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EENet ConnectSubgroupsGambling, Gaming & Technology Use Community of Interest

Gambling, Gaming & Technology Use Community of Interest

The Gambling, Gaming & Technology Use Community of Interest brings together addiction and mental health service providers, researchers and subject matter experts in the fields of gambling, technology/Internet use and video gaming to collaborate and share knowledge on emerging trends and clinical best practices.

Tagged With "problem gaming"

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Re: Gaming and gambling

Registered Member ·
Interesting research! The Australian Government is currently conducting a commission into loot-boxes (microtransactions for chance based items). You can read a number of interesting submissions (including my own ) on the topic. The Australian Government has also reached out to the Netherlands to clarify why they regulated lootboxes in games. Their response states: The Senate report is actually due today, but I haven't seen it yet. I've done quite a bit of work in this space. To those...
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Re: Gambling for Shoes?

Registered Member ·
I am shaking my head over this one. As gambling is defined as “risking money or something of value on the outcome of an event involving chance when the probability of winning or losing is less than certain”. I would consider this ‘gambling’. Would this fall under the pervue of OLG or AGCO for follow-up? Interesting this article (referenced in the first article) speaks to the game being rigged. If it is proven to be rigged, I wonder about the fall-out, if any, for the gaming industry?
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Re: Gambling for Shoes?

Registered Member ·
Interesting for sure. I would call it a form of "recreational gambling" although $5 a pop seems very high. I agree it could become a potentially risky activity for people who are more vulnerable - quite a few in Queen West!
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Re: Gambling for Shoes?

Registered Member ·
Thanks for sharing the article about the lawsuit @Registered Member. It will be interesting to see whether the game has some element of skill, and whether the advertisements about it were truthful. I agree with both @Registered Member and @Registered Member that this is a form of unregulated gambling. I find it interesting how forms of gambling evolve over time and how they are now popping up outside of casinos.
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Re: Sleep problems in teenagers reversed in just one week by limiting screen use

Registered Member ·
Might be worth investigating what else the teens are doing in their newly found 4 hours of time not sitting in front of a screen. If they are exercising, that might be the reason they are sleeping better, rather than blue light avoidance.
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Re: Google’s Play Store starts requiring games with loot boxes to disclose their odds

Registered Member ·
As a mother whose 12-year-old just spent $50 of his birthday money on loot boxes in Overwatch, having some idea of the odds of his getting the skin of his dreams would definitely have given me a better argument to dissuade him from doing this. Letting people - usually kids - know the odds would bring into focus the idea that this is gambling, and spark conversations in families that may be less aware. I do think that this kind of gambling is insidious for youth. For this reason, regulation...
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Re: Blog: A Health Communication Campaign to Address Gambling Among College Students

Registered Member ·
Thanks Tiffany! Interesting blog. Really hits home the need to: 1. Develop different communications for different needs/audiences (i.e. some featuring slot machines and others sports betting); and 2. The importance of involving the target audience in the design, testing and evaluation of the communication strategy in order to minimize potential unintended negative consequences.
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Re: Internet and gaming addiction – New research

Registered Member ·
"In their article in Addictive Behaviors , a team from the University of California in the US looked at 27 studies on IGD published between 1998 and 2016, to determine whether the disorder is indeed becoming more prevalent. The average across all years was 4.7%, and the results showed it has not increased significantly in the last two decades." I have not read the article in Addictive Behaviors yet but that is a surprising finding. It makes me wonder about the screening...
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Re: "Loot Boxes" - gambling or not?

Registered Member ·
I’d like to share some thoughts on the differences between loot boxes and gambling: You always GAIN something from loot boxes. Whereas in gambling, there is also the possibly that you may LOSE as well. You can’t gain financially from loot boxes as you do in gambling. Putting money into a loot box never gives you money in return like gambling does. Even though these two things don’t match the criteria for gambling that you listed in this tread, they are two significant differences. In this...
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Re: "Loot Boxes" - gambling or not?

