Tagged With "internet gaming disorder"
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Re: Subscribe to lottery tickets???
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?"
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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Podcast recommendation: Digital wellness, tech use and video game addiction
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
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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Canada Passes Single-Game Sports Betting Bill
Canada’s Parliament voted Wednesday to pass the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act. Read more...
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Re: Movies on problem gambling, gaming & tech use
Molly's Game - She runs a high stakes poker game for prominent stars and mafia. She then finds herself in trouble after the FBI finds interest in her. The Gambler - a professor is addicted to gambling and finds himself in trouble with his enemies. Mississippi Grind - a man believes his new found friend is a lucky charm when it comes to gambling. These are only a few off hand. Since I have a great interest in problem gambling prevention, awareness and addiction, I often look for movies of...
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Mindfulness-based relapse prevention for problem gambling manual
In Ontario, treatment for people with gambling problems was first implemented in 1995, in response to the opening of the province’s first commercial casino in Windsor. With extensive clinical experience and excellent research since then, knowledge about what constitutes effective treatment has been growing, but no one approach suits everyone. Treatment services have instead tended to adopt an eclectic and holistic approach, incorporating a biopsychosocial-spiritual model that draws on...
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Re: Movies on problem gambling, gaming & tech use
Amazing @Registered Member! Thank you so much, I have already downloaded a copy (and attached here in case others are curious to check it out). Also, I would welcome an updated article.
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Serious games, mental health apps, and gambling disorder
The title of a recently published article, A Serious Game to Improve Emotion Regulation in Treatment-Seeking Individuals With Gambling Disorder: A Usability Study , peaked my interest for a few reasons. First, being part of a group of folks who design and create learning opportunities for mental health and addictions clinicians, we have talked about integrating "serious games" (broadly defined as games with educational or informational aims, vs. purely entertainment) into our course design.
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Re: Funding for Interventions
Hi Olive I can't find the original document but it is called Ontario's problem - gambling Strategy and it has been in existence since 1996. Since 1999, it has been funded by a formula of 2 percent of gross slot machine revenue from charity casinos and slots at racetracks. The Strategy has a three-pronged approach consisting of treatment, prevention/awareness and research. I have attached a review of the strategy that was conducted in 2005. You can also find some information about it at the...
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Re: Problem Gaming Q&A with Elaine Uskoski (May 6-7, 2021)
Thank you again for joining us on the forum, Elaine and for offering your time and sharing your story. Watching the documentary sparked a number of initial questions and further reflections: What were some of the things that you and Jake worked on together during that time when he was first stopping/reducing his video gaming? How is Jake doing now? It appears that Jake felt like an “abstinence” approach was what worked best for him. At any point, did you ever try a “harm reduction” approach...
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Re: Problem Gaming Q&A with Elaine Uskoski (May 6-7, 2021)
Thanks for asking me to be a part of this event, Marie-Claire. I'm happy to answer questions in order to help others have a good understanding of gaming addiction from mine and my son's experience. Q What were some of the things that you and Jake worked on together during that time when he was first stopping/reducing his video gaming? A The first time Jake detoxed from gaming, after he had time to rest and get back on a regular sleep cycle, he joined me in morning fitness classes in order to...
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Re: Problem Gaming Q&A with Elaine Uskoski (May 6-7, 2021)
Thanks for your question Anita. Q Hindsight is 20/20. It’s always easier to reflect on what you might have done differently when you have the knowledge of what came before. Looking back, were there warning signs that you are more aware of now that you can share with other parents/caregivers? A Yes, there were warning signs. Jake had lost interest in the sports activities he’d loved. He spoke mostly about online friends and much less about friends at school. He had more difficulty waking in...
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Re: Problem Gaming Q&A with Elaine Uskoski (May 6-7, 2021)
Hi Elaine! This is a really interesting conversation. Thanks for sharing your experiences and approaches that inform your work. I had a few questions I’d like to ask as well: What are some of the main challenges parents/caregivers face when addressing gaming or video game addiction with their children/kin? What have you found to be effective in addressing these challenges? Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected how you speak about gaming? In what ways?
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Re: Problem Gaming Q&A with Elaine Uskoski (May 6-7, 2021)
Thank you for participating Tara. Q What are some of the main challenges parents/caregivers face when addressing gaming / video game addiction with their children/kin? What have you found to be effective in addressing these challenges? A The biggest challenge I see is that parents do not follow through with consequences of poor behaviour of their child. They don’t have clear rules in place, and so the child ends up making decisions on what is acceptable behaviour. Restrictions are not made...
