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Abstract
Introduction
This research aimed to analyze the connection between cell sport genres and Internet gaming dysfunction (IGD) in early adolescents utilizing a novel goal-oriented classification system. Additionally, the research examined whether or not day by day gaming time mediates the affiliation between sport style and problematic gaming.
Methods
Data had been drawn from Wave 8 of the Kids Cohort for Understanding Internet Addiction Risk Factors in Early Childhood (Okay-CURE), together with 152 individuals aged 9 to 12 years. Participants recognized their most incessantly performed cell sport, which was categorized into three teams: bodily impediment, cognitive impediment, and aggressive video games. Problematic gaming was assessed utilizing the Internet Gaming Use-Elicited Symptom Screen (IGUESS). Multiple linear regression analyses had been carried out to judge the associations between sport genres and IGD, controlling for demographic and parental variables. Mediation analyses had been carried out utilizing day by day gaming time as a mediator, testing each direct and oblique results.
Results
Regression analyses indicated that enjoying bodily impediment video games was considerably related to greater IGUESS scores in comparison with minimal gamers (B = 1.709, p = 0.039), whereas cognitive and aggressive video games didn’t present vital direct associations. Females scored decrease than males (B = −1.462, p = 0.014) and older age was a big predictor (B = 0.092, p = 0.005). Mediation analyses revealed that each bodily impediment (oblique β = 0.104, p = 0.017) and aggressive video games (oblique β = 0.076, p = 0.034) had vital oblique results on IGUESS scores by elevated day by day gaming time. No direct results of sport style remained vital after accounting for gaming time, suggesting a sample in line with full statistical mediation.
Discussion
These exploratory findings recommend that sure cell sport genres, significantly bodily impediment and aggressive video games, could also be related to elevated threat of problematic gaming in adolescents primarily by their capability to extend gaming time fairly than by direct results.
Keywords: day by day gaming time, early adolescence, sport style, gaming dysfunction, cell gaming
Introduction
With the revision of the International Classification of Diseases, eleventh version, by the World Health Organization, gaming issues have been formally acknowledged as scientific diagnoses and have garnered appreciable consideration within the subject of psychological well being. Problematic gaming amongst adolescents has emerged as a big concern as media use continues to rise globally (Purwaningsih and Nurmala, 2021). Studies have proven that problematic gaming is related to an elevated threat of substance use and better ranges of melancholy, loneliness, and social anxiousness (Archer, 2018; Chen and Zhang, 2023). Adolescents who’re susceptible to impulsivity and have underdeveloped emotional regulation talents could also be significantly vulnerable to Internet gaming dysfunction (IGD) (Chandradasa and Rodrigo, 2017).
In a number of research, the severity of problematic gaming in most of the people has usually been perceived as proportional to the period of time spent gaming. While gaming time alone doesn’t absolutely seize patterns of play, kinds of video games, or the subjective experiences of gamers, it stays an vital issue that interacts with different variables within the improvement of problematic gaming. Accordingly, latest analysis has more and more emphasised the necessity to think about each quantitative indicators corresponding to gaming period and qualitative elements corresponding to sport style when inspecting IGD (Chang and Kim, 2020; Kuss and Griffiths, 2012; Kim et al., 2022). Accordingly, repeated claims have been made specializing in gamers’ subjective experiences, physiological responses, and ranges of immersion in video games. As these elements are extra strongly affected by sport style or content material fairly than by gaming time itself, consideration has more and more shifted towards the qualitative elements of gaming.
Several research have investigated the affiliation between sport style and IGD based mostly on the qualitative elements of gaming habits (Kim et al., 2022; Jo, 2025; Na et al., 2017). Most research have categorized sport genres in response to participant habits, corresponding to role-playing video games (RPG), first-person shooters (FPS), real-time technique (RTS) video games, racing video games, arcade video games, and taking pictures video games. Many research have reported that sport genres, corresponding to RPG, FPS, and RTS, are related to a better threat of problematic gaming.
