Videogame addiction: an overview of the literature

This paper overviews the literature on videogame addiction and related research into the negative consequences of excessive videogame playing. Much of this research has been carried out on children and adolescents although recent research into online gaming suggests a minority of adults play very excessively. The paper demonstrates that research into videogame addiction is a little studied phenomenon and that more research is needed before the debate on whether videogame addiction is a distinct clinical entity can be decided. The research evidence suggests that videogames appear to be at least potentially addictive and that excessive videogame playing can have potentially damaging effects upon a small minority of individuals who appear to display elements of compulsive and addictive behaviour.