The role of video game design in addiction
The complex interplay between video game design , individual factors, and the environment creates varying vulnerabilities among people who play them. In this relationship, reward aspects, such as loot boxes , are key factors in the development of Internet gaming disorder and pathological gambling. This connection with social aspects can generate an addictive experience , especially in those with pre-existing risks, such as mental health problems or limited social skills. This highlights the crucial need for public awareness, regulation of the video game industry, and continued research to fully understand this phenomenon and reduce its negative impacts on people's mental health.
Video game design, an addictive potential
Video games are an entertainment tool increasingly used by children and adolescents. This is due, on the one hand, to the fact that technological improvements have facilitated the accessibility of video games and have improved their immersion (Castro-Calvo et al., 2021). On the other hand, the emergence of a new discipline such as e-sports has also increased the number of players. Titles such as League of Legends, Fortnite and Overwatch are some of the most played among the young and adolescent population. In addition, this new modality has been able to reach a more massive audience , thanks to the emergence of broadcasting platforms, such as Twitch and YouTube , which allow hundreds of thousands of people to watch competitive games live (Chan et al., 2021).
Although video games offer numerous benefits, such as prosocial behaviors that lead to long-term improvements in cognitive performance (Fabio et al., 2022), they can also have negative impacts on the psychological well-being of players . Problematic video game use has been associated with:
- Depression.
- Anxiety.
- Impulsivity.
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
- Gaming disorder.
- Compulsive buying.
- Decreased sleep quality.
- Low self-esteem.
- Loneliness.
- Aggressiveness.
- Poor academic or work performance (Carey et al., 2022; González-Cabrera et al., 2023; Raneri et al., 2022; Stavropoulos et al., 2022; Wong et al., 2020).
Warning signs of video game addiction
What do we know about internet gaming disorder?
The diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-5) classifies Internet Gaming Disorder as an addictive behavior that does not involve the consumption of psychoactive substances and that is marked by persistent and recurrent participation in online video games, which causes clinically significant distress in the individual (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Currently, its prevalence is between 1.96% and 4.97% (Pontes et al., 2022). Despite its incorporation into diagnostic manuals, controversy persists over the diagnostic criteria (Kuss et al., 2017). On the one hand, there are those who claim that Internet Gaming Disorder is a mental disorder based on addiction due to its involvement with biological mechanisms and brain responses similar to those observed in substance use disorders and other behavioral addictions. Instead, some believe that it should be categorized as an impulse control disorder, framing the behavior as a coping mechanism rather than a disorder in itself (Wang et al., 2019).
The design of video games, together with individual and environmental factors, creates a complex landscape that makes some people more vulnerable than others to developing pathological behaviors.
How does the design of video games affect the development of Internet gaming disorder and pathological gambling?
In the last decade, the video game industry has undergone a rapid evolution that has led to the emergence of increasingly sophisticated mechanics. With the data they have collected from monitoring the behavior of players, distributors have created titles that are increasingly attractive to younger people . Behind this appeal, there are some characteristics that aim to maintain the gaming behavior of regular users and attract new ones, thus promoting the development of behaviors associated with addictive experiences and gambling. For example, the game mechanics of Tetris in 1984 have nothing to do with the predatory mechanics that are now implemented in video games such as League of Legends , Fortnite or FIFA , designed to increase the time and frequency of game sessions and to make periodic expenditures of real money in the form of micropayments.
To learn more deeply which structural characteristics are most linked to maladaptive behaviors, we have the classification of Carmona et al. (2023), which separates them into three large blocks:
Control aspects
The structural features that belong to these aspects allow the user to alter the course of the events of the video game, and affect the final outcome of the games through the mastery of the mechanics. There are many ways to influence the course of the game . For example, one of the most common is the choice of a specific style of play by selecting a role with limited skills within the team, as happens in League of Legends . The mastery that the player has over these skills, and his ability to integrate them into the team as a whole, will allow more control over the outcome of the game.
Apart from this, there are also other features that allow you to choose from a wide variety of challenges, by choosing the objectives you want to complete and in what order you want to complete them. These features are presented in very different ways. For example, in Overwatch they are shown in the form of daily and weekly tasks, while in the Far Cry saga they are presented as main and secondary missions within the virtual world. It should be noted that the structural features belonging to the control aspects are the most valued by players , as a result of their presence in all titles. In addition, the control aspects serve as a protective factor against the risk of developing addictive behaviors on personal computers, due to their link to learning game mechanics and the consequent improvement in decision-making (Tan et al., 2019). However, this is not the case on mobile platforms and portable consoles.
Why do we get hooked on video games?
