Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28033714›Full record

ArticleJournal of behavioral addictions2017

Scholars' open debate paper on the World Health Organization ICD-11 Gaming Disorder proposal.

Espen Aarseth, Anthony M Bean, Huub Boonen, Michelle Colder Carras, Mark Coulson, Dimitri Das, Jory Deleuze, Elza Dunkels, Johan Edman, Christopher J Ferguson and 16 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of behavioral addictions, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 194 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
194citing papers in PubMed, 8 pooled it
170.5field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

194 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 615 citations in OpenAlex.

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  8. Treatments for Internet gaming disorder and Internet addiction: A systematic review.Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors · 2017
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  13. Internet Gaming Disorder and Nonmedical Prescription Drug Use: The Moderating Role of Student Status.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026
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134 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

26 authors at 19 institutions in 9 countries.

Espen Aarseth1 Center for Computer Games Research, IT University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen, Denmark.
Anthony M Bean2 Department of Psychology, Framingham State University , Framingham, MA, USA.
Huub Boonen3 UC-Leuven-Limburg, CAD Limburg , Hasselt, Belgium.
Michelle Colder Carras4 Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health , Baltimore, MD, USA.
Mark Coulson5 Department of Psychology, Middlesex University , Hendon, London, UK.
Dimitri Das6 CAD Limburg , Hasselt, Belgium.
Jory Deleuze7 Psychology Department, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) , Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Elza Dunkels8 Department of Applied Educational Science, Umeå University , Umeå, Sweden.
Johan Edman9 Centre for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs (SoRAD) & Department of Sociology, Stockholm University , Stockholm, Sweden.
Christopher J Ferguson10 Department of Psychology, Stetson University , DeLand, FL, USA.
Maria C Haagsma11 GGZ Momentum , Veldhoven, The Netherlands.
Karin Helmersson Bergmark12 Department of Sociology, Stockholm University , Sweden.
Zaheer Hussain13 Department of Life Sciences, University of Derby , UK.
Jeroen Jansz14 Department of Media & Communication, ERMeCC, Erasmus University Rotterdam , Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Daniel Kardefelt-Winther15 Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm, Sweden.
Lawrence Kutner16 Independent Researcher, USA.
Patrick Markey17 Department of Psychology, Villanova University , Villanova, PA, USA.
Rune Kristian Lundedal Nielsen1 Center for Computer Games Research, IT University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen, Denmark.
Nicole Prause18 Liberos , Los Angeles, USA.
Andrew Przybylski19 Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford , Oxford, UK.
Thorsten Quandt20 Department of Communication, University of Münster , Münster, Germany.
Adriano Schimmenti21 Psychological Sciences and Technology, UKE, Kore University of Enna , Enna, Italy.
Vladan Starcevic22 Discipline of Psychiatry, The University of Sydney , Sydney, Australia.
Gabrielle Stutman23 Clinical Psychologist/Neuropsychologist, USA.
Jan Van Looy24 Department of Communication Sciences, imec-MICT-Ghent University , Ghent, Belgium.
Antonius J Van Rooij24 Department of Communication Sciences, imec-MICT-Ghent University , Ghent, Belgium.
Ghent University · BEIT University of Copenhagen · DKStockholm University · SEErasmus University Rotterdam · NLFilm Independent · USFramingham State University · USJohns Hopkins University · USKarolinska Institutet · SEMiddlesex University · GBStetson University · USThe University of Sydney · AUUCLouvain · BEUmeå University · SEUniversità degli Studi di Enna Kore · ITUniversity Colleges Leuven-Limburg · BEUniversity of Derby · GBUniversity of Münster · DEUniversity of Oxford · GBVillanova University · US

Funding

NIDA Epidemiology Training Program: Johns Hopkins UniversityT32DA007292 · NIDA · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI RENEE M. JOHNSON, Brion S Maher · 1993 to 2026
$17.7M
PSYCHIATRIC EPIDEMIOLOGY TRAINING PROGRAMT32MH014592 · NIMH · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI HEATHER E VOLK, Peter P. Zandi · 1985 to 2026
$8.5M
NIDA NIH HHS T32 DA007292NIMH NIH HHS T32 MH014592
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Concerns about problematic gaming behaviors deserve our full attention. However, we claim that it is far from clear that these problems can or should be attributed to a new disorder. The empirical basis for a Gaming Disorder proposal, such as in the new ICD-11, suffers from fundamental issues. Our main concerns are the low quality of the research base, the fact that the current operationalization leans too heavily on substance use and gambling criteria, and the lack of consensus on symptomatology and assessment of problematic gaming. The act of formalizing this disorder, even as a proposal, has negative medical, scientific, public-health, societal, and human rights fallout that should be considered. Of particular concern are moral panics around the harm of video gaming. They might result in premature application of diagnosis in the medical community and the treatment of abundant false-positive cases, especially for children and adolescents. Second, research will be locked into a confirmatory approach, rather than an exploration of the boundaries of normal versus pathological. Third, the healthy majority of gamers will be affected negatively. We expect that the premature inclusion of Gaming Disorder as a diagnosis in ICD-11 will cause significant stigma to the millions of children who play video games as a part of a normal, healthy life. At this point, suggesting formal diagnoses and categories is premature: the ICD-11 proposal for Gaming Disorder should be removed to avoid a waste of public health resources as well as to avoid causing harm to healthy video gamers around the world.

Indexed as

Video GamesBehavior, AddictiveDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental DisordersGames, RecreationalHumansInternetSocial StigmaWorld Health OrganizationdiagnosisDSM-5gaming disorderICD-11moral panicnegative implications

Identifiers

PMID28033714
PMCPMC5700734
OpenAlexW2567335788

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.