Researchers from an Australian institution have developed an artificial intelligence model that can gauge the likelihood of a person developing a video game addiction. The algorithm analyzes how players relate to their in-game avatars, along with age and the amount of time spent gaming. The findings were shared in a scientific journal focused on behavioral addictions.
Gaming disorder is recognized by the World Health Organization as a mental health condition. It is marked by a compulsive focus on video games that interferes with daily life, impaired self-control, and difficulty stopping despite negative outcomes.
Diagnosis typically requires symptoms severe enough to disrupt personal, family, social, educational, or occupational functioning, usually over a prolonged period of time.
The study involved 565 participants aged between 12 and 68, with roughly half identifying as male. The group reported up to three decades of gaming experience, averaging about 5.6 years. They also reported seven years of social media use and about three hours daily on these platforms. About 55 percent were employed full time, 36 percent held a bachelor’s degree, and 30 percent were single.
Researchers conducted two assessment points six months apart. Each participant underwent a diagnostic evaluation for gaming disorder and an evaluation of their connection to their avatar within the game. The assessments included measures of identification with the character (for example, seeing self and character as the same), immersion (such as thinking about the character even when not acting), and compensatory tendencies (preferring to emulate the character).
At the outset, just under one in five participants was flagged as at risk for gaming disorder. The dataset was then split, with 80 percent used to train the AI models and 20 percent reserved for testing predicted outcomes.
The trained AI models demonstrated accuracy in identifying individuals at risk based on the user-avatar connection score, age, and daily gaming duration.
In a separate development, parents of a former student in the United States filed lawsuits against major online game developers over problems linked to their children’s gaming habits.