HOURS OF GAMING OR NON-ACADEMIC COMPUTER USE, SUBSTANCE USE, MENTAL HEALTH STATUS AND SCHOOL PERFORMANCE AMONG TEXAS ADOLESCENCE: FINDINGS FROM THE 2017 YRBS IN TEXAS

Online gaming activities among adolescents and adults has increased exponentially in the last decade, and mental health issues associated with excessive gaming have drawn attention from health care professionals worldwide (Griffith, 2016). Recognizing this trend, American Psychiatric Association (APA) categorized gaming disorder/addiction as a mental health condition in 2013 in an effort to prevent the expansion of relevant mental health issues (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared gaming disorder/addiction as a mental health disease, (World Health Organization, 2018). As a result of this declaration, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has established nine diagnostic criteria. One of the primary diagnostic criteria for gaming disorder from the DSM-5 is prolonged hours of gaming. Although prolonged hours of gaming are a necessary but not sufficient diagnostic criterion, one should not be diagnosed as having gaming disorder without spending prolonged period of time on gaming. Therefore, it is reasonable to consider prolonged hours of gaming as a major risk factor for gaming disorder/addiction, and those engaged in prolonged hours of gaming are among the population at risk. Estimating the size of the population at risk of gaming disorder/addiction is a step closer to the estimation of the prevalence of gaming disorder/addiction. There are prevalence estimates on the national level from a previous research (Lee, 2017), but there are no studies done on the prevalence estimates of population at risk in Texas yet

Gaming addiction, definition, and measurement: a large-scale empirical study

Aims: Although the general public appears to have embraced the term 'video game addiction', the scientific debate as to whether 'gaming addiction' can actually be considered an addiction similar to substance addictions of DSM-IV is still unsettled. To date, research on gaming addiction has focused on problematic behavior from the gaming activity itself and there has been little empirical research related to pathological personality patterns that usually are associated with substance addictions. Therefore, the current study examined how excessive gaming and ‘problematic gaming behavior’ are related to personality patterns associated with addiction by means of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 MMPI-2). Design, setting, and participants: A large-scale survey study among 1,004 adolescent boys (age-range 11-18 years; M =14.18, SD=1.36; response rate 96.17%). Measurements: Problematic gaming behavior, physical game-related symptoms, gaming behavior and three MMPI-2 subscales measuring personality patterns usually associated with substance addiction (MAC-R, APS, AAS) were assessed. Findings: Results showed that problematic gaming and physical game-related symptoms were positively related to all three substance abuse subscales of the MMPI-2. Conclusions: Problematic gaming should be clearly distinguished from excessive gaming. In short, excessive gaming merely indicates enthusiasm for some although it may be psychopathological for others

Educating for the Gaming Industry: Need, Profile, and Suggested Schema

As legalized gambling becomes increasingly widespread and competitive, operators seek employees who understand its unique culture and demands. Today, few baccalaureate programs offer gaming management education. Gaming subject areas for college programs span three content spheres: (a) gaming and games themselves; (b) gaming interfaces with other hospitality subjects (lodging, accounting); and (c) the gaming/hospitality environment (regulation, economics). In a given academic program, gaming content integration can be measured along a continuum, from nonexistent, to somewhat integrated within existing courses, to comprising a central educational focus

Game Time: Not Too Much, Nor Too Little

The amount of time young adults spend on online gaming has drawn attention from governments and academics. While these concerns posit a spatial separation between the game world and reality, they fail to understand the gaming activity in relation to individuals’ overall life. An alternative framing of gaming as leisure activities can yield greater insight. This research examines the temporal experience and the meaning of playing online games within a community of Chinese full-time college students. Observing their gaming routine, I try to answer: how do college students interpret the time they devote to gaming? In addition, how does the calculation of time for gaming differ from time in the game? Based on the research, I find that although the participants devote a significant amount of time on gaming, they are capable of prioritizing school obligations, making efforts to achieve a balance between work and leisure. Essentially, they regard gaming as a serious leisure and desire better performance through practicing. The findings suggest that the moral panic against online gaming, particularly in the Chinese society, is shaped by the interaction between the central regulation on internet use, the fear-delivering media representation, and the transformative work-leisure relation

Influence of Personal Factors on Macau Residents\u27 Gaming Impact Perceptions

This paper explores the influence of personal factors on gaming impact perceptions using Macau, China as a case study. The objective is to examine how residents\u27 gaming perceptions were affected by (1) personal benefits received from gaming; (2) length of residence; and (3) demographic characteristics. The study also aims to assess the relative magnitude of influence exerted by each variable on gaming impact perceptions. All personal factors were found to contribute to differences in gaming impact perceptions among sub-groups of respondents. Regression analyses revealed that age, education and residence status had influence on gaming impact perceptions. Findings support that the theory of social exchange is at play in the shaping of perceptions of gaming impact among Macau residents