However, a recurring criticism of those research is the shortage of readability within the classification of sport genres (Clarke and Lee, 2015). Genre classification in gaming analysis has been criticized for being overly simplistic and failing to seize the advanced hybrid nature of contemporary video games (Apperley, 2006). This complexity necessitates extra theoretically grounded approaches to style classification to raised seize the connection between sport design options and addictive behaviors. However, the traditional classification strategies have a number of limitations. First, the boundaries between sport genres are sometimes ambiguous; for instance, a single sport might incorporate parts of each the motion and role-playing genres. Second, what a participant does inside a sport is subjective; subsequently, even when enjoying the identical sport, the participant’s expertise might differ, making it troublesome to treat style classification as goal. Therefore, there may be an rising want for a extra refined and exact classification of sport genres.
To tackle these issues, this research employed a novel strategy to categorise sport genres as a substitute of counting on typical strategies. According to Lee and Kwon (2008), video games might be broadly categorized based mostly on whether or not they intention for particular person aim attainment or structured competitors. Participants had been requested to establish their most incessantly performed cell sport, which was then categorized by skilled researchers utilizing predetermined standards based mostly on sport mechanics and targets. This strategy proposes a extra goal system that doesn’t rely upon the participant’s subjective expertise. In this research, cell video games had been categorized into three classes–bodily impediment video games, cognitive impediment video games, and aggressive video games–and the associations between these classes and IGD had been analyzed. By classifying sport genres in response to a constant set of standards fairly than merely itemizing genres as in typical classification strategies, this research aimed to look at extra clearly how sport traits are related to problematic gaming. Additionally, the research examined whether or not day by day gaming time mediates the connection between sport style and IGD.
Methods
Study design and individuals
This research utilized information from Wave 8 of the Kids Cohort for Understanding Internet Addiction Risk Factors in Early Childhood (Okay-CURE). The Okay-CURE represents the primary potential research in South Korea to analyze the long-term impacts of early media publicity on little one improvement. Since its inception in 2015, it constantly tracked the developmental trajectories of kids aged 2–5 years yearly by parent-reported assessments. Notably, self-reported assessments had been launched for the primary time in 2022, because the individuals had reached the 4th grade of elementary college at roughly 10 years outdated.
Data had been collected utilizing a web-based digital Case Report Form system. Children accomplished the net survey individually, both at house or in school, taking roughly 30–40 min per evaluation.
A complete of 164 kids participated on this survey. After excluding 12 individuals with lacking information on key variables (parental ages, n = 5; observer-reported parental web dependancy scores, n = 7), 152 individuals had been included within the last evaluation. Participants who didn’t report a selected most-frequently-played cell sport had been categorized as “minimal players” and served because the reference class in all regression and mediation analyses. The individuals’ ages on the time of the survey ranged from 9 years, 11 months to 12 years, 7 months (imply = 11.22 years, SD = 0.72). The pattern consisted of 92 boys (60.5%) and 60 women (39.5%). The survey encompassed varied elements together with good gadget utilization patterns, gaming and social media behaviors, psychological and emotional well being, and sleep habits. To complement subjective self-reported information with goal behavioral metrics, individuals had been additionally requested to add display time captures from their major gadgets.
Assessment instruments
This research employed a number of validated self-reported and observer-reported devices to evaluate digital dependancy tendencies amongst adolescents and their mother and father.
The Adolescent Internet Addiction Self-Diagnosis Scale: Brief Form (KS-II) was used to judge adolescents’ threat of Internet dependancy. Developed as a part of the “Advanced Research on Internet Addiction Diagnostic Scale” by Shin and Kim (2011a), the KS-II consists of 15 gadgets based mostly on the unique Okay scale (Kim et al., 2002), in addition to theoretical frameworks proposed by Young (1996) and Greenfield (1999). The scale demonstrated excessive inside consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.814), and its criterion and issue validity had been supported by AMOS-based evaluation.
To measure adolescents’ tendencies towards problematic smartphone use, the Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale for Youth: Self-Report (S-scale) was administered. This 15-item scale was developed by Shin and Kim (2011b) in a nationwide mission on smartphone dependancy. It confirmed sturdy inside consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.880) and acceptable ranges of each criterion and structural validity.
Problematic Internet gaming habits was assessed utilizing the Internet Gaming Use-Elicited Symptom Screen (IGUESS), a 9-item screening instrument developed by Cho and Lee (2013). Based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders standards, the IGUESS is appropriate for youngsters and adults and exhibited glorious reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.940). At a cutoff rating of 8, the IGUESS demonstrated a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 87%. At a cutoff rating of 10, the sensitivity was 79% and the specificity was 87%.
