Andrew Walsh

Frank Greenagel

Video game addiction is the latest behavioral process disorder. While it is similar to substance misuse disorders and problematic gambling, little is known about pathology and almost nothing about treatment. It was added to the latest version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), which resulted in headline news around the world in June of 2018. It is expected that it will be added the next version of the DSM (DSM 5.1), the mental health diagnostic book that is used in the United States. To put the gaming industry in perspective, consider that worldwide revenue for McDonalds was $22 billion in 2017. U.S. only revenue from video games in 2018 is projected to be $30 billion. Furthermore, very few non-gamers know about loot boxes. These are boxes/chests in games that one can spend money on in order to acquire desired items. Loot boxes are cheaper than most desired items in the box, so players are hoping that it contains what they want (it usually doesn't). The authors view loot boxes as gambling, as do some European governments. We believe that loot boxes are priming a few generations for gambling problems. This book examines the history of gaming and then devotes individual chapters to gaming in the United States and several Asian countries. Since video games emerged as a public health crisis in South Korean, Japan, China and Thailand about a decade earlier than the United States, there is much we can learn from their research and actions. We explain the psychology of game design and how manufacturers intentionally made games to be addictive. There is a chapter on how to recognize or diagnose video game addiction, and there is the horrifying and moving story of a young man who has been abstinent from video games for over three years. The book concludes with recommendations for parents, researchers, clinicians, educators and policy makers.

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