Do your kids play a lot of computer games? Some may end up gaming a little too obsessively. Researchers have identified the most important warning signs.

Is there a lot of playing Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft in your home too? You’re not alone. Many children and adolescents play a lot, and often with both known and unknown online players. This can be a great way to socialize with friends and acquaintances. But it can get completely out of hand for some.

Fortnite is still very popular. Illustration: Epic Games

“When gaming over a long period of time affects the young person’s ability to relate to the outside world, it may be due to computer game addiction, or ‘Internet gaming disorder’,” says Lars Wichstrøm, a professor at NTNU’s Department of Psychology.

An international research group investigated how symptoms of computer game addiction develop, and how stable these symptoms are from childhood to late adolescence. Some of the numbers can be troubling.

Boys are much more likely to get hooked on gaming

Two factors were repeated across age and gender among those who were diagnosed with IGD: Strong involvement (a lot of gaming) and negative consequences (harmful consequences).

“Around one in ten boys met the diagnostic criteria for computer game addiction called ‘Internet gaming disorder (IGD)’ at least once between the ages of 10 and 18,” says Wichstrøm.

Boys are most easily hooked on gaming. Just 1 to 2 per cent of girls develop this kind of problem. An average incidence overall of between 5 and 6 per cent thus hides large gender differences.

Boys are simply more competitive, Wichstrøm says.

“We don’t really know why more boys become addicted, but boys have always been more interested in gaming than girls, whether it’s computer games, Ludo or chess,” he said.

When boys and men do things together, it is often centred around an activity, such as football, carpentry or playing. Girls don’t need this type of structure as much.

The fact that boys are simply gaming much more than girls also makes them more vulnerable to becoming addicted.

Minecraft holds its ground among young players. Illustration: Microsoft

Also about rewards

“The brain releases dopamine in the its reward center when we do activities we enjoy, like gaming. This release increases when we expect a positive experience and when the expectation is actually met,” says Beate W. Hygen, a senior researcher at NTNU Social Research AS.

Hygen has extensive experience in studying the conditions surrounding computer games.

“Research has shown that dopamine is released during gaming, mostly when you are doing well and especially in competition with others. Boys play competitive games more often, which can result in more frequent dopamine releases. Perhaps this is also part of the explanation for why boys are more often hooked on gaming,” says Hygen.

Numbers from a long-term study

The research group has obtained the figures from a group of young people in Trondheim. The Trondheim Early Secure Study is a long-term birth cohort study. Eight hundred and twelve participants from the 2003/2004 cohorts were followed up five times from 10 to 18 years of age, with participants roughly equal divided between genders.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is probably more for slightly older players. Just a heads-up for parents who want to be aware of what their children might play later. In moderation, of course. Illustration: Larian Studios

The measurements were largely comparable across ages.

“We see that the proportion who are heavily involved in gaming increases from the age of 10 to the age of 16. But then this clearly falls when they are 18 years old,” says Wichstrøm.

Despite the fact that gaming decreased for the 18-year-olds, the negative consequences remained stable. This may indicate that many people are quitting or reducing their gaming. But a smaller group continues to game, with negative consequences for some.

Address the problem early

Parents who wonder if their child can become addicted to computer games are wise to address this early.

• “Children who are heavily involved in gaming as they approach their teenage years are more likely to become even more involved later on. They also experience negative consequences more often, especially when they are 14 to 18 years old,” Wichstrøm points out.
• Early adolescence, around 12 years, can be an important time for prevention and early intervention. This is before the symptoms become more complex and difficult to change, he said.

Researchers from NTNU Social Research AS, Nottingham Trent University and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology were also involved in the research.

Reference: Wichstrøm L, Hygen BW, Kuss DJ, Stavropoulos V, Skalická V, Rodríguez-Cano R, Øien AK, Stenseng F, Steinsbekk S. Structure and stability of internet gaming disorder from childhood to late adolescence: A 5-wave birth cohort study. Addiction. 2025 Sep 20 doi: 10.1111/add.70195. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40974257.

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