The Short-Form Internet Addiction Proneness Scale for Adults: Self-Report was used for folks. This 15-item device is predicated on the unique Okay scale and demonstrated strong inside reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.870).
Finally, to evaluate the digital habits of the adolescent’s different mum or dad as noticed by their accomplice, the Internet Addiction Proneness Scale for Adults: Observer-Report was administered. This 15-item scale incorporates parts from Young (1996); Greenfield (1999), and the Okay-scale. It confirmed average inside consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.711), with structural validity confirmed by issue evaluation.
Game style classification
Participants had been requested to establish their most incessantly performed cell sport from a standardized listing of 21 style choices. Based on the goal-oriented classification framework by Lee and Kwon (2008), reported genres had been reclassified into three classes: bodily impediment video games (requiring motor coordination and reflexive motion, e.g., RPG, taking pictures, motion), cognitive impediment video games (requiring problem-solving and sample recognition, e.g., puzzle, journey, rhythm), and aggressive video games (involving structured competitors towards opponents ruled by shared guidelines, e.g., sports activities, racing, AOS) (Figure 1). Classification was carried out by skilled researchers utilizing predefined standards based mostly on every sport’s major gameplay mechanic; when a sport contained hybrid parts, the first mechanic decided its class. A whole listing of sub-genres and their assigned classes is offered in Supplementary Table S1.
Figure 1.
Classification of sport genres. Mobile video games had been categorized into three teams in response to sport mechanics and targets: bodily impediment video games (requiring motor coordination and reflexive motion, e.g., role-playing, taking pictures, motion RPG), cognitive impediment video games (requiring problem-solving and sample recognition, e.g., puzzle, journey, quiz, rhythm video games), and aggressive video games (involving structured competitors, e.g., sports activities, racing, AOS, battle video games), based mostly on the framework by Lee and Kwon (2008).
Statistical analyses
All statistical analyses had been carried out utilizing Jamovi software program (Version 2.6.26), which is predicated on the R statistical computing setting (R Core Team, 2024). The information evaluation proceeded as follows: First, descriptive statistics, together with means and normal deviations, had been computed to grasp the general traits and distribution of the important thing variables. Subsequently, to establish vital variations between the varied teams, a one-way evaluation of variance was used. Specifically, Welch’s correction was utilized when the belief of homogeneity of variances was violated. When statistically vital variations had been discovered, applicable post-hoc comparisons had been carried out utilizing the Games–Howell check, which is appropriate for unequal variances and pattern sizes.
Multiple linear regression analyses had been carried out to establish the important thing elements predicting IGUESS scores amongst adolescents. In these analyses, the impartial variables included demographic elements (age, intercourse, parental age, and month-to-month family earnings), media use patterns (cell sport initiation age and sport style group), and parental web use traits (log-transformed scores of grownup web dependancy and observer-reported parental web dependancy).
To study whether or not day by day gaming time mediates the affiliation between sport style and IGD, mediation analyses had been carried out utilizing the jAMM (Jamovi Advanced Mediation Models) module in Jamovi (Version 2.6.26). Daily gaming time was calculated as a weighted common: [(weekday hours × 5) + (weekend hours × 2)]/7, incorporating each child-appropriate and 12 + rated video games measured on a 7-point scale. The mediation mannequin included sport style teams as predictors, day by day gaming time because the mediator, and IGUESS scores as the end result, controlling for all demographic and parental variables included within the regression analyses. We evaluated path a (style → time), path b (time → IGUESS), path c′ (direct impact: style → IGUESS), and the oblique impact (a × b). Confidence intervals had been computed utilizing the Delta technique, with α = 0.05. We notice that whereas bootstrapping is more and more really helpful for mediation analyses, the Delta technique was employed because the default process in jAMM and was thought-about applicable given the average pattern dimension (N = 152). As the present evaluation is cross-sectional, the mediation mannequin doesn’t set up temporal ordering or causal course.