Social aspects
They are responsible for generating and regulating relationships between players in the virtual world . The best known is the real-time written and voice chat within the game to promote communication between players, but there are more. For example, the atmosphere between players plays a fundamental role in how they interpret the video game. Relationships are very different if the game's atmosphere is eminently competitive, as in Call of Duty , or if it is cooperative, as in Portal 2. Most of the main titles currently available combine the cooperative and competitive atmospheres , integrating features such as the evaluation of group performance at the end of the game, the grouping of players into teams or the presence of cooperative clans whose objective is to obtain individual rewards as a result of group collaboration. Although social aspects are the main reason for playing online, they are the second most valued by the gaming community. However, these aspects may pose a risk in the development of addictive behaviors in people who have very few social relationships in the real world and all the relationships they have occur in the virtual environment (Melodia et al., 2022).
Reward aspects
They are responsible for rewarding the player for performing certain actions within the virtual world, and thus maintaining the gaming behavior. There are many ways to reward, from bonus experience points to level up, to very valuable rewards for achieving difficult milestones within the video game. Currently, it is very common to find the so-called loot boxes ( loot boxes in their English name) in the main sales titles such as Overwatch , FIFA and Call of Duty , among others. This type of rewards is completely random and favors those people who invest real money in the game. Its partial variable reinforcement program and its alterations in the reward processing system make these characteristics linked to internet gaming disorder and gambling (González-Cabrera et al., 2023; Hwang et al., 2020; Raiha et al., 2020).
Apart from loot boxes, there are other types of rewards in video games . Some of the most common are temporary rewards , which are only present for a certain period of time and which encourage the maintenance of gaming behavior, causing the player to play at times when they might not otherwise do so. Finally, in some games there are paid rewards in which chance does not enter (as it does in loot boxes ) and players can buy to help them win games or improve skills more quickly. It should be noted that the reward aspects are the least valued by the gaming community, due to the presence of random rewards and the perception of injustice they generate, since they reward randomly in favor of those who invest real money and not those who play better.
Family, school and community prevention in the use of screens
It should be noted that the three aspects are not independent of each other , but rather they are related to each other to create the gaming experience. Depending on the relationships established in the game and the assessments that players make of the different structural characteristics, there will be more risks of developing pathological behaviors. For example, positively valuing the reward aspects is an indicator of risk. If, in addition, the social aspects are positively valued, the risk increases. Players who highly value both aspects compete and collaborate in order to obtain more rewards and thus gain social status within the virtual world, a fact that is closely linked to internet gaming disorder (Fu et al., 2017; Wang & Sun, 2011).
On the other hand, when control aspects are valued together with social aspects, it is done to obtain social recognition as a result of mastering game mechanics (Dindar, 2018). On the other hand, positively valuing control aspects and reward aspects is typical of a player profile that wants to learn game mechanics through rewards. Reward aspects applied to control aspects are a very powerful tool for the person to learn game mechanics, improve decision-making and the final outcome of the game (Tan et al., 2019).
Why are some people more vulnerable to design than others?
The negative consequences associated with Internet gaming disorder are caused by an interaction between game-related factors (design), individual factors, and environmental factors (Király et al., 2023). For example, having poor social skills, difficulties in emotional regulation, and low emotional intelligence are risk factors for developing Internet gaming disorder (Wichstrøm et al., 2019).
Aspects of reward, especially those related to loot boxes and other random rewards, have a clear connection to the development of Internet gaming disorder and pathological gambling.
Motives for gaming also play an important role in most types of addictive behavior (Brand et al., 2020). For example, coping strategies are a central mechanism in the development of this disorder (Brand et al., 2020), as is gaming to escape negative emotions, as it is a partial mediator between emotional intelligence and Internet gaming disorder (Kirkaburun et al., 2019). In the case of adolescents, risk factors associated with this disorder are the presence of poor family cohesion, strained relationships with parents, absence of established rules for video game use, and mental health problems of parents (Sugaya et al., 2019). Particularly among boys , motivations such as playing for the need for satisfaction and recreation or to escape real-life problems, and having stressful interpersonal relationships are risk factors for developing Internet gaming disorder. And in girls , having other mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder also increases the risk (Fumero et al., 2020).
In summary, the design of video games, together with individual and environmental factors, creates a complex landscape that makes some people more vulnerable than others to developing pathological behaviors. Reward aspects, especially those related to loot boxes and other random rewards, have a clear connection with the development of Internet gaming disorder and pathological gambling. These mechanisms, together with social aspects, can create an addictive experience, especially for people who already have individual risk factors, such as difficulties in social skills and mental health problems. This underlines the importance of public awareness, regulation of the video game industry and continued research to better understand this phenomenon and mitigate its negative impacts on people's mental health.
