Video game dependence: relation between genre and impulsive behavior

• Grant number: 19/10968-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2019
• End date: July 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Experimental Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Fábio Leyser Gonçalves
• Grantee: Alexandre Rimar Cintra
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências (FC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Video game dependence has gradually become a matter of public health concern, hence its recentreference in diagnostic manuals like DSM-5 and ICD-11. Nevertheless, it is still a subject permeated by gaps, as the scientific community has not yet established a consensual definition, etiology or populational prevalence for the disorder. Concerning distinct kinds of dependence (substance-related and behavioral), delay discounting tasks has shown reliable results as an indicator of impulsive behavior. Against this background, studies indicate a positive correlation between video game dependence levels and impulsive behavior. The purpose of this research is to investigate the relation between the levels of impulsive behavior, video game genre and modality (online or offline). The initial hypothesis is that players with a preference for certain genres or game modality are more susceptible to develop video game dependence. To this end, this research intends to examine a sample of 100 individuals, with no demographic limitation (except being at least 18 years old), using a questionnaire about video game habits, a scale to evaluate symptoms of game dependence (IGDS9-SF), as well as a delay discounting task, that's going to take into consideration a monetary setting and a contextual one (game session duration). The collected data is going to be statistically analyzed, comparing video game dependence symptoms (i.e. game session duration, impulsive behavior, and DSM-5 diagnostic criteria) with game genres and modality preferences. (AU)