The impact of mobile game genre on gaming disorder risk in early adolescents: a goal-oriented classification approach

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between mobile game genres and Internet gaming disorder (IGD) in early adolescents using a novel goal-oriented classification system. Additionally, the study examined whether daily gaming time mediates the association between game genre and problematic gaming.

Data were drawn from Wave 8 of the Kids Cohort for Understanding Internet Addiction Risk Factors in Early Childhood (K-CURE), including 152 participants aged 9 to 12 years. Participants identified their most frequently played mobile game, which was categorized into three groups: physical obstacle, cognitive obstacle, and competitive games. Problematic gaming was assessed using the Internet Gaming Use-Elicited Symptom Screen (IGUESS). Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate the associations between game genres and IGD, controlling for demographic and parental variables. Mediation analyses were conducted using daily gaming time as a mediator, testing both direct and indirect effects.

Regression analyses indicated that playing physical obstacle games was significantly associated with higher IGUESS scores compared to minimal players (B = 1.709, p = 0.039), while cognitive and competitive games did not show significant direct associations. Females scored lower than males (B = -1.462, p = 0.014) and older age was a significant predictor (B = 0.092, p = 0.005). Mediation analyses revealed that both physical obstacle (indirect β = 0.104, p = 0.017) and competitive games (indirect β = 0.076, p = 0.034) had significant indirect effects on IGUESS scores through increased daily gaming time. No direct effects of game genre remained significant after accounting for gaming time, suggesting a pattern consistent with full statistical mediation.

These exploratory findings suggest that certain mobile game genres, particularly physical obstacle and competitive games, may be associated with increased risk of problematic gaming in adolescents primarily through their capacity to prolong gaming time rather than through direct effects.