Ethics assertion
This research acquired approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) on the Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon City, South Korea (IRB No. AJIRB-SBR-SUR-22-285). Written knowledgeable consent was obtained from all individuals’ authorized guardians previous to enrollment, and written assent was obtained from the kid individuals themselves. Both guardians and youngsters had been knowledgeable of the research’s goal, procedures, anticipated period, and their proper to withdraw from the research at any time with out penalty. All information had been collected through a safe, password-protected digital Case Report Form system. Personal identifiers had been eliminated previous to evaluation, and all information had been saved on safe servers accessible solely to approved analysis personnel to make sure confidentiality.
Results
This research analyzed the affiliation between sport style and problematic gaming amongst early adolescents. After excluding 12 individuals with lacking information on key variables, the ultimate analytic pattern consisted of 152 individuals, of whom 92 (60.5%) had been male and 60 (39.5%) had been feminine. Participants had been categorized into 4 teams based mostly on their most incessantly performed cell sport: 59 (38.8%) performed bodily impediment video games, 41 (27.0%) performed cognitive impediment video games, 30 (19.7%) performed aggressive video games, and 22 (14.5%) had been minimal gamers (i.e., individuals who didn’t report a selected most-frequently-played cell sport). The imply participant age was 11.22 years (SD = 0.72), with no vital age variations noticed throughout teams. Participants reported starting cell sport use at a mean age of 8.77 years (SD = 1.50). The imply ages of fathers and moms had been 45.33 years (SD = 4.79) and 42.79 years (SD = 3.59), respectively. A chi-square check revealed a big affiliation between intercourse and sport style group, χ2(3) = 17.16, p = 0.001. Male individuals had been considerably extra prone to play aggressive video games than feminine individuals (27.1% vs. 5.9%), whereas feminine individuals had been extra prone to be categorized as minimal gamers (25.0% vs. 8.3%). The proportions of bodily impediment and cognitive impediment sport gamers had been related throughout sexes. Overall, the pattern was evenly distributed throughout varied demographic parameters (Table 1).
Table 1.
Demographic traits of individuals by sport style group.
| Demographics | Minimal participant (n = 22) | Physical impediment (n = 59) | Cognitive impediment (n = 41) | Competitive sport (n = 30) | Total (N = 152) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | |||||
| Male | 8 (36.4%) | 34 (57.6%) | 24 (58.5%) | 26 (86.7%) | 92 (60.5%) |
| Female | 14 (63.6%) | 25 (42.4%) | 17 (41.5%) | 4 (13.3%) | 60 (39.5%) |
| Age (years) | 11.16 ± 0.71 | 11.39 ± 0.74 | 11.10 ± 0.69 | 11.09 ± 0.71 | 11.22 ± 0.72 |
| Parent’s age (years) | |||||
| Father | 46.23 ± 4.60 | 45.71 ± 5.56 | 44.78 ± 4.02 | 44.67 ± 4.26 | 45.33 ± 4.79 |
| Mother | 43.59 ± 3.05 | 43.73 ± 3.82 | 42.05 ± 3.32 | 41.37 ± 3.27 | 42.79 ± 3.59 |
| Age at first cell sport use (years) | 8.91 ± 1.63 | 8.80 ± 1.41 | 8.76 ± 1.66 | 8.63 ± 1.40 | 8.77 ± 1.50 |
| Monthly home maintain earnings | |||||
| Level 1 | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (3.4%) | 0(0.0%) | 0(0.0%) | 2 (1.3%) |
| Level 2 | 3 (13.6%) | 7 (11.9%) | 4 (9.8%) | 5 (16.7%) | 19 (12.5%) |
| Level 3 | 7 (31.8%) | 21 (35.6%) | 21 (51.2%) | 13(43.3%) | 62 (40.8%) |
| Level 4 | 12 (54.6%) | 29 (49.1%) | 16 (39.0%) | 12(40.0%) | 69 (45.4%) |
| Daily sport play time (hours) | 0.22 ± 0.47 | 2.09 ± 1.84 | 1.49 ± 2.01 | 1.95 ± 2.04 | 1.63 ± 1.90 |
Welch’s ANOVA indicated a big distinction in IGUESS scores throughout sport style teams, F(3, 78.5) = 4.99, p = 0.003. Games–Howell post-hoc checks revealed that the bodily impediment sport group had considerably greater IGUESS scores than minimal gamers (p = 0.002), whereas the cognitive impediment and aggressive sport teams didn’t differ considerably from minimal gamers (Table 2).
