 1 to 2
and it is not yet clear whether gaming disorder is caused by hours each time. The treatment content includes: (1)
game activities themselves or is affected by other diseases. identification of cognitive distortions related to gaming
Such a diagnosis may cause discrimination for many game behaviour; (2) looking for evidence that can confirm this
players.15 At present, there are many uncertainties about cognitive distortion; (3) evaluating core beliefs and nega-
gaming disorder in many ways,16 which may mistake the tive schema; (4) replacement with more adaptive thought
normal players for those with gaming disorder, and there- patterns; (5) establishing relapse prevention and plan
fore may cause excessive diagnosis and treatment. treatment steps; (6) dealing with self-control problems,
At present, there are both similarities and differences and so forth. The results show that CBT is effective for
in the two diagnostic systems for gaming disorder.17 The people with gaming disorder and can change individuals’
same points all emphasise the uncontrolled reckless game cognitions surrounding the game.
behaviour within 12 months, which has caused serious
consequences in one’s personal and social life, and so Group therapy
on. Despite the similar psychological craving, tolerance Psychological therapy, also known as team therapy or
and withdrawal symptoms to the substance use disorder, collective therapy, is conducted in groups or teams. The
the individuals will continue their excessive playing of general framework for these kinds of therapy is 6−10
the game. The differences are: (1) ICD-11 incorporates participants, one to two sessions a week (for 1−2 hours)
gaming disorder into the substance and behavioural for at least half a year. Treatment methods include
disorder chapter, including all game forms such as online lectures, activities and discussions. Treatment objectives
games, offline games, or other unspecified games. DSM-5 are to reduce the patient’s game dependence symptoms,
incorporates gaming disorder into the chapter on clinical promote the recovery of interpersonal relationships,
phenomena that require further research, emphasising improve the individual’s self-confidence and manage the

2 Wang Q, et al. General Psychiatry 2019;32:e100071. doi:10.1136/gpsych-2019-100071

 General Psychiatry

withdrawal from these games.21 The American Psycholog- compulsive symptoms and game dependence were
ical Association believes that22 group therapy has certain improved. Han and Renshaw30 used bupropion for the
advantages over individual therapy such as all participants treatment of 50 patients with severe depression accom-
have similar problems and face the same difficulties in panied by excessive online gaming. The results showed
life. By sharing game experiences with others, group that the patient’s cravings for games were significantly
participants can further recognise their own problems. In reduced,31 the time spent on the internet was shortened
addition, group therapy can create a relatively closed and and the symptoms of depression were improved. After
safe environment where sensitive topics about gaming that, Han and colleagues32 used a central nervous stimu-
disorder can be openly discussed. Because each person lant, methylphenidate, to treat 62 children with attention
has different ways of dealing with their gaming disorder, deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who experienced
group therapy can provide opportunities to learn from excessive gaming. It was found that the degree of gaming
others who are dealing with gaming disorder, thereby disorder and the amount of time using the internet
improving their ability to cope. decreased significantly, and the symptoms of ADHD were
also improved. In addition, there are also studies where
Family therapy the opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone was found to
Family therapy provides treatment by using psychological be effective against gaming disorder.33
interventions in the family unit. It mainly includes tradi- The above limited data suggest that drug therapy
tional family therapy23 or marriage and family therapy.12 (mostly antidepressants) can improve patients’ game
Often, a multilevel intervention model of drug abuse is dependence symptoms, and can significantly shorten
applied,24 including family counselling and peer support the time of internet use and reduce the cravings to play
groups. In addition to this, multifamily group therapy25 games. However, further research is needed to determine
has been used to treat gaming disorder. the efficacy, appropriate dose and course of treatment of
psychotropic substances in gaming disorder. When the
Multimodal school-based group therapy clinician uses drug treatment, he must closely observe the
It is a group psychotherapy method suitable for the school patient’s condition and adjust the drug dose in time to
environment. It involves students, parents and teachers. prevent adverse reactions.
Each group has 6–10 people. The purpose is to strengthen
parent−child communication, promote family harmony, Combined therapy
let parents recognise the problems of their children and Comprehensive treatment is an intervention that
find out their role in children’s gaming behaviour as early combines CBT with other treatment methods. It includes
as possible. Through psychological education, teachers CBT combined with drug therapy, other forms of psycho-
also provide help for treatment.26 therapy or physiotherapy.

