Technology at the Rescue? Online Games, Adolescent Mental Health and the COVID Pandemic.

The COVID pandemic has had a major impact on the mental health of the population, especially on female adolescents. Eating disorders and gender identity problems have increased markedly. Online activities have also grown enormously during this period occupying a large portion of adolescents' time. We explore the use of social networking and online gaming by adolescent girls and boys. We discuss their possible influence on different levels of psychological distress in boys and girls in the face of the pandemic. We propose that online games, mainly used by young boys, might offer them some emotional protection through mechanisms related to the body and its experience, to the group dynamics of competition, collaboration, and hierarchy, to the possibility of expressing aggression, and to the construction of a clearer and more stable identity. An unprejudiced look at new technologies is mandatory, if we are to avoid projecting our fears and expectations onto them.

The Relationship Between Basic Needs Satisfaction, Self-determined Motivation, and Burnout in Korean Esports Players.

This article aims to understand the relationship between basic needs satisfaction, self-determined motivation, and burnout in esports players. To achieve this, we investigate three research hypotheses: (1) The three dimensions of basic needs satisfaction have a positive effect on the self-determined motivation of esports players, (2) The self-determined motivation of esports players has a negative effect on their burnout, and (3) All three dimensions of basic needs satisfaction affect esports player's burnout, indirectly via self-determined motivation. Data were collected through an online questionnaire (n = 608) administered to Korean esports players who play online games as a leisure activity. Results indicate that player competence has a negative relationship with self-determined motivation, suggesting that Korean players do not associate increased levels of competence with their intrinsic motivation. The results show that intrinsic motivation is negatively associated with burnout, particularly exhaustion and reduced sense of accomplishment. It should be noted that Korean players' high level of competence can result in reduced levels of self-determined motivation, which can lead them to burnout. This should be addressed by the industry, practitioners, and researchers considering the cultural context and the relationship between the factors, which will contribute to the sustainable growth and prosperity of the esports.

Development pattern of ocular biometric parameters and refractive error in young Chinese adults: a longitudinal study of first-year university students.

BACKGROUND: The increase in the prevalence of myopia has become a matter of serious public health concern, and few studies to date have examined the ocular biometric parameters of myopia in young Chinese adults. This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal ocular biometric and refractive development of first-year university students and the influence of near work. METHODS: This study included 526 first-year university students from Tianjin Medical University (mean age, 18.34 years; 313 females and 213 males). From 2016 to 2018, participants underwent ocular biometry measurements and subjective refraction annually. Near-work activities such as the use of electronic devices, online games, reading, and writing as well as demographic data were recorded by questionnaires. RESULTS: The prevalence of myopia in this population from 2016 to 2018 was 92.40%, 92.59%, and 92.97%, respectively. Importantly, the prevalence of high myopia increased significantly from 20.91% to 28.33% (P < .001). The spherical equivalent refraction was significantly more myopic by approximately - 0.38 D (from - 4.18 ± 2.44 to - 4.56 ± 2.57 D; P < .001) during the period. The axial length, central corneal thickness, and lens thickness became significantly different (all P < .05), and the axial length significantly increased by 0.12 mm during 2 years (P < .001). Using binary logistic regression analysis, the data indicated that spending more time on online games (odds ratio, 2.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.33-3.29) could speed up the progression of myopia (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the prevalence of high myopia continued to increase in undergraduate students over 2 years. Baseline myopia correlated with myopic shift, the time spent on online games, and parental myopia were significantly associated with an increase in myopia in these young adult populations.

Gender and Age Differences in Preferences on Game Elements and Platforms.

This paper analyzes different player type models and game elements in the literature, particularly focusing on the case of online games. Research based on an exploratory study is presented; it aims to explore the different types of interaction with gameful digital applications. The study is based on a survey and provides findings from the literature review and empirical insights about users' differences and preferences regarding game elements. The results reveal demographics regarding player profiles and the relationships between gender, age, culture, and the influence of different game design elements and platforms. The main contribution of this study fulfills the need for knowledge about the relationship between game element design, platforms/devices, and players (types and preferences).

Security Concerns in MMO Games-Analysis of a Potent Application Layer DDoS Threat.

