Craving for internet games? Withdrawal symptoms from an 84-h abstinence from Massively Multiplayer Online gaming

This qualitative study examined the psychological consequences of an 84-h Internet gaming abstinence period for young adults with and without Internet gaming disorder. Using a repeated-measures online survey methodology, participants were asked to abstain and then describe their craving for Internet games, including any coping strategies used to manage craving, and to reflect on the positive and negative aspects of gaming abstinence. A total of 155 written responses were gathered from 24 participants (Mageź=ź24.6 years, SDź=ź5.8), including 9 who met the criteria for Internet gaming disorder, recruited from online gaming communities. Participants completed a series of seven online surveys containing open-ended questions before, during, and after abstaining from Massively Multiplayer Online games. The results revealed several key themes, including: (1) internal and external cues that elicit craving for Internet games; (2) beliefs and assumptions about Internet gaming experiences; (3) negative affect related to abstinence; (4) coping strategies for managing craving; (5) beneficial outcomes in behavioral and cognitive domains, including adjustments to gaming-specific activities; and (6) negative outcomes such as unwanted emotional and cognitive states, and social isolation. Notably, participants' reactions to gaming abstinence could be broadly characterized as boredom and a drive for mental stimulation, which seemed somewhat inconsistent with the DSM-5 criterion of withdrawal. These data provide new insights to guide clinical conceptualization and interventions for problematic patterns of Internet gaming behavior. We examine the psychological consequences of Internet gaming abstinence.Individuals with Internet gaming disorder abstained from games for 84źh.All participants completed seven surveys over a 6-week period.Withdrawal symptoms primarily included boredom and a desire for mental stimulation.Alternative models of disordered Internet gaming should be explored.

[1]  John Lynch,et al.  Validation of World Health Organization Guidelines for cancer pain relief: a 10-year prospective study , 1995, Pain.

[2]  Daniel L. King,et al.  DSM-5 internet gaming disorder needs a unified approach to assessment , 2014 .

[3]  Daniel L. King,et al.  Toward a consensus definition of pathological video-gaming: a systematic review of psychometric assessment tools. , 2013, Clinical psychology review.

[4]  Hermano Tavares,et al.  Comparison of craving between pathological gamblers and alcoholics. , 2005, Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research.

[5]  Andrew K. Przybylski,et al.  The Motivational Pull of Video Games: A Self-Determination Theory Approach , 2006 .

[6]  J. Vander Bilt,et al.  "Computer addiction": a critical consideration. , 2000, The American journal of orthopsychiatry.

[7]  M. Molesworth,et al.  Adult videogame consumption as individualised, episodic progress , 2016 .

[8]  Doug Hyun Han,et al.  Changes in brain activity in response to problem solving during the abstinence from online game play. , 2012, Journal of behavioral addictions.

[9]  R. Tao,et al.  Proposed diagnostic criteria for internet addiction. , 2010, Addiction.

[10]  P. Sedgwick.  Retrospective cohort studies: advantages and disadvantages , 2014, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[11]  V. Braun,et al.  Using thematic analysis in psychology , 2006 .

[12]  Janet B W Williams,et al.  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , 2013 .

[13]  Hermano Tavares,et al.  A comparison of craving and emotional states between pathological gamblers and alcoholics. , 2007, Addictive behaviors.

[14]  Douglas A. Gentile,et al.  A Conceptual Review of Research on the Pathological Use of Computers, Video Games, and the Internet , 2012, International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.

[15]  P. Maurage,et al.  Are we overpathologizing everyday life? A tenable blueprint for behavioral addiction research , 2015, Journal of behavioral addictions.

[16]  Jeroen S. Lemmens,et al.  An international consensus for assessing internet gaming disorder using the new DSM-5 approach. , 2014, Addiction.

[17]  M. Davies,et al.  EverQuest—It’s Just a Computer Game Right? An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Online Gaming Addiction , 2006, International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.

[18]  Daniel L. King,et al.  Withdrawal symptoms in internet gaming disorder: A systematic review. , 2016, Clinical psychology review.

[19]  Mark D. Griffiths,et al.  A Qualitative Analysis of Online Gaming Addicts in Treatment , 2013, International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.

[20]  Daniel L. King,et al.  Sleep Interference Effects of Pathological Electronic Media Use during Adolescence , 2014, International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.

[21]  Alex Blaszczynski,et al.  Internet Use: In Search of an Addiction , 2006, International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.

[22]  Daniel L. King,et al.  The cognitive psychology of Internet gaming disorder. , 2014, Clinical psychology review.

[23]  Megan E. Piper,et al.  Tobacco withdrawal components and their relations with cessation success , 2011, Psychopharmacology.

[24]  Daniel L. King,et al.  Internet gaming disorder treatment: a review of definitions of diagnosis and treatment outcome. , 2014, Journal of clinical psychology.

[25]  M. Griffiths.  The Role of Context in Online Gaming Excess and Addiction: Some Case Study Evidence , 2009, International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.

[26]  Kent E Hutchison,et al.  Marijuana withdrawal and craving: influence of the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CNR1) and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) genes. , 2008, Addiction.

[27]  Richard T. A. Wood,et al.  Problems with the Concept of Video Game “Addiction”: Some Case Study Examples , 2008, International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.

[28]  Luther Elliott,et al.  Video Game Genre as a Predictor of Problem Use , 2012, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[29]  Daniel L. King,et al.  Understanding and assisting excessive players of video games: a community psychology perspective , 2009 .

[30]  Daniel L. King,et al.  Video Game Structural Characteristics: A New Psychological Taxonomy , 2009, International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.

[31]  Katie Salen,et al.  Rules of play: game design fundamentals , 2003 .

[32]  Nick Yee,et al.  Motivations for Play in Online Games , 2006, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[33]  Caryn Lerman,et al.  Comparative dynamics of four smoking withdrawal symptom scales. , 2012, Addiction.

[34]  M. Griffiths.  A ‘components’ model of addiction within a biopsychosocial framework , 2005 .

[35]  Joshua M. Smyth,et al.  Beyond Self-Selection in Video Game Play: An Experimental Examination of the Consequences of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game Play , 2007, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[36]  M. Potenza,et al.  Introduction to Behavioral Addictions , 2010, The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse.

[37]  Kevin A Hallgren,et al.  Trajectories of Drinking Urges During Individual- and Couple-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorders , 2015, Alcoholism treatment quarterly.

[38]  Robert Weis,et al.  Effects of Video-Game Ownership on Young Boys’ Academic and Behavioral Functioning , 2010, Psychological science.

[39]  Eliot R. Smith,et al.  Research methods in social relations , 1962 .

[40]  Daniel Kardefelt-Winther,et al.  A critical account of DSM-5 criteria for internet gaming disorder , 2015 .

[41]  Kuan-Ta Chen,et al.  An analysis of WoW players' game hours , 2008, NETGAMES.