Weekly Gaming Duration and Internet Gaming Disorder in Relation to Depression and Loneliness: A Two-Year Follow-Up...

The current study examined the association between weekly video game engagement and mental health, specifically Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), loneliness, and depression. We recruited 377 U.S. adults through CloudResearch Connect using gaming-frequency quotas, resulting in a sample representing a wide range of weekly gaming duration (range = 0-80 hours, M = 14.62). Analyses revealed that weekly gameplay hours did not consistently predict depression and loneliness. In contrast, people with higher IGD scores tended to have higher weekly playtime, more depressive symptoms, and greater feelings of loneliness. We readministered the same survey 2 years later (N = 172 or 45.6 percent of baseline sample). Here, we found that both higher weekly hours and higher IGD scores at baseline predicted increases in depressive symptoms 2 years later, controlling for their baseline depression. We did not find that gaming was predictive of loneliness longitudinally. These findings are particularly relevant given the American Psychiatric Association's interest in IGD in the DSM-5 coupled with the ongoing public debate about the benefits and ills of video games. Our findings suggest that people who struggle to balance gaming with other life demands may experience more depressive symptoms over time. Thus, clinicians may opt to focus on helping clients with IGD better balance their priorities.