Structural model proposal to explain online game addiction

In recent years, it has become easier for individuals to access technologies such as computers and cell phones. These technologies are used for work, entertainment or therapeutic purposes. Due to people who are not conscious about recreational use or parents who do not take preventive measures, many young people may turn to game addiction, either consciously or unconsciously, for reasons such as the pleasure they get from computer games, ambition, the desire to be the best, distancing from real life, curiosity, and not understanding how time passes. In this context, it becomes very important to determine the factors that cause young people's game addiction and to develop appropriate solutions to these factors. This study aims to understand the main determinants of online game playing habits and possible addiction among young people between the ages of 18-35 and to contribute to the development of preventive and awareness-raising measures by better understanding the gaming habits of young people. The proposed structural model analyzes the relationships between the variables affecting youth gaming addiction from a holistic perspective. This analysis aims to illuminate the potential effects of factors such as self-efficacy, curiosity, achievement goals, and flow experience on young people's gaming addiction. For this purpose, data were obtained through a survey method applied to 331 people with an average age of 23.5 who played online games between January and April 2022. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the structural relationships in the proposed research model and to examine the fit of the model. R 4.3.1 program was used for data analysis. As a result, the indirect total effects of selfefficacy, achievement, curiosity, and flow on game addiction were found to be positive and 0.263, 0.197, 0.169, and 0.267, respectively. It was found that the flow experience experienced by online gamers and the increase in the level of distortion in time perception had high effects on game addiction. In this context, it is suggested that preventing individuals' time perception from deteriorating or taking preventive measures in terms of flow experience will prevent game addiction, as well as preventing mental disorders that come with game addiction, and it is anticipated that it will be used as a source of literature for future studies.

Automated summary

This study aims to understand the main determinants of online game playing habits and possible addiction among young people between the ages of 18-35 and to contribute to the development of preventive and awareness-raising measures by better understanding the gaming habits of young people. The proposed structural model analyzes the relationships between the variables affecting youth gaming addiction from a holistic perspective. The study found that self-efficacy, achievement, curiosity, and flow have positive effects on game addiction. The flow experience and the level of distortion in time perception have a high impact on game addiction.