Registered Member ·
Interesting. The Skinner method used in video gaming creates the pull for longer play. Winning at random intervals has been proven to keep a player engaged long after they are even interested in the game, compared to winning each and every time time. In terms of Loot Boxes, offering a biological need like food, water, or sex always has a satiation point where one becomes full and loses interest. However, offering non-biological needs like gold coins and ammunition that will take a player to...
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Re: Screen time and ADHD

Registered Member ·
Thanks Lisa highlighting this topic and Elaine for sharing your personal experience and journey. Such an interesting topic, and the article had this to say: "But maybe the most interesting finding is that not all screen activities had equal effects. For example: Playing video games with family had no significant association with the development of ADHD symptoms, while playing video games alone (even if playing with other people online) had a strong association with subsequent ADHD symptoms".
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Re: Can anyone suggest an gambling clinical practice guide, that incorporates "cultural competency" on the idea of "lucky?"

Registered Member ·
Hello Bill, Please find the attached document, "A Guide for Counsellors Working with Problem Gambling Clients from Ethno-cultural Communities." On page 16 there is content related to your question. Best, Lisa
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Re: How to Improve Screening for Problem Gambling - Recruiting for Concept Mapping Study

Registered Member ·
hi, do you have a website that your call could be linked to? This is because eenetconnect is a closed/shielded site which is not friendly to www interactivity beyond it's wall. thanks as useful project. Bill
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Re: How to Improve Screening for Problem Gambling - Recruiting for Concept Mapping Study

Registered Member ·
Hi Bill, Thanks for the info, sorry as a new user, I was unaware of that. Information about the call and the study can be found at https://www.guilcherlab.com/re...t-opportunities.html and https://learn.problemgambling.ca/eip/poverty . Thanks again, Lauren
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Re: Teens in Urban Regions Are More Likely To Experience Problem Video Gaming

Registered Member ·
I am located in a rural county of Ontario with no access to transportation and a high rate of low income families who struggle to have access to sport available in our community, having said that you would think that problematic video game use would be more of an issue for the youth in our rural areas.
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Re: Teens in Urban Regions Are More Likely To Experience Problem Video Gaming

Registered Member ·
I like your idea Tiffany of adding safer gaming practices into curriculum with safer gambling information. I also think that there is a need for a paired curriculum for parents/guardians on both of these topics, especially as technology use is so ubiquitious. I wonder how influential overall wellness and mental health education would be at addressing some of those underlying issues and how students would respond if the curriculum not only taught safer gambling and gaming practices, but...
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Re: Research on Parent-Child "Technoference"

Registered Member ·
Such interesting findings! I wonder if the length of time that parents spend with their children make a difference to the level of technoference experienced, and in turn the behavioral outcomes - as stay at home moms of little ones under 5 spend a lot more time with their kids, and likely experience this to a greater degree than parents who work. I also wonder if there are any mediating factors that might reduce the behavioral problems seen in young children as a result of technoference?
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Re: Gambling, Gaming, and Technology Use Knowledge Exchange

Registered Member ·
Thank you so much for sharing the article, Elaine. It was very thought provoking. I had some initial responses to his article (in italics). My Responses to “Why Is There a ‘Gaming Disorder’ But NO ‘Smartphone Disorder’ article in The Atlantic by Ian Bogost on June 28, 2018. The ICD has not "decided" that if you play video games a lot, you might suffer from a mental health issue: Gaming disorder.” They have determined based on research and consultations with experts that those that are...
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Re: Research on Parent-Child "Technoference"

Registered Member ·
Thanks for sharing the informative video, Elaine, and thanks Rebecca for your insightful questions. I think the current research article is scratching the surface and that more research and clinical evidence is needed on technoference and the long-term consequences on the parent-child relationship, the parent and the youth. As the article and Sarah pointed out (thank you!), it is likely a bi-directional relationship with many complex factors to consider. But this article does provide a great...
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Re: Research on Parent-Child "Technoference"

Registered Member ·
This is such an interesting thread. It's also brought to my mind the amount that technology is used in the classroom now. Even my son in JK had specific iPad time and tasks that he had to complete/lerning activities to complete. I would wonder if that will eventually factor in to the research as well.
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Re: Adolescent Problem Gambling

Registered Member ·
One more thing I forgot to mention - we also have our latest handbook entitled Adolescent Problem Gambling: A Prevention Guide for Parents now available on our website in both English and French .
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Re: CBC News Article: Tech companies encourage us to be smart about phones

Registered Member ·
Thanks for sharing, Matt! Just to add to this discussion - an article published yesterday in TechCrunch announces that Facebook and Instragram's new "digital well-being screen-time management dashboards" have been launched in the US. This dashboard shows how many minutes people use each of these apps per day and their average use in a week. It also allows users to mute notifications and set daily usage limits, after which a notification will come up to say they have surpassed the limit. What...
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Re: DOTA 2 coming to Vancouver