Pharmacological treatment CBT combined drug treatment

Those who advocate for the use of pharmacological Kim and colleagues34 attempted to treat 65 adolescents
treatment for gaming disorder are usually psychiatrists with depressive disorder with amphetamine combined
who believe gaming disorder is a mental disorder.12 with CBT and found that it was effective for game depen-
The impulse shown by the person with gaming disorder dence symptoms and depression. Santos and colleagues35
towards the game has a similar neurobiological mech- combined antidepressants and antianxiety drugs to treat
anism as the impulse of those addicted to substances gaming disorder. In this study, they found that patients’
towards their respective drug.9 Additionally, those with anxiety and gaming dependence symptoms were signifi-
gaming disorder often have other comorbid mental disor- cantly improved.
ders.27 This provides the foundation for pharmacological
treatment. CBT combined motivation enhancement therapy
Based on the points above, Dell’Osso and colleagues28 According to motivation enhancement therapy’s (MET)
used escitalopram for the treatment of 19 adults with treatment experience with alcohol addiction, Poddar and
gaming disorder. In the first 10 weeks of drug treatment, colleagues36 first tried this method for gaming disorder.
the symptoms of game dependence improved in all This MET-CBT approach consists of a series of stages1:
patients. However, in the following 9 weeks of randomised (1) a contemplation stage (ie, initial sessions of rapport
double-blind controlled trials (half receiving drugs and building, a detailed interview and case formulation)2;
half receiving placebos), there was no difference in the (2) a preparation stage (ie, sessions delivered in an
efficacy of the drug group and the control group. Bipeta empathetic atmosphere to emphasise psychoeducation,
and colleagues29 first treated 38 patients with simple including managing physiological and emotional arousal
obsessive-compulsive disorder who had gaming disorder through relaxation techniques, and a cost-benefit anal-
or did not have gaming disorder with antianxiety therapy ysis of game addiction); and3 (3) a contract stage with
for 3 weeks and then treated with regular antidepres- the patient, the parents and the therapist (ie, behaviour
sants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or clomip- modification of gaming, reducing time spent online
ramine) for 1 year. The results found that the patient’s and promoting healthy activities).19 After treatment, the

Wang Q, et al. General Psychiatry 2019;32:e100071. doi:10.1136/gpsych-2019-100071 3

General Psychiatry

patient’s gaming time was significantly reduced and the adding warnings in the game.44 Game providers should
learning performance was significantly improved. raise game prices and limit minors’ premature contact
with games. Governments should establish adequate
CBT combined electroacupuncture therapy prevention and treatment centres for game dependence,
There are people in China who tried to use this method providing preventive education, counselling services and
and thought that the combined treatment group in treatment interventions.45
improving game dependence symptoms is better than the
individual psychotherapy group. However, the effective-
ness and safety of the CBT combined electroacupuncture The debates and future research directions on
therapy of gaming disorder need to be verified.37 gaming disorder
Whether or not gaming disorder is a mental disorder is still
controversial. However, most scholars believe that gaming
Prevention of gaming disorder disorder is an addiction-based mental disorder.11 First of
The causes of gaming disorder are complex, involving all, gaming disorder has similar biological mechanism of
many biopsychosocial factors, and the treatment is substance use disorder and is related to the dopamine
relatively difficult. Therefore, prevention is even more reward system at the edge of the middle brain.9 11 46 When
important. The current preventive measures against the player is playing, the level of dopamine neurotrans-
gaming disorder are as follows: mitters in the brain increases, which in turn produces
pleasure. If this pleasure stimulates the brain repeatedly,
Limit the use of games
the brain is rewarded, and the player will remember this
In view of the potential addictive nature of computer
feeling, resulting in addiction.47 Second, the response
and games, the long gaming time and the problem of
of the brain of people with gaming disorder to game-re-
overuse of the internet, limiting usage is a solution.38
lated clues may be similar to that seen in those with
Measures are: (1) prohibition of game access: the govern-
substance use disorder.48 Functional MRI results show
ment requires game providers to prevent players from
that, compared with substance use disorder and other
accessing their games for a specific period of time during
behavioural addictions (such as pathological gambling),
the day; and (2) parental controls: parents control their
gaming disorder may exhibit similar neurological activi-
children’s computers through various measures, such as
ties in addictive brain regions (prefrontal cortex, nucleus
limiting game contents and time.
accumbens septi, anterior cingulate area, caudal nucleus,
Warning messages and so on).4 Third, drug and psychological interventions
Some gaming companies have released in-game warning can relieve the symptoms of people with gaming disorder
information related to the risks of excessive game playing. and support their biological basis of biochemistry, cogni-
This information could be similar to the health warning tion and behaviour.49 Finally, the genetic polymorphisms
information that appears on tobacco and alcohol pack- found in people with gaming disorder are related to
ages.39 Based on the efficiency of cigarette warning substance use disorder and pathological gambling. The
labels,40 it can be assumed that such warning information polymorphism of two genes related to substance use
helps to raise awareness of the harmful consequences disorder (Taq1A1 allele of dopamine D2 receptor and
of excessive gaming. Király and colleagues suggest that Val158M and others allele in catecholamine-O-methyl-
customising the warnings in games depending on the time transferase gene) has a higher incidence rate in gaming
gamers spend on gaming.38 This strategy allows targeting disorder.50 All of the above evidences suggest that gaming
problem behaviours specifically without affecting the disorder is an addictive mental disease.
non-problematic gamers’ enjoyment of a largely healthy Opponents believe that:51 (1) although some manifes-
pastime activity.41 tations of gaming disorder and substance-related disorder
are similar, gaming disorder does not have the physical
Potential interventions symptoms of substance use disorder. It is only manifested
In order to reduce the negative consequences of games, as a psychological dependence, so it is not an addictive
the government should promulgate relevant policies behaviour.12 (2) Gaming disorder should be classified
requiring all departments to provide appropriate help as an impulse control disorder,52 because persons with
and treatment for people with gaming disorder.42 In the gaming disorder cannot control their own behaviour and
case of problematic gaming, the clinician is one of the the amount of time playing games. These persons engage
firsts to identify the potential risks of gaming disorder and in compulsive overplaying, spending so much time playing
provide some help to game players.38 Since most gaming games that the results are addictive behaviour and loss
operators can collect players' data regarding the time in social functioning. (3) The functional damage caused
spent on gaming, they could contact those gamers who by gaming has not been fully confirmed. (4) Gaming
play much more time than the average and offer them behaviour may be a coping mechanism to alleviate a
contact information for possible referral services.43 Game disorder, not an independent disorder. (5) The inclusion
companies should also participate in actions to prevent of gaming disorder as a disease in ICD-11 may stigmatise
and treat gaming disorder, such as reducing rewards and some normal gamers and even lead to the possibility of