Online gaming addiction in children and adolescents: a review of empirical research

Background and aims: Research suggests that excessive online gaming may lead to symptoms commonly experienced by substance addicts. Since games are particularly appealing to children and adolescents, these individuals may be more at risk than other groups of developing gaming addiction. Methods: Given these potential concerns, a literature review was undertaken in order (i) to present the classification basis of online gaming addiction using official mental disorder frameworks, (ii) to identify empirical studies that assess online gaming addiction in children and adolescents, and (iii) to present and evaluate the findings against the background of related and established mental disorder criteria. Results: Empirical evidence comprising 30 studies indicates that for some adolescents, gaming ad - diction exists and that as the addiction develops, online gaming addicts spend increasing amounts of time preparing for, organizing, and actually gaming. Conclusions: Evidence suggests that problematic online gaming can be conceptualized as a behavioral addiction rather than a disorder of impulse control

PREDICTING CROSS-GAMING PROPENSITY USING E-CHAID ANALYSIS

Cross-selling different types of games could provide an opportunity for casino operators to generate additional time and money spent on gaming from existing patrons. One way to identify the patrons who are likely to cross-play is mining individual players’ gaming data using predictive analytics. Hence, this study aims to predict casino patrons’ propensity to play both slots and table games, also known as cross-gaming, by applying a data-mining algorithm to patrons’ gaming data. The Exhaustive Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detector (E-CHAID) method was employed to predict cross-gaming propensity. The E-CHAID models based on the gaming-related behavioral data produced actionable model accuracy rates for classifying cross-gamers and non-cross gamers along with the cross-gaming propensity scores for each patron. Using these scores, casino managers can accurately identify likely cross-gamers and develop a more targeted approach to market to them. Furthermore, the results of this study would enable casino managers to estimate incremental gaming revenues through cross-gaming. This, in turn, will assist them in spending marketing dollars more efficiently while maximizing gaming revenues

Play On: The Use of Games in Libraries

The use of games in the library is a currently trending topic of discussion and writing in the Library and Information Science profession. Upon first consideration, gaming may seem to be irrelevant at best and a waste of time and resources at worst. However, gaming does have several significant implications for all types of libraries, including greater exposure to new information technologies and the sense of community that a gaming program can foster. Thus, libraries should seriously consider the benefits of gaming programs and be prepared to carefully develop collection policies and to properly plan gaming opportunities for their patrons. The following literature review highlights how other libraries have accomplished these goals, provides examples of the different types of gaming programs that can be implemented in libraries, and explains the advantages for the library that come with a gaming program

Becoming Respectable: A History of Early Social Responsibility in the Las Vegas Casino Industry

Today’s gaming corporations actively engage with their communities by supporting nonprofit organizations and adopting environmentally friendly practices among other socially responsible actions. This research considers precursors to modern corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the gaming industry by examining the philanthropic activities of the casino owners in Las Vegas in the early days of its development. This historical look at early philanthropy in the gaming industry provides a contextual background for considering contemporary corporate social responsibility. While the gaming industry has clearly come a long way from its early ties to organized crime, an understanding of this context helps further discussion about the place of CSR in today’s gaming industry and the role that gaming corporations should play as corporate citizens

Privacy in Gaming

Video game platforms and business models are increasingly built on collection, use, and sharing of personal information for purposes of both functionality and revenue. This paper examines privacy issues and explores data practices, technical specifications, and policy statements of the most popular games and gaming platforms to provide an overview of the current privacy legal landscape for mobile gaming, console gaming, and virtual reality devices. The research observes how modern gaming aligns with information privacy notions and norms and how data practices and technologies specific to gaming may affect users and, in particular, child gamers. After objectively selecting and analyzing major players in gaming, the research notes the many different ways that game companies collect data from users, including through cameras, sensors, microphones, and other hardware, through platform features for social interaction and user-generated content, and by means of tracking technologies like cookies and beacons. The paper also notes how location and biometric data are collected routinely through game platforms and explores issues specific to mobile gaming and pairing with smartphones and other external hardware devices. The paper concludes that transparency as to gaming companies’ data practices could be much improved, especially regarding sharing with third party affiliates. In addition, the research considers how children’s privacy may be particularly affected while gaming, determining that special attention should be paid to user control mechanisms and privacy settings within games and platforms, that social media and other interactive features create unique privacy and safety concerns for children which require gamer and parent education, and that privacy policy language is often incongruent with age ratings advertised to children and parents. To contribute additional research value and resources, the paper attaches a comprehensive set of appendices, on which the research conclusions are in part based, detailing the technical specifications and privacy policy statements of popular games and gaming platforms for mobile gaming, console gaming, and virtual reality devices