What is Gaming Addiction Tendency?

Abstract

This paper examines the discrepancies between measurement scales used in gaming addiction research within the field of psychology and their underlying theoretical frameworks. Currently, many studies employ scales derived from diagnostic criteria for "Gaming Disorder." However, these are designed for clinical diagnosis and are not necessarily appropriate for measuring "gaming addiction tendency" in correlational studies targeting the general population. While the DSM-5 criteria reflect a substance use disorder model—leading to concerns about false positives due to the confusion between high engagement and addiction—the ICD-11 emphasizes functional impairment and clear pathological thresholds. Applying these clinical criteria to general samples can lead to theoretical inconsistencies and risks stigmatizing healthy players.In response to these issues, this paper discusses the proper application of measurement tools in research, proposing that the use of such scales be limited to binary classification based on cutoff values or that a new theoretical framework for "gaming addiction tendency" be developed independent of pathological models.