4 Wang Q, et al. General Psychiatry 2019;32:e100071. doi:10.1136/gpsych-2019-100071

 General Psychiatry

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Acknowledgements The authors thank the reviewers and editors of this article. and controversy as a new diagnostic classification of ICD-11 mental
and behavioral disorder (draft). Chinese Journal of Psychiatry
Contributors Wang Qianjin: completed the summary, definition of gaming disorder,
2018;51:149–52.
diagnosis, writing and full-text integration of treatment. Ren Honghong: document 18 Hao W, Zhao M, Li J. Theory and practice of addiction medicine.
retrieval, writing and draft revision to complete gaming disorder prevention. Long Beijing: People's Medical Publishing House (PMPH), 2016: 238–95.
Jiang: completed the adjustment of writing and writing format of gaming disorder 19 Kuss DJ, Lopez-Fernandez O. Internet addiction and problematic
epidemiology and aetiology. Liu Yueheng: completed the writing of the gaming internet use: a systematic review of clinical research. WJP 2016;6.
disorder background and need to solve problems in the future.Liu Tieqiao: provided 20 Stevens MWR, King DL, Dorstyn D, et al. Cognitive-behavioral
an outline of the article, guide writing, full-text revision and final draft. therapy for Internet gaming disorder: a systematic review and meta-
analysis. Clin Psychol Psychother 2018.
Funding This work was supported by grants from the National Key R&D Program 21 Fan FM. Group psychotherapy[M]//Lu L. Shen YuCun's Psychiatry.
of China(2017YFC1310400) and the National Natural Science Foundation of 6th edn. Chinese, Beijing: People's Medical Publishing House
China(81371465 and 81671324). The sponsors have no role in the planning, (PMPH), 2018: 816.
conduct and publication of this work. 22 American Psychological Association. Psychotherapy: understanding
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Competing interests All authors declare that they have no any conflict of interest 23 Tai YP, Kim S, Lee J. Family therapy for an Internet-addicted young
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Data availability statement No additional data are available.
adolescent Internet addiction: exploring the underlying mechanisms.
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Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which 26 Du Y S JW, Vance A. Longer term effect of randomized, controlled
permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, group cognitive behavioural therapy for Internet addiction
and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is in adolescent students in Shanghai. Aust N Z J Psychiatry
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properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use
27 González-Bueso V, Santamaría J, Fernández D, et al. Association
is non-commercial. See: http://​creativecommons.​org/​licenses/​by-​nc/​4.​0/. between Internet gaming disorder or pathological video-game use
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Qianjin Wang obtained a bachelor’s degree in clinical medicine in 2015 from Jining Medical College. He is
currently studying for a master’s degree in psychiatry at Institute of Mental Health, The Second Xiangya Hospital
of Central South University. His research interest is addiction medicine.

6 Wang Q, et al. General Psychiatry 2019;32:e100071. doi:10.1136/gpsych-2019-100071