Twentieth International Conference on Technology, Knowledge, and Society

Abstract

Gaming disorder is a new addiction diagnosis formalized by the World Health Organization in 2019. It is mostly associated with the young male demographic in technologically advanced countries. Supporters of the diagnosis state that it addresses a real need for treatment and policy guidelines, while critics argue that the diagnosis ignores and hides the importance of social context and game-specific attractions in habit formation. The poster presents the life-histories of “recovering” gamers to understand how, if at all, gaming habits are related to social environments and change. Drawing on interdisciplinary research and interviews with 30 “recovering” male gamers, the presentation examines the multifaceted development and diminishing of gaming problems in relation to social circumstances like family environment, peer dynamics, migration, gender, etc. The study covers the arc of gaming habits from early stages to development of problems and, finally, reduction or quitting, emphasizing the environmental circumstances within which these changes in habit happen. Problematic gaming is shown as an integral part and outcome of complicated or stressful social experiences. The context-dependent nature of problematic gaming illustrates the impact of micro- and macro-social factors on individual mental health and the need for addressing the phenomenon as social at least as much as a medical issue.