Registered Member ·
Thanks for sharing this article, Beth. The popularity of e-sports seems to have grown exponentially over the last few years, drawing in more and more fans and cash prizes. For example, right here in Toronto taking place from October 26 to 28, is the EGLX video game expo. As part of the expo, there will be the live World Electronic Sports Games (WESG) Canadian Grand Finals. $150,000 can be won by the Canadian qualifiers, which will enable them to eventually compete for $5.5 million in the...
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Re: CBC News for Kids

Registered Member ·
Thanks to Lisa and CBC. I know the withdrawal can be a lot harder for some children and it can create a lot more family conflict than this clip portrays. But seeing the child's perspective, as he processes how much better he feels, after stopping the game, is encouraging.
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Re: Just Released: Journal of Gambling Issues, issue no. 40

Registered Member ·
Excellent. Looking forward to reading these articles!
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Re: Are Video Game Developers Really Helping Combat Addiction?

Registered Member ·
Hi Elaine, I wonder what sort of parameters would make the video games less addictive? Specifically in Nintendo's case? From my experience, Nintendo, as a platform, is probably the least nefarious game producer in the world when it comes to manipulating addiction. They do not exploit loot boxes to the same degree as other developers, their online capacities are minimal, they encourage same-screen multiplayer in many of their games and they are more family oriented. I think parental controls...
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Re: INQBOARD: Older Adults & Problem Gambling

Registered Member ·
Thank you for this Kim. I love the infographic and was enticed to read the report. It was interesting to note: “Casinos have been shown to use marketing and services targeted specifically at older adults. These services include free transportation from older adult living facilities, low cost food and alcohol, needle disposals for diabetes sufferers and defibrillators, and entertainment options directed towards older adults, including recording artists from the 1960s and 1970s (Bjelde,...
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Re: INQBOARD: Older Adults & Problem Gambling

Registered Member ·
This is a great resource @Registered Member! Thanks so much for sharing. The original research that is featured in this infographic was published in issue no. 39 of our Journal of Gambling Issues. This issue featured a special section on gambling in older adults, which you can read here .
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Re: Are "Free" Video Games Really Free?

Registered Member ·
Great video. Thanks for sharing. Also, to note is that gamers are purchasing Skins (virtual goods) within a game, believing they enhance their online social status (they believe those who have attained many of these Skins must be better players) when they have no direct influence on the outcome of their game play. In terms of reducing or avoiding financial disaster, besides never giving a child their credit card, parents can help a child create a budget and use the child's earned or gifted...
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Re: Podcast Interview on Video Gaming Addiction

Registered Member ·
I thought this was such a powerful and honest conversation about the realities of problem video game for youth and their families. Thank you for sharing, Elaine!
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Re: ESports: 16-year-old Fortnite video game world champ wins $3M

Registered Member ·
Interesting piece of information. I never took this computer games seriously. The tournaments are making them even more exciting for kids and teenagers, making our job harder to keep them away from electronics. Honestly, I am going to take a closer look at the game 😉
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Re: ESports: 16-year-old Fortnite video game world champ wins $3M

Registered Member ·
Fortnite was cited as a reason for more than 200 divorces almost a year ago. https://nypost.com/2018/09/14/...estroying-marriages/ Don't look too closely at the game....
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Re: Introduction to Problem Gambling: Phase One online course

Registered Member ·
https://www.eenetconnect.ca/g/...g-and-technology-use >>> EENet Connect < alerts@hoop.la > 8/26/2019 4:22 PM >>>
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Re: CTV interview Should addiction to video games be considered a disease?

Registered Member ·
Great interview, Lisa! Lots of important information. Here's a brief article that highlights some of the negative consequences from the perspective of people with lived experience. This article also highlights the website/resource "Game Quitters". https://www.thestar.com/edmont...-need-more-help.html
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Re: CTV interview Should addiction to video games be considered a disease?