The application layer in the Internet protocol suite offers a significant degree of freedom regarding the orchestration of distributed denial-of-service attacks due to many different and unstandardized protocols. The primary focus of defending against application-layer distributed denial-of-service attacks has traditionally been Hypertext Transfer Protocols oriented while observing individual users' actions independently from one another. In this paper, we present and analyze a novel application-layer DDoS attack in massively multiplayer online games that utilize the cooperative efforts of the attackers to deplete the server's or players' bandwidth. The attack exploits in-game dependencies between players to cause a massive spike in bandwidth while the attackers' traffic remains legitimate. We introduce a multiplayer-relations graph to model user behavior on a game server. Additionally, we demonstrate the attack's devastating capabilities on an emulated World of Warcraft server. Lastly, we discuss flaws of the existing defense mechanisms and possible approaches for the detection of these attacks using graph theory and multiplayer-relations graphs.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Avatar Preferences in Online Games.

This study investigates the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), age, and sex with respect to their avatar preference in online games. The analyses comprise a subsample of n = 1817 adolescents and adults from 14 to 60 years within a representative German population-based study. Results indicate that 14 % of this sample uses avatars in online games, with significantly more males (22.6 %) than females (7.7 %) doing so. Persons with multiple ACEs (≥ 4) have a higher OR of 2.05 (95 % CI: 1.418-2.956) to use avatars in online games. Regarding avatar preference, females are more likely to play supporters than males, and males are more likely to choose damagers and mixed-type avatars than females. Participants with an experience of parental divorce during their childhood reported higher preference of playing supporter or mixed-type avatars in comparison with damager avatars. Moreover, participants with mental illness or suicide in the family show a higher preference of mixed-type avatars compared to damager, but not to supporter avatars. Knowledge about the use of avatars can be an interesting source of information for supporting psychotherapeutic treatment in a young age group.

Positive mental well-being and immune transcriptional profiles in highly involved videogame players.

Previous research has identified a link between experiencing life as meaningful and purposeful-what is referred to as "eudaimonia"-and reduced expression of a stress-induced gene profile known as the "conserved transcriptional response to adversity" (CTRA). In the current study, we examine whether similar links between eudaimonic well-being and CTRA reduction occur in a sample of 56 individuals with a particularly strong engagement with virtual worlds: avid online videogame players. Results consistently linked higher eudaimonic well-being, and more specifically the social well-being subdomain of eudaimonia, to lower levels of CTRA gene expression. That favorable psychobiological relationship between eudaimonia and CTRA appeared most strongly among individuals reporting high levels of positive psychosocial involvement with gaming. Findings are consistent with the hypothesis that committed social/recreational activity may help damp CTRA expression especially among persons who are already experiencing some kind of threshold of positive eudaimonic experience.

A Further Test of the Impact of Online Gaming on Psychological Wellbeing and the Role of Play Motivations and Problematic Use.

The impact of increased online gaming play time on psychological wellbeing was examined focusing on the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game genre. This relationship was explored with respect to motivators for playing and resilience factors. A cross-sectional, online questionnaire design was employed with participants (N = 165) to examine the relationship between weekly average hours played and psychological wellbeing. Five previously reported motivators for playing were tested as mediating variables. In addition, exploratory analyses were conducted to determine the moderating effects of self-esteem and self-efficacy on 'escapist' gaming and psychological wellbeing. Results revealed a significant correlation with higher levels of play time associated with poorer psychological wellbeing. This relationship was partially mediated by 'escapist' motivation. Self-esteem was found to moderate the negative impact of 'escapist' gaming on psychological wellbeing. Research and the associated clinical implications are discussed.

Under the bridge: An in-depth examination of online trolling in the gaming context.

Trolling is a subject of apparent academic confusion; the few studies conducted thus far yielded a variety of conflicting definitions regarding what constitutes trolling behaviour and little information regarding trolling motivations. In order to shed further light on this phenomenon, the present study aimed to (1) determine which behaviours actual trolls consider as trolling, (2) explore the motivations behind trolling, and (3) examine the online community's response to trolling as perceived by the troll. After performing semi-structured interviews with 22 self-confessed trolls, we found that there is a variety of behaviours trolls consider trolling which can now be put in clear categories based on target and method. Three key motivations to troll emerged: personal enjoyment, revenge, and thrill-seeking. Trolling also appears to be a cyclical, self-perpetuating phenomenon enabled by the online community at large. Theoretical implications for future trolling research are also discussed.

Effectiveness of Brief Abstinence for Modifying Problematic Internet Gaming Cognitions and Behaviors.

