Game related over-spending across age groups and its association with gaming disorder

Gaming disorder is a new addictive disorder under the ICD-11. Most of recent research focuses on young people and its impact on mental and physical health. However, it can also have negative financial impacts as in-game microtransaction and esport betting becoming more common, and this impact could be particularly problematic for older people. This study estimates the association between gaming disorder and game-related overspending.

Data were from the 2022 International Gaming Study (IGS22), a multi-country cross sectional survey of 955 individuals aged 18-94 (M = 46; SD = 16; 45 % Male). We estimated the proportion of participants who reported game-related overspending and modelled its association with ICD-11 Gaming Disorder using logistic regression.

In general, a much smaller but non-negligible proportion of older people (66 years old + ) reported various type of game-related overspending (4 - 9 %) compared to younger age groups. Individuals who are at risk of gaming disorder were at six to nine times higher odds of reporting various type of gaming-related overspending.

This study reveals a novel association between gaming disorder and overspending on purchasing games, in-game purchases, and esports betting across various age groups. While young individuals were more likely to report overspending, some older adults were also affected. As the measure reflects self-reported overspending, further research is needed to assess whether this translates into actual financial hardship.