Determinants of gaming disorder among aspiring professional esports players: a prospective study

Esports, the competitive practice of video gaming within an organized framework, has rapidly expanded, encouraging people to seek opportunities in esports teams. Numerous competitions are emerging, some offering substantial prize pools. While esports can be pursued as a leisure activity, some individuals have become professionals, and others aspire to turn it into a career. As more youth pursue esports as a potential career, concerns have emerged regarding the risk of developing gaming disorder (GD) due to excessive gaming. Despite growing interest, little is known about youth aspiring to professional esports careers, particularly regarding the influence of esports career intentions in the short-term development of GD.

This longitudinal study aims to compare one-year changes in GD between 111 esports players intending to become professionals and 108 esports players without this intention. The association between group membership and GD, as well as its evolution over time, is further assessed after controlling for relevant covariates. A repeated-measures ANOVA followed by an ANCOVA including 8 covariates (gaming habits and psychological factors) were conducted.

GD showed a similar decrease over one year in both groups. Group membership did not emerge as a significant predictor of changes in GD over time, whereas negative consequences and life satisfaction were associated with GD trajectories. Furthermore, group differences in GD did not remain significant after controlling for gaming time, negative consequences, and escape motive.

GD prevention efforts may benefit from placing greater emphasis on gaming habits and psychological factors rather than on professionalization intentions alone.