OBJECTIVE: This pilot study tested the efficacy of a voluntary 84-hour abstinence protocol for modifying problematic Internet gaming cognitions and behaviors METHOD: Twenty-four adults from online gaming communities, including 9 individuals who screened positively for Internet gaming disorder (IGD), abstained from Internet games for 84 hours. Surveys were collected at baseline, at daily intervals during abstinence, and at 7-day and 28-day follow-up RESULTS: Brief voluntary abstinence was successful in reducing hours of gaming, maladaptive gaming cognitions, and IGD symptoms. Abstinence was highly acceptable to participants with total compliance and no study attrition. Clinically significant improvement in IGD symptoms occurred in 75% of the IGD group at 28-day follow-up. Reliable improvement in maladaptive gaming cognitions occurred in 63% of the IGD group, whose cognition score reduced by 50% and was comparable to the non-IGD group at 28-day follow-up CONCLUSIONS: Despite limitations of sample size, this study provides promising support for brief abstinence as a simple, practical, and cost-effective treatment technique for modifying unhelpful gaming cognitions and reducing Internet gaming problems.

Online Games and Cognitive Distortions: A Comparative Analysis in Students with and without Disabilities.

Online games have experienced significant growth in recent years, with gaming becoming a popular form of entertainment for people of all ages. However, their impact on cognition, especially among vulnerable groups such as students with disabilities, is a topic that requires deeper exploration. The objectives of this study are twofold: firstly, to understand the typology of risk players (non-risk players, players with problems, and pathological players); and secondly, to compare cognitive distortions among students with problematic profiles. Both objectives will be analyzed based on the presence or absence of disability. A total of 704 students from various Spanish universities (135 with disabilities and 569 without disabilities), aged between 18 and 38, participated in the study by completing the Gamblers Belief Questionnaire (GBQ), aimed at measuring cognitive distortions related to gambling problems, as well as the Massachusetts Gambling Screen questionnaire, aimed at measuring gambling addiction. The results indicate a higher percentage of students with disabilities showing a greater risk profile for addiction. Additionally, this group of students exhibits more cognitive distortions. These findings underscore the need for a comprehensive approach to addressing online gaming addiction and cognitive distortions among university students, with and without disabilities. Preventive measures are necessary, such as education on responsible technology use and the promotion of alternative activities. Moreover, specific intervention strategies need to be developed, including access to psychological health services for this student population.

Parents' view on the effect of online games on social interaction of adolescents with intellectual disability.

Background: Using games as a medium to master certain learning outcomes enables students to explore and understand the world around, which is important for students with intellectual disabilities. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the potential effects of online games on social interaction of adolescents with intellectual disability, and how parents view these effects. Method: This study employed a quantitative approach using a quasi-experimental, pre-test and post-test and follow up design. Descriptive approach is also employed to investigate how parents view effects of online games on social interaction of adolescents with intellectual disability. To test the third hypothesis, qualitative method through interview was employed. 40 adolescents with mild ID aged between 15 and 18 years and who were enrolled in the ID Inclusion program, as well as their parent/guardian were recruited. Results: On the basis of the statistical analysis, It was observed a significant effect on adolescents with ID's social interaction capability. Looking at between-group differences, the groups were statistically significantly different in their levels of social interaction at the end of the intervention, with participants in the experimental group exhibiting significantly higher levels of social interaction in comparison to the controls. Conclusion: This study provides a potential support to the effectiveness of online games on social interaction of adolescents with intellectual disability. The main conclusion arising from these findings is the need to broaden the study of online games and their possible benefits to other variables than social interaction, such as cognitive variables and diverse populations, especially those with ID and autism.

A Smoking Prevention Intervention Among Young People in an Online Community Game: Results from a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Innovative methods for smoking prevention interventions need to be investigated to increase attractiveness, access hard-to-reach populations, and increase effectiveness. We studied the feasibility and immediate effects of an intervention to reinforce norms and behaviors of young people related to antismoking, integrated into a popular online community game. Methods: A pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted through the HABBO online community. The intervention group was exposed to repeated discussion sessions with small groups of peer players and two facilitators once a week for 1 month (four sessions), inside the game. The control group had access to antismoking information websites. Process indicators (attractiveness, participation) and immediate outcomes (norms and intentions with regard to smoking) were assessed by questionnaire. Results: One hundred sixteen players were invited to participate in the intervention; 10 did not meet eligibility criteria, 30 were allocated to the intervention group, and 76 to the control group. Median age was 23. Twenty-four percent were not in education, employment, or training. A median of eight players attended each session and the median number of exchange chats by session was 399; 70% of chat time was occupied by the players. Twenty players attended all four sessions. Immediate norms, representations, and intentions were evaluated in 39 players and showed small differences between groups. Conclusion: Delivering and evaluating a smoking prevention intervention in an online game is feasible. In the targeted online community game, the intervention was attractive and allowed the delivery of innovative interventions to audiences with diverse social profiles. Long-term effects, sustainability, and evaluation methodology are discussed.