Table 2.
Mean variations in IGUESS scores and day by day gaming time by sport style.
| Game style group | N | Mean | SD | Post-hoc (vs. non-player) | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IGUESS rating | |||||
| Non-player | 25 | 1.16 | 1.89 | — | — |
| Physical impediment | 65 | 3.40 | 3.85 | Significant | 0.002 |
| Cognitive impediment | 44 | 2.36 | 3.58 | N.S. | 0.270 |
| Competitive sport | 30 | 2.90 | 3.49 | N.S. | 0.101 |
| Daily gaming time | |||||
| Non-player | 25 | 0.22 | 0.55 | — | — |
| Physical impediment | 65 | 1.71 | 1.68 | Significant | <0.001 |
| Cognitive impediment | 44 | 1.13 | 1.76 | Significant | 0.003 |
| Competitive sport | 30 | 1.57 | 1.61 | Significant | <0.001 |
Multiple linear regression evaluation was carried out to foretell IGUESS scores (Table 3). The total mannequin accounted for about 12.5% of the variance in IGUESS scores (Adjusted R2 = 0.125). Significant predictors included the sport group, participant intercourse, and age in months. Specifically, enjoying bodily impediment video games was related to greater IGUESS scores in comparison with minimal gamers (B = 1.709, p = 0.039). Other sport genres (cognitive impediment video games and aggressive video games) didn’t present statistically vital variations in comparison with minimal gamers. Regarding demographic variables, females scored considerably decrease than males on the IGUESS (B = −1.462, p = 0.014), indicating that males exhibited greater ranges of problematic gaming. Additionally, age was a big constructive predictor (B = 0.092, p = 0.005), indicating that older individuals tended to have greater IGUESS scores.
Table 3.
Factors related to web gaming dependancy.
| 95% Confidence interval | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Predictor | B | SE | Lower | Upper | t | p |
| Intercepta | −22.164 | 6.968 | −35.939 | −8.389 | −3.181 | 0.002 |
| Group | ||||||
| 2–1 | 1.709 | 0.821 | 0.087 | 3.332 | 2.083 | 0.039 |
| 3–1 | 1.169 | 0.876 | −0.562 | 2.900 | 1.335 | 0.184 |
| 4–1 | 1.271 | 0.962 | −0.631 | 3.173 | 1.321 | 0.189 |
| Sex | ||||||
| M–F | −1.462 | 0.588 | −2.625 | −0.300 | −2.486 | 0.014 |
| Age (years) | 1.106 | 0.388 | 0.341 | 1.872 | 2.857 | 0.005 |
| Father age (years) | 0.115 | 0.074 | −0.031 | 0.261 | 1.554 | 0.122 |
| Mother age (years) | 0.001 | 0.101 | −0.198 | 0.199 | 0.008 | 0.994 |
| Monthly family earnings | −0.065 | 0.367 | −0.791 | 0.662 | −0.175 | 0.861 |
| Log-transformed grownup web dependancy | 1.414 | 1.114 | −0.789 | 3.616 | 1.269 | 0.207 |
| Observer-reported parental web dependancy | 0.539 | 1.292 | −2.015 | 3.094 | 0.417 | 0.677 |
| Age at first cell sport use | 0.074 | 0.184 | −0.291 | 0.438 | 0.400 | 0.690 |
| Adjusted R2 | 0.125 | |||||
To additional discover the associations underlying the connection between sport style and problematic gaming, mediation evaluation was carried out with day by day gaming time as a mediator (Table 4, Figure 2). The evaluation revealed vital oblique results of sport style on IGUESS scores by day by day gaming time. Specifically, bodily impediment video games exhibited a big oblique impact (oblique β = 0.104, p = 0.017), as did aggressive video games (oblique β = 0.076, p = 0.034). The oblique impact for cognitive impediment video games approached however didn’t attain typical statistical significance (β = 0.067, p = 0.051).
Table 4.
