Lorelle Bowditch

Internet gaming is a popular activity, but some gamers experience problems related to their gaming. Currently there is no international consensus for the assessment of Internet Gaming Disorder, and there is a call for increased clarity around conceptualisation and aetiological pathways. Some researchers suggest that addiction models can explain why some experience problems, others suggest that problematic outcomes are better explained by underlying motivations for play. The research aim is to understand how gaming motivations can be maladaptive for some and adaptive for others, and: identify the pathways to problematic use; and create clarity around the debate surrounding diagnosis.

This research will help us understand which personal factors are maladaptive for some and adaptive for others. The findings will extend the model of compensatory internet use which suggests that problematic outcomes are better explained by underlying motivations for play, rather than gaming itself. It will help to identify the pathways that can lead to problematic use and seek to understand what healthy gaming looks like. The development of a conceptualisation of healthy gaming will help to promote adaptive engagement with internet games, improve clinical guidelines for Internet Gaming Disorder, and avoid stigmatising non-problematic internet gameplay.