Effects of Online Game and Short Video Behavior on Academic Delay of Gratification - Mediating Effects of Anxiety, Depression and Retrospective Memory.

Objective: Learner dependence on short videos has many pitfalls for learning outcomes, but the negative effects of excessive short video use have been little discussed in the learning psychology literature. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of excessive short video use on anxiety, depression, prospective memory, and academically delayed gratification (ADOG) in relation to online gaming-related behaviours, and explored the possible mechanisms by which excessive online gaming and short video use may lead to decreased ADOG, to expand our understanding of excessive short video use. Methods: Based on the whole class random sampling method, a questionnaire survey was conducted among college students in Northern Anhui, China from May 7 to July 27, 2022. The questionnaires included the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire Scale (PHQ-9), Prospective and Retrospective Memory (PRM) Questionnaire, and ADOG Scale. Results: A total of 1016 participants completed the survey. The study found that of all the internet behaviors, 20.8% of the college students mainly played online games, 43.9% mainly played short videos, and 35.3% conducted other online behaviors. When compared with other internet behaviors, online gaming and short video behaviors can cause more serious anxiety/depression and worse PRM and ADOG scores. As time spent playing online games and short videos increased, anxiety and depression became worse, and the scores for PRM and ADOG also declined. Anxiety, depression, and PRM mediate the relationship between time spent on online gaming/short videos and ADOG. Conclusion: Excessive short videos behaviour may produce the same psychological problems and learning problems as online gaming disorder. Excessive short video and online gaming behaviors may affect ADOG performance through anxiety, depression, and prospective memory. These findings could be used as a basis for future studies on the improvement of ADOG.

The effects of online game addiction on reduced academic achievement motivation among Chinese college students: the mediating role of learning engagement.

Introduction: The present study aimed to examine the effects of online game addiction on reduced academic achievement motivation, and the mediating role of learning engagement among Chinese college students to investigate the relationships between the three variables. Methods: The study used convenience sampling to recruit Chinese university students to participate voluntarily. A total of 443 valid questionnaires were collected through the Questionnaire Star application. The average age of the participants was 18.77 years old, with 157 males and 286 females. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS and AMOS. Results: (1) Chinese college students' online game addiction negatively affected their behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement (the three dimensions of learning engagement); (2) behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement negatively affected their reduced academic achievement motivation; (3) learning engagement mediated the relationship between online game addiction and reduced academic achievement motivation.

Positive effects of online games on the growth of college students: A qualitative study from China.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the positive effects of online games on college students' psychological demands and individual growth. Methods: A qualitative study design was carried out in September 2021. Semi-structured, in-depth, and individual interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 20 undergraduates who played the online game "Glory of Kings" from six universities. Thematic analysis was employed to explore the positive features caused by "Glory of Kings". Results: College students reported three positive effects of online games, namely, satisfying the need for personal growth, meeting the requirement of social life and promoting academic performance. Conclusion: College educators and families should take advantage of the positive effect of online games to guide college students to use online games reasonably.

Internet gaming disorder: Its prevalence and associated gaming behavior, anxiety, and depression among high school male students, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Video games have become popular in the last few decades, resulting in an increase in reported negative consequences. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of internet gaming disorder (IGD), its association with gaming behavior, depression, and anxiety in male high school students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved male high school students in Dammam. Schools were selected using stratified random sampling, and data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Data analyzed using SPSS v23.0; the initial analysis included descriptive statistics. Continuous and ordinal variables were compared using t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, and ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis test, as appropriate; Chi-square test was used for categorical variables. Spearman correlation coefficient was calculated to determine the correlation between IGD score and depression and anxiety scores. RESULTS: A total of 726 high school gamers were involved, 87% of whom were Saudi, with a mean age of 16.92 years and 45% were from public schools. The mean IGD score was 18.12, and the prevalence of IGD was 21.85%. Students who spent ≥4 h/day on weekdays or ≥6 h/day at weekends on videogames and gamers who spent ≥200 Saudi Riyals per month on gaming had significantly higher mean IGD scores (P < 0.001). Gamers who used PC/laptop for gaming had significantly higher IGD scores compared to those who used other devices (P = 0.002). Action, fight, open-world games, and games with violence were associated with significantly higher IGD scores. Among students with IGD, 21.7% had moderately severe/severe depression and 11.4% had severe anxiety. CONCLUSION: IGD is a concerning psychiatric disorder in male high school students. It is associated with certain gaming behavior and other mental problems. We recommend future larger-scale research that includes females as well.

