Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Oct 24:9:100140.
doi: 10.1016/j.abrep.2018.10.004. eCollection 2019 Jun.

Internet gaming disorder: Feeling the flow of social games

Elwin Hu  1 , Vasileios Stavropoulos  1 , Alastair Anderson  1 , Matthew Scerri  1 , James Collard  1
Affiliations

Internet gaming disorder: Feeling the flow of social games

Elwin Hu et al. Addict Behav Rep. .

Abstract

Introduction: Gaming Disorder (GD) was added to the recent publication of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) by the World Health Organization. This aligns with recommendations of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5), issued by the American Psychiatric Association. Accordingly, further relevant research has been invited. The interplay between preference for online social game genres, the degree of online Flow (or immersive pleasure) experienced, and the gamer's biological gender were examined here as contributing factors of IGD.

Method: A normative sample of adult internet gamers was collected online (N = 237, Age = 18-59, Males = 157; 66%; Females = 80; 34%). Participants completed the nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS-SF9), the Online Flow Questionnaire (OFQ), and also self-reported demographics and internet/gaming behaviours.

Results: Mediation and moderated mediation analyses indicated that the level of online Flow experienced considerably mediated the association between the preference for social games genres and the intensity of IGD behaviours across both biological genders.

Conclusions: Results suggest that the level of online Flow experienced constitutes a risk factor in relation to the development of IGD. Furthermore, games which mandate social interaction with others present to be conducive to online Flow, and thus enhancing IGD risk irrespective of the biological gender of the gamer. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.

Keywords: Flow; Gaming addiction; Internet gaming disorder; Massively multiplayer online role playing games; Multiplayer online battle arena; Online flow; Social games.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The mediating interplay between social games preference, online Flow experience and IGD behaviours.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The mediating interplay between social games preference, online Flow experience and IGD behaviours.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Abuhamdeh S., Csikszentmihalyi M. The importance of challenge for the enjoyment of intrinsically motivated, goal-directed activities. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 2012;38(3):317–330. - PubMed
    1. Adams B.L., Stavropoulos V., Burleigh T.L., Liew L.W., Beard C.L., Griffiths M.D. Internet gaming disorder behaviors in emergent adulthood: A pilot study examining the interplay between anxiety and family cohesion. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. 2018:1–17.
    1. Agmon M., Perry C.K., Phelan E., Demiris G., Nguyen H.Q. A pilot study of Wii Fit exergames to improve balance in older adults. Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy. 2011;34(4):161–167. - PubMed
    1. Ahmadi K., Saghafi A. Psychosocial profile of Iranian adolescents' Internet addiction. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking. 2013;16(7):543–548. - PubMed
    1. American Psychiatric Association . 5th ed. American Psychiatric Publishing; Arlington, VA: 2013. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.

LinkOut - more resources