Mediation evaluation: gaming time as mediator of style results on gaming dependancy.
| Effect kind | Path | B | SE | 95% CI decrease | 95% CI higher | β | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indirect results | |||||||
| Physical impediment → time → IGUESS | 0.730 | 0.305 | 0.131 | 1.328 | 0.104 | 0.017 | |
| Cognitive impediment → time → IGUESS | 0.520 | 0.266 | −0.002 | 1.041 | 0.067 | 0.051 | |
| Competitive → time → IGUESS | 0.657 | 0.311 | 0.048 | 1.266 | 0.076 | 0.034 | |
| Path coefficients | |||||||
| Path a | Physical impediment → gaming time | 1.597 | 0.432 | 0.75 | 2.443 | 0.411 | <0.001 |
| Cognitive impediment → gaming time | 1.137 | 0.455 | 0.245 | 2.029 | 0.267 | 0.013 | |
| Competitive → gaming time | 1.437 | 0.502 | 0.454 | 2.420 | 0.302 | 0.004 | |
| Path b | Gaming time → IGUESS | 0.457 | 0.146 | 0.171 | 0.743 | 0.252 | 0.002 |
| Direct results | |||||||
| Path c′ | Physical impediment → IGUESS | 0.900 | 0.811 | −0.69 | 2.490 | 0.128 | 0.267 |
| Cognitive impediment → IGUESS | 0.382 | 0.835 | −1.255 | 2.019 | 0.05 | 0.647 | |
| Competitive → IGUESS | 0.419 | 0.926 | −1.396 | 2.233 | 0.049 | 0.651 | |
| Total results | |||||||
| Path c | Physical impediment → IGUESS | 1.630 | 0.805 | 0.053 | 3.207 | 0.232 | 0.043 |
| Cognitive impediment → IGUESS | 0.902 | 0.848 | −0.759 | 2.563 | 0.117 | 0.287 | |
| Competitive → IGUESS | 1.076 | 0.934 | −0.754 | 2.905 | 0.125 | 0.249 | |
| Control variables | |||||||
| Age → IGUESS (direct) | 0.080 | 0.031 | 0.020 | 0.140 | 0.203 | 0.009 | |
| Sex (M vs. F) → IGUESS (direct) | −1.002 | 0.556 | −2.092 | 0.088 | −0.143 | 0.072 | |
Figure 2.
Mediation mannequin of day by day gaming time between sport style and web gaming dysfunction (IGD). Path coefficients (standardized β) are offered for associations between sport genres, day by day gaming time, and IGUESS scores. All sport style teams are in comparison with minimal gamers (reference group). Solid traces point out statistically vital paths (p < 0.05), and dashed traces point out non-significant paths. Confidence intervals had been computed utilizing the Delta technique. *p < 0.05. **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001. IGUESS, web gaming use-elicited symptom display.
Path analyses demonstrated that each one sport genres had been related to elevated day by day gaming time in comparison with minimal gamers, with bodily impediment video games displaying the strongest affiliation (β = 0.411, p < 0.001), adopted by aggressive (β = 0.302, p = 0.004) and cognitive impediment video games (β = 0.267, p = 0.013). Daily gaming time considerably predicted IGUESS scores (β = 0.252, p = 0.002).
When gaming time was included within the mannequin, direct results of all genres turned non-significant (all p > 0.05), yielding a sample in line with full statistical mediation within the cross-sectional information.
Discussion
This research analyzed the affiliation between sport genres and problematic gaming amongst early adolescents aged 9 to 12 years. The IGUESS scores had been greater within the bodily impediment video games group than within the different teams. Multiple linear regression evaluation revealed that bodily impediment video games had been considerably related to greater IGUESS scores. In addition to sport style, intercourse and age had been additionally discovered to be vital predictors of IGUESS scores. However, parental web dependancy—assessed by each self-report and partner-observation measures—didn’t considerably predict adolescents’ IGUESS scores within the present mannequin.
Previous research have reported that genres corresponding to RPGs, FPSs, and RTS video games are related to a better threat of problematic gaming (Kim et al., 2022). While our preliminary findings appeared to align with this sample—bodily impediment video games (which embody RPGs and RTS) confirmed elevated IGUESS scores—our mediation evaluation revealed a special underlying sample. Rather than being immediately related to greater IGD threat by genre-specific options alone, these video games seem like related to elevated problematic gaming primarily by their capability to increase play period. This shifts understanding from “which genres are associated with problematic gaming” to ‘how games may relate to problematic gaming through prolonged engagement’.