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Re: Problem Gaming Q&A with Elaine Uskoski (May 6-7, 2021)
Great question Mahfuz What I find often is that parents are rewarding children for following rules, rather than setting up a system where the child has a consequence of losing whatever their personal currency is when they don't follow through with expectations. I suggest parents make a list, that is clear for the child to follow, that contains both personal responsibilities as well as chores that are required. This list can be discussed and created with the child. But some of the items are...
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Re: Problem Gaming Q&A with Elaine Uskoski (May 6-7, 2021)
Thanks for your questions, Chloe. Q How would you help parents differentiate healthy and enthusiastic gaming from problem gaming? A Recreational gamers are able to self-regulate their gaming time. They play for short periods of time and understand there are many translatable skills that gaming offers such as problem solving, team dynamics, determination and tenacity, and micro and macro managing. These players still enjoy a variety of other activities outside of gaming. Escapers and High...
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Gambling Awareness Jeopardy Game
Hi everyone, I recall attending a workshop a few months ago and someone shared that they have an awareness tool using a jeopardy style game to educate regarding gambling and gaming, and that this was available for anyone to use. Of course, I can't find any link or information on this now. Any help in tracking this down would be much appreciated!!
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JGI Special Issue Now Available! The Converging Worlds of Gambling, Video Gaming and Technology Use
Editorial A few months ago, the Journal of Gambling Issues ( JGI ) announced that it was opening its doors to papers on other behavioral disorders and in particular to papers on video gaming. Video gaming is a rapidly growing industry that attracts a worldwide audience and therefore a worldwide impact, but few journals that specifically focus their attention on video gaming. According to a quick internet search, the worldwide video gaming industry is valued at $151.06 billion US in 2019 and,...
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Book recommendation: 'The Shallows: What the internet is doing to our brains' by Nicholas Carr
For those of you interested in the ways technology affects our brain and behaviour, I highly recommend ' The Shallows: What the internet is doing to our brains' by Nicholas Carr . A new 2020 edition of this book has been published and it summarizes a lot of the key literature and thinking on how the internet has changed our attention and memory processing. I've been thinking and writing a lot about deep, focused work - which can feel like a lost art some days when we feel like we're being...
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YGAM report to MPs highlights online abuse of girl gamers
Sharing this interesting report from YGAM * about the experiences of girl gamers of a variety of ages. This report summarizes the experiences of harassment and misogyny experienced by gamers who are women in online gaming communities. The report sets out recommendations that will be presented to UK MPs on the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Video Games and E Sports about how to safeguard young women, educate parents and young boys about topics such as rape culture and discrimination. It's...
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Re: Gacha Games - The merging of gambling and gaming
This podcast/YouTube series is great! One of the key quotes for me was: "I've never seen the appeal of casinos... they're scary but to me, Gacha is [like] paying for an experience, I want this thing I'm paying for... I know exactly what I'm getting into" But then... the price you're paying for an item is variable and the thrill of eventually getting it will elicit that dopamine hit. I appreciated the hosts arguing some of the nuances of Gacha vs casino gambling! I wonder how it would be...
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Re: 'Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now'
Interesting post! I will check out this book. Although I know I'm not personally ready to delete all my social media, I have consciously reduced engagement with platforms such as Facebook over time and also have felt the benefits. I have my doubts that we will see a social media-free future, especially as we navigate through a new reality where a continued or new pandemic(s) may threaten ability to gather and travel for long stretches of time. Social media provides easy ways of staying...
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'Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now'
The Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma argues that the social media platforms we use to stay connected are making us miserable, disconnected, and potentially having a much wider impact on the socio-political landscape. The documentary received both praise for its engaging content but also received its fair share of criticism for perhaps being, at times, unbalanced in its views (and for not including individuals who have been campaigning for humane and ethical technology long before the...
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Re: 'Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now'
@Registered Member - the arguments aren't necessarily what you might expect (like improved wellbeing, sleep, etc.) the book focusses more on the impact of those algorithms on our ability to have empathy with others or be critical of news sources (argument #3 - 'social media is making you into an a**; #4 - 'social media is undermining the truth; #9 'social media is making politics impossible'). The author is a computer scientist and futurist so I think he's really arguing about how these...
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Re: 'Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now'
I'm wondering what some of the arguments in the book are? I'm in a weird boat, where, I never got popular social media like FaceBook growing up (despite the peer pressure to do so) but grew up with everyone around me having it. I always felt that, even a decade ago, it was odd to put up your communications with everyone to see it vs. individualized messaging or communities (like specialized forums). I felt that amongst different friend groups, family members or work colleagues - they knew me...
