Why We Can’t Stop: The Impact of Rewarding Elements in Videogames on Adolescents’ Problematic Gaming Behavior

Abstract

This study explored the association between rewarding elements in videogames and adolescents’ problematic gaming behavior, evaluating the extent to which individual vulnerabilities amplify this relationship. In a two-cohort-design the impact of rewarding elements on adolescents’ problematic gaming was investigated: the first cohort consisted of 2708 secondary school students (53.9% male, M = 13.9 SD = 1.20), and the second cohort of 1616 (54.2% male, M = 14.7 SD = 1.28). As the type of games that participants were playing differed over time, the second cohort was treated as a replication of the first one. Results revealed that random, social, and contingencies rewards were associated with adolescents’ problematic gaming in both cohorts. Games including these rewards were associated with an increased risk for problematic game-play. Moreover, results indicated that the association between contingencies rewards and problematic gaming behavior was stronger for adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, while the association between social rewards and problematic gaming was stronger for adolescents with social problems. This study contributed to our understanding of the mechanisms that can explain why certain adolescents, particularly those with ADHD and/or socially vulnerable, are riskier to develop problematic gaming. These insights can contribute to a more tailored prevention and treatment approach aiming at problematic gaming among adolescents.