The mediation evaluation additional clarified the associations between sport genres and problematic gaming. Physical impediment and aggressive video games weren’t immediately related to IGUESS scores after accounting for day by day gaming time (path c′: each p > 0.05), however each had been considerably related to elevated gaming period (path a: p < 0.01), which in flip was related to elevated IGUESS scores (path b: β = 0.252, p = 0.002). Cognitive impediment video games confirmed the same sample, although the oblique impact was marginal (p = 0.051).
From a theoretical perspective, this sample is in line with a mannequin through which the chance of IGD is greatest understood by the intervening position of gaming period fairly than by easy associations between style and problematic gaming. Different sport genres seem to fluctuate primarily of their capability to provoke and maintain gaming habits. However, it ought to be famous that these cross-sectional findings can’t set up causal directionality, and longitudinal analyses from future Okay-CURE waves shall be wanted to check temporal ordering.
These associations could also be associated to particular sport design options, together with the extent of sport immersion, in-game competitors, reward programs, and mechanisms of social interplay, all of which can extend the period of time gamers spend within the sport and thereby be related to elevated threat of problematic gaming. In each bodily impediment and aggressive video games, vivid imagery and sound are sometimes used to foster deeper immersion, whereas the formation of in-game networks encourages gamers to stay engaged for longer intervals. Features that enable gamers to right away have interaction in crew play upon logging in, together with the thrill and sense of feat gained throughout play, might additional contribute to extended gaming periods. Moreover, these video games stimulate dopamine launch and improve sustained curiosity by providing a rigorously calibrated steadiness of steady and variable reinforcement. Modern sport design additionally more and more incorporates monetization options, corresponding to loot bins and near-miss mechanics, which additional reinforce extended engagement and should improve addictive potential (King and Delfabbro, 2018; Larche et al., 2017). These design parts, generally present in each bodily impediment and aggressive video games, might subsequently assist clarify why these genres are related to elevated IGUESS scores by their capability to increase gaming period.
The findings confirmed a big affiliation between age and IGUESS scores, which can be because of the tendency of older adolescents to have interaction extra incessantly in bodily impediment video games than in cognitive impediment video games. Sex additionally emerged as a big issue; a chi-square evaluation confirmed that sport style desire differed considerably by intercourse (χ2(3) = 17.16, p = 0.001), with male individuals being considerably extra prone to play aggressive video games (27.1% vs. 5.9%) and fewer prone to be minimal gamers (8.3% vs. 25.0%) in comparison with feminine individuals. This sample of better engagement in lively gaming amongst males is in line with earlier research reporting that males are typically extra susceptible to IGD than females (Ko et al., 2005; Nisha et al., 2024).
This research has a number of limitations. First, the evaluation was based mostly on a comparatively small pattern dimension of 152 individuals (164 earlier than exclusions). Although the 12 excluded individuals had full information on most research variables, a constant analytic pattern (N = 152) was used throughout all regression and mediation analyses to make sure comparability. Sensitivity checks confirmed that descriptive and ANOVA outcomes utilizing the complete pattern (N = 164) had been substantively equivalent to these obtained with the analytic pattern. The modest adjusted R2 of 0.125 signifies that roughly 87.5% of the variance in IGUESS scores stays unexplained by the present mannequin. This seemingly displays the multifactorial nature of problematic gaming, and future research ought to think about further predictors corresponding to particular person psychological elements (e.g., impulsivity, self-control, emotion regulation), social and peer influences on gaming habits, publicity to particular sport monetization options, and household elements past parental web dependancy (e.g., parenting model, mum or dad–little one relationship high quality). Second, though the mediation evaluation revealed a sample in line with full statistical mediation, the cross-sectional nature of the present evaluation precludes conclusions about causal course or temporal ordering. Longitudinal information from future Okay-CURE waves shall be obligatory to check whether or not the noticed associations mirror causal pathways. Third, the IGUESS is a screening device, not a diagnostic instrument for gaming issues; thus, classifying people as having IGD based mostly solely on their scores might not be correct. Fourth, confidence intervals for oblique results had been computed utilizing the Delta technique fairly than bootstrapping; future analyses ought to incorporate bootstrap resampling to additional validate the steadiness of the oblique impact estimates. Additionally, the novel