Registered Member ·
This is an article that features the concerns some scholars have about gaming being included in the ICD-11: "Scholars' open debate paper on the World Health Organization ICD-11 Gaming Disorder proposal"
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Re: How "Fortnite" is changing the gaming market

Registered Member ·
There is definitely a lot of buzz around this game! It is a consistent theme that companies target untapped markets and begin targeting them to increase profits. I think this is an important part of increasing public awareness so people can make educated choices about what they participate in.
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Re: CBC News Article: Tech companies encourage us to be smart about phones

Registered Member ·
Thanks for sharing this article, Tiffany. I think tracking and monitoring usage is a good first step to increasing self awareness around the possibility of over-usage and can allow people to start questioning whether their level of use is causing problems at all. There are also other apps (e.g., Rescue Time, Cold Turkey, Self Control, etc.) that help capture this info and/or allow users to block certain websites to help minimize use.
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Re: Blog on WHO's decision to include gaming disorder in the ICD-11

Registered Member ·
Great blog Lisa. You ask: What do you think the government and industry responsibility is to regulate video gaming and create less addictive games/apps? I also wonder what the role of the industry should be. Can/should they regulate themselves or should the government impose regulations? The video game industry has much to gain by encouraging/hooking players into ongoing and continuous play. The Entertainment Software Association of Canada describes themselves as the voice of the Canadian...
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Re: Subscribe to lottery tickets???

Registered Member ·
This is a game changer (no pun intended). It's unfortunate that there is no self-exclusion mechanism on this web page, as this is another avenue to increase the harm associated with gambling...unless this falls under the internet gaming category on OLG's site . I agree with Steve's comment about this being representative of a balancing act. However, I feel like they can promote their products but still use harm reduction messaging to target priority populations.
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Re: "Are video game transactions too much like gambling?"

Registered Member ·
I agree that this is a form of gambling. Although it is not necessarily new for the element of randomness to be incorporated as a marketing tool in children's toys/entertainment (I am thinking of hockey/pokemon cards or the "L.O.L Surprise" dolls) the relative ease and speed of purchasing loot boxes in a video game is concerning to me.
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Re: Research on Parent-Child "Technoference"

Registered Member ·
Thanks Tiffany - I think the bi-directional nature of the relationship between parent technology use and child behavioural problems is an important consideration. Parents with children with behavioural problems would likely benefit from understanding, support and opportunities to learn positive coping skills for their own high stress levels.
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Re: Research on Parent-Child "Technoference"

Registered Member ·
Hi Tiffany, this is fascinating. Thank for posting! Can you elaborate briefly on what they meant by devices "that interrupt activities with their child on a daily basis." How can a device 'interrupt' an activity, particularly an interpersonal activity? Even a quick example would be great. Thanks!
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Re: Research on Parent-Child "Technoference"

Registered Member ·
Thanks for your question, Sylvia. According to the authors, the term technoference was coined by McDaniel and Coyne (2016) and refers to interruptions in interpersonal interactions or time spent together due to technology. This can include sending texts or emails, checking your phone or social media, and even picking up a phone call or answering a text during a conversation with your child (although this is not limited just to the parent-child relationship but to other relationships in your...
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Re: Research on Parent-Child "Technoference"

Registered Member ·
This is such important information for parents to understand in terms of interpersonal development with their young children. Although much of my Video Gaming Disorder Talk covers gaming teens and young adults, its important for parents to realize how their own behaviour with texting, emails and social media may be a contributing factor in the outbursts and tantrums they are seeing when removing gaming devices or reducing the hours their child spends gaming. Here's a good video clip with...
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Podcast recommendation: Digital wellness, tech use and video game addiction

Registered Member ·
Hi folks, I'm hoping to share interesting resources each week on the topic of problem tech use and digital wellness. This week, one of my favourite podcasts tackled this topic along with problem gaming. It's about a 45-50m listen, perfect for a socially distanced walk or to help you get through the weekly chores: https://open.spotify.com/show/3YJVMZhsHlrQq3PKf6p7mo Description: Nadja Streiter, LMSW is a psychotherapist and parent coach, as well as Director of Programs at Game Quitters. She...
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Assessing gaming disorder: Expert opinions

Registered Member ·
Gaming disorder can be difficult to assess, as there are concerns about over pathologizing normal or potentially healthy behaviours. A new study surveyed 29 international experts until consensus was reached about useful criteria for assessing gaming disorder. This study helps clinicians with creating their own assessments to ensure they're looking at the most relevant features in their assessment to target as well as ensure they're not problematizing less relevant features. An interesting...
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