Exploring the associated characteristics of Internet gaming disorder from the perspective of various game genres

Zhenjiang Liao; Xinxin Chen; Shucai Huang; Qiuping Huang; Shuhong Lin; Yifan Li; Ying Tang; Hongxian Shen

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1103816

Exploring the associated characteristics of Internet gaming disorder from the perspective of various game genres

Front Psychiatry. 2023 Jan 12:13:1103816. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1103816. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Zhenjiang Liao^{1

2}, Xinxin Chen^{1

2}, Shucai Huang³, Qiuping Huang⁴, Shuhong Lin^{1

2}, Yifan Li^{1

2}, Ying Tang^{1

2}, Hongxian Shen^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
² Institute of Mental Health of Central South University, Chinese National Technology Institute on Mental Disorders, Hunan Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hunan Medical Center for Mental Health, Changsha, Hunan, China.
³ Department of Psychiatry, The Fourth People's Hospital of Wuhu, Wuhu, Anhui, China.
⁴ School of Humanities and Management, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China.

Abstract

Introduction: Although previous studies have reported several characteristics associated with Internet gaming disorder (IGD), the influence of game genre on IGD has rarely been investigated. This study thus aimed to compare demographic characteristics, gaming patterns, personality traits, and gaming motivations among players in different game genres, as well as identify the associated characteristics of genre-specific IGD.

Methods: Internet games were classified into four types: role-playing games (RPGs), strategy (STR) games, action shooter (ACS) games, and brain and skill (BRS) games. Chinese gamers (n = 5,593) who usually played one of these games completed an anonymous online survey that included sociodemographic characteristics, gaming patterns, gaming motivations, the Chinese version of the Video Gaming Dependency Scale (VGD-S), and the Chinese Big Five Personality Inventory Brief Version (CBF-PI-B).

Results: Significant differences were found between the genre-specific groups regarding age, gender, relationship status, VGD-S score, gaming patterns, and personality traits (e.g., RPG and STR players were more vulnerable to developing IGD compared to ACS and BRS players). Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that the associated characteristics of IGD were slightly different within each genre-specific group after controlling for sociodemographic factors. Among them, daily gaming time and motivation for sensation seeking and escaping reality were associated with IGD development within the genre-specific group.

Conclusion: Individuals in each game genre exhibited distinct characteristics that might predict IGD development (e.g., gaming patterns and personality traits). Game genre preferences should be considered in the early prevention and treatment of IGD to help high-risk individuals' recovery. Additionally, more research should be conducted to explore RPG and STR game characteristics.

Keywords: Internet gaming disorder; game genre; gaming motivation; gaming pattern; personality traits.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81971249), the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2020YFC2005300), and the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (No. 2020JJ4782).