style classification system used on this research, whereas theoretically grounded within the framework of Lee and Kwon (2008), has not been empirically validated towards established gaming habits measures, and formal inter-rater reliability was not calculated. Although all classifications had been carried out by skilled researchers utilizing predefined standards and discrepancies had been resolved by group dialogue, future research ought to incorporate impartial double-coding with inter-rater reliability reporting to strengthen methodological rigor. The present findings ought to subsequently be thought-about exploratory in nature. Furthermore, the non-significance of direct results after accounting for gaming time doesn’t essentially point out the absence of genre-specific psychological mechanisms, which can function by pathways not captured within the present mannequin.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this research categorized sport genres utilizing a transparent and constant goal-oriented framework and recognized day by day gaming time as a possible intervening variable by which sport style is related to problematic gaming threat. While bodily impediment and aggressive video games confirmed vital oblique associations with IGUESS scores by gaming period, direct style results weren’t vital when gaming time was accounted for. From a scientific standpoint, these exploratory findings emphasize the potential significance of monitoring and managing gaming period amongst adolescents who have interaction in bodily impediment and aggressive video games. Rather than focusing solely on the explicit restriction of explicit sport varieties, interventions focusing on the regulation of play time could also be related in mitigating the chance of problematic gaming. Parental supervision and psychoeducational packages selling time administration might function preventive methods. It ought to be famous that not all adolescents who play high-risk video games develop IGD; elements corresponding to self-control, particular person persona traits, and parental supervision have been reported as vital protecting variables (Ropovik et al., 2022). Therefore, additional analysis is required to look at the relationships between these potential protecting elements and problematic gaming, ideally utilizing longitudinal designs that may set up temporal ordering.
Funding Statement
The creator(s) declared that monetary assist was acquired for this work and/or its publication. This analysis was supported by a grant of the R&D mission, funded by the National Center for Mental Health (grant quantity: MHER25B01).
Footnotes
Data availability assertion
The dataset used on this research is a part of the Kids Cohort for Understanding Internet Addiction Risk Factors in Early Childhood (Okay-CURE), managed by the National Center for Mental Health. Due to moral restrictions and information safety insurance policies, the dataset can’t be publicly shared or distributed by the authors. Requests to entry the datasets ought to be directed to YS, [email protected].
Ethics assertion
The research involving people had been accredited by Institutional Review Board of the Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea (IRB No. AJIRB-SBR-SUR-22-285). The research had been carried out in accordance with the native laws and institutional necessities. Written knowledgeable consent for participation on this research was offered by the individuals’ authorized guardians/subsequent of kin.
Author contributions
KK: Writing – unique draft, Writing – overview & modifying, Conceptualization. SL: Data curation, Conceptualization, Writing – unique draft, Methodology, Writing – overview & modifying. SH: Methodology, Writing – overview & modifying. YS: Supervision, Data curation, Writing – overview & modifying, Conceptualization.
Conflict of curiosity
The creator(s) declared that this work was carried out within the absence of any business or monetary relationships that may very well be construed as a possible battle of curiosity.
Generative AI assertion
The creator(s) declared that Generative AI was used within the creation of this manuscript. Generative AI (ChatGPT, OpenAI GPT-5) was used to help in English language modifying and phrasing refinement solely. The authors reviewed, verified, and take full accountability for the accuracy and originality of all AI-assisted content material.
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Publisher’s notice
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Supplementary materials
The Supplementary materials for this text might be discovered on-line at:
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Associated Data
This part collects any information citations, information availability statements, or supplementary supplies included on this article.
Supplementary Materials
Data Availability Statement
The dataset used on this research is a part of the Kids Cohort for Understanding Internet Addiction Risk Factors in Early Childhood (Okay-CURE), managed by the National Center for Mental Health. Due to moral restrictions and information safety insurance policies, the dataset can’t be publicly shared or distributed by the authors. Requests to entry the datasets ought to be directed to YS, [email protected].
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