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New panel interview on single-event sports betting!
Soon, on August 27, the federal government will make it legal to gamble on individual sporting events . The provinces and territories will be able to set rules for new online and physical-venue forms of single-event sports betting (SESB). With Canadians spending approximately $10 billion per year on SESB through illegal networks, plus additional billions via opportunities in offshore jurisdictions, the new legal changes provide opportunity to regulate and control SESB, and divert money from...
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Re: Can jurisdictions effectively impose limits on videogame use by kids?
I saw a similar article earlier last month where Tencent, one of the larger Chinese video game companies, made a pledge that they would reduce play time for minors to an hour during weekdays and no more than two hours during vacations and holidays. They did this after Chinese state media made a comment about video games being “spiritual opium”. The company also implemented measures such as facial recognition systems for certain games to prevent kids from using their parents’ IDs to buy...
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Internet safety tips for tweens, teens, parents and caregivers
I'm always on the lookout for accessible resources that are useful for young people and their families/caregivers and professionals who work with families. Below are some links to a great blog series from the creators of Bark, an app for families and schools that can monitor and alert adults about risky or concerning activity on a young person's smartphone. Whilst the Bark app appears to currently only be available in the U.S, their team runs an interesting blog series with videos and linked...
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Beyond Betting - YMCA Limited Podcast Series
🔈 Check this out! 🔈 In the first episode of The Beyond Betting Podcast hosted by the YMCA of Greater Toronto's Youth Gambling Awareness Program ( # YGAP ), the hosts tackle the topic of player packs in video games like Madden and FIFA, while sharing real-world advice for staying safe while playing these games! To listen 🎧, go to: https://youtu.be/rpisfMp9HGw
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In the news: (CBC) Ford government could lose $2.8B over 5 years in online gambling bet, confidential report warns
A CBC article published today outlines how the Ontario government could lose up to $550 million in annual revenue with the arrival of the online gambling market in Ontario ($2.8 billion over the next five years). The projections, outlined in a private and confidential report to one of Canada's largest gaming companies, suggests that the province is set to lose money due to individuals spending more money on online gambling and moving away from land-based casino gambling (the taxation rate is...
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Re: Gambling and advertising: Should there be more regulations?
My short answer is yes, including the way that media reports on when people win the lottery jackpots. They potentially propagate gambling myths by saying things such as: they won by playing the same numbers for the past 36 years and you could be next, or they picked their numbers by using birthdays and anniversary dates and it finally paid off. This gives people a message that they can somehow influence the outcome of the game. There is lots more to say but I will leave it at this for now.
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Video Game and ADHD Video Resource
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R634ytgt7fw 1) By discussing the feedback loop in video games, this video helps to increase understanding on why things offline start to feel less rewarding compared to video games, along with why it is easier to focus / be motivated with a game. 2) This video offers ADHD target information, which is of extra benefit since having ADHD is a risk facture in developing problematic gaming behaviour. However, this information can still be applied to neurotypical...
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How Playing Video Games Affects Your Brain
https://youtu.be/PcDbL0lGw2U This video suggests engaging in video game play influences brain functioning. It would be interesting to compare the regions of the brain affected by excessive video game play and how they compare to the regions affected by an individual who is addicted to substances I think the link between emotion regulation, problem gaming and treatment strategy will be key in my new role as a Youth Case Manager. Is there potential for using strategy games as a harm reduction...
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FREE Virtual Webinar: When Gaming Meets Gambling
Are video games like Candy Crush gambling? How do video games promote gambling among youth? What is a Freemium Model game? All these questions and more will be discussed in this free webinar being conducted by the YMCA of Greater Toronto's Youth Gambling Awareness Program. Game-Bling is an interactive webinar designed for service providers and parents of youth, during which we will explore the dangers of the blurred lines between gaming and gambling and provide tools to understand and...
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Microtransactions in Videogames
Attached are an article and youtube video on the prevalence of microtransactions in videogames. For those of you who may be unaware, microtransactions are purchases that can be made inside a video game for cosmetic items or gameplay advantages. In many games, these purchases come in the form of a "loot box" system, where the only way to get the item that you are interested in is to "roll" for them, forcing you to buy multiple useless items as well. This is essentially an early introduction...
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Game Over: Game Quitters – Online Peer Support for Gamers
Game Over