Annotated Bibliography

Are Videogames Addicting and Can Excessive Gaming Lead To Depression Or Other Major
Mental Health Disorders?

Justin Trifari

Professor Malcolm Campbell

UWRT-1104

March 19, 2019

Han-Ting Wei, et al. “The Association between Online Gaming, Social Phobia, and Depression:

an Internet Survey.” BMC Psychiatry, BioMed Central, 28 July 2012,

bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-244X-12-92. Accessed 6 Mar.

2019.

The scholarly article focuses on investigating characteristics of online gamers and the Commented [CP1]: I believe there is supposed to be a
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association between online gaming hours, social phobia and its link to depression using

surveys online. The survey utilizes questions such as demographics, self-rating scales

of depression, internet usage, and many other things. The article gives background

information on why this study is important due to the increase significance in public

health related issues. The results showed to have a positive correlation that was

associated with weekly online gaming and internet addiction symptoms. An interesting

statistic that I will use was reported by Griffithes and they stated 80% of online gamers Commented [CP2]: I do believe that it is supposed to be
3rd person
sacrificed some aspect of their lives such as education, sleeping, working, and

socializing with friends, family, and partners. Another study I would use is by Achabet

and his study compared characteristics of addict vs non-addict online gamers and how

the addicted gamers reported three times more daily sleepiness, sleep deprivation, and

emotional changes. I believe this scholarly article is reliable because it provides

background information, methods, results, and a conclusion. The authors are also

credible because they are a part of the Department of Rehabilitation and Department of

Psychiatry in Taipei, Taiwan. Additionally, not only did they use facts and studies to

support their claim, I also read and researched their sources and they also provided

information that I may use in the future. I will utilize the surveys and information
 given to show the relation between online gaming and depression. It opened my mind

to the possibility that gaming addiction could lead to depression and other mental

disorders.

Leonard, Jayne. “What Is Gaming Disorder and What Does It Mean for Gamers?” Medical News

Today, MediLexicon International, 2018,

www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322478.php. Accessed 5 Mar. 2019.

The website focuses on classifying what gaming disorder is and what symptoms and side

effects are associated with the gaming disorder. It states that in 2018 the WHO

classified gaming as a disorder in the ICD-22, which is a list of diseases and conditions

that are used by health professionals to make a diagnosis and treatment plan for their

patient. The website states that some signs could be uncontrollable gaming habits,

prioritizing gaming over other activities and interests, and not stop gaming when it

starts to create negative consequences. Those symptoms must hold true for 12 months

and severely affect and individual’s behavior with things such as family, education,

work, social life and personal life. There is also a tie between extended periods of

gaming and developing a higher risk of obesity. In this website they include a vast

amount of treatments these include, intrapersonal, interpersonal, psychoeducation,

family intervention, and development of a new lifestyle. Most notably is the family

intervention because it puts into perspective how the individual with the disorder is

negatively affecting his relationship with his family. The website also mentions how

experts like Dr. Richard Graham, who supports the WHO, is worried that parents may

mistake enthusiastic gaming for the gaming disorder. I believe the website is reliable
 because it utilizes multiple sources and analyzes both sides of the arguments.

Additionally, I believe the audience is geared towards doctors and parents to help them

understand the signs and symptoms and to inform them on how to classify the disorder.

I will use this to show that gaming disorder is real and will also utilize this as additional

supporting information for all my other entry’s. This website reinforced that gaming

disorder is real and should be seen as a disease.

“Signs and Symptoms of Video Game Addiction - Causes and Effects.” PsychGuides.com, 2019,

www.psychguides.com/guides/video-game-addiction-symptoms-causes-and-effects/.

Accessed 3 Mar. 2019.

The website focuses on the effects of two types of gaming addiction which are single

player video game addiction and multiplayer gaming addiction. The website states that

according to the University of New Mexico, 6 to 15 percent of all gamers exhibit

symptoms of gaming addiction. For perspective if there were 5000 gamers

approximately 300 to 750 of them would show symptoms of gaming addiction. The

website suggests that games are so addicting because they allow you a challenge

without making it overly hard. Additionally, games are made to make a profit so

naturally they would make the game as addictive as possible. There are also two

different types of symptoms those include physical and emotional. Physical symptoms

are migraines due to excessive gaming, fatigue due to lack of sleep, and it could cause

carpal tunnel by using a mouse and keyboard to long. Emotional symptoms include

irritability due to lack of sleep, isolation because of gaming too much, and lying to create

more time to play video games. Additionally, a long-term effect of gaming is financial
 stability. Gaming equipment is costly and there is an abundance of parts such as mouse,

monitor, keyboard, high internet speed, hard drive, software, microphone, video games,

and in game purchases, etc. The author also states that there are a variety of ways to

treat gaming addiction these include medication, and 12-step-programs. Medication can

include anti-depressants and bupropionxcvvv. The website is reliable because it deals

with the psychological aspect and side effects of gaming addiction. I wish the website

included more sources to support the claims and argument presented. I will use this

article to support that gaming addiction is real and support the WHOs stance that

gaming addiction should be implemented as a real disorder.

Tsukayama, Hayley. “Video Game Addiction Is a Real Condition, WHO Says. Here's What That

Means.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 18 June 2018,

www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/06/18/video-game-addiction-is-a-

real-condition-who-says-heres-what-that-

means/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.933334453baf. Accessed 3 Mar. 2019.

The popular news website Washington Post wrote about the World Health Organization

recognizing “gaming disorder” as a condition inside the International Classification of

diseases. The article explains that for someone to have a gaming disorder they must show

that gaming is overtaking other desires and causes negative impacts in your life for over

12 months. However, WHO stated that the disorder only affects 3 percent of gamers.

Additionally, the article states that not everyone agrees with WHO saying that there’s not

enough evidence to establish gaming disorder as a disease. This lack of evidence leads
doctors to debate the validity that gaming should be consider a disorder. Another

argument made is that people who fear they have a gaming disorder don’t have proper

ways to get treatment under insurance. I feel the popular news website Washington Post

is reliable because it dissected both sides of the argument and used evidence to support

both claims. I also researched the author and she is a reporter for specifically consumer

technology which is the subject she is writing on making her more reliable than other

authors. However, I wish there were more sources within the article that could further

support both sides and allow me to research more extensively. I will use this source to

show that gaming is considered a disorder by the WHO and could lead to mental health

problems. Furthermore, this source supports my previous scholarly article because it links

being addicted to gaming to mental disorders such as depression, and social phobia. Commented [CP3]: Good use of a variety of sources and
well-crafted annotations