Why Do Women Pretend to Be Men? Female Gender Swapping in Online Games.

This research explored the influencing factors of gender swapping among female players in online games and their impact on online gaming behavior. Based on an online survey of 3,658 female players in China, we found that perceived benefits and the Tanbi tendency, a psychological indulgence in enjoying novels, comics, or series on love and sex between attractive males, were the most important factors for female players to employ male avatars. Sexual orientation, perceived anonymity, and perceived tolerance also had a significant influence on gender swapping. Different from the practical benefits perceived by men who use female avatars in online games, the perceived benefit for female players who use male avatars was to avoid gender discrimination. In order to obtain more freedom and fairer treatment, they chose male avatars for a better experience. Female players with a higher degree of gender swapping showed a stronger aggressiveness and dominant "hyper-masculinity" behavior tendency in the game. Though online virtual worlds may be a convenient place for females to experience gender equality through gender swapping, the findings of this study suggest that gender swapping in games may, to some extent, perpetuate or even reinforce gender stereotypes in the real world.

Sustaining eSports Industry and Regulatory Focus: Empirical Evidence From Chinese Universities.

This study examined the factors that affect the attitude and behavioral intentions toward electronic sports (eSports) among students of higher education institutions based on the technology acceptance model (TAM). The conditional impact of preventive regulatory focus was analyzed in various aspects developed on the regulatory focus theory. These aspects comprised of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived risk on the attitude toward eSports. Accordingly, data were collected from 293 students of higher education institutions in China's Henan Province, presenting a 54.56% response rate. The PLS-SEM analysis was subsequently implemented to confirm the proposed hypotheses. The empirical findings confirmed the significant positive impact of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use on the attitude toward eSports. However, perceived risk negatively affected the attitude toward eSports. Meanwhile, the findings on the moderating hypotheses found a negligible impact on preventive regulatory focus. This impact was found explicitly on the perceived usefulness-perceived ease of use link with attitude toward eSports. However, the preventive regulatory focus negatively moderated the perceived risk attitude toward eSports. Finally, the implication and limitations were illustrated at the end of the paper.

Consumers' Opinions towards Public Health Effects of Online Games: An Empirical Study Based on Social Media Comments in China.

Online game products have fueled the boom in China's digital economy. Meanwhile, its public health concerns have sparked discussion among consumers on social media. However, past research has seldom studied the public health topics caused by online games from the perspective of consumer opinions. This paper attempts to identify consumers' opinions on the health impact of online game products through non-structured text and large-size social media comments. Thus, we designed a natural language processing (NLP) framework based on machine learning, which consists of topic mining, multi-label classification, and sentimental analysis. The hierarchical clustering method-based topic mining procedure determines the compatibility of this study and previous research. Every three topics are identified in "Personal Health Effects" and "Social Health Effects", respectively. Then, the multi-label classification model's results show that 61.62% of 327,505 comments have opinions about the health effects of online games. Topics "Adolescent Education" and "Commercial Morality" occupy the top two places of consumer attention. More than 31% of comments support two or more topics, and the "Adolescent Education" and "Commercial Morality" combination also have the highest co-occurrence. Finally, consumers expressed different emotional preferences for different topics, with an average of 63% of comments expressing negative emotions related to the health attributes of online games. In general, Chinese consumers are most concerned with adolescent education issues and hold the strongest negative emotion towards the commercial morality problems of enterprises. The significance of research results is that it reminds online game-related enterprises to pay attention to the potential harm to public health while bringing about additional profits through online game products. Furthermore, negative consumer emotions may cause damage to brand image, business reputation, and the sustainable development of the enterprises themselves. It also provides the government supervision departments with an advanced analysis method reference for more effective administration to protect public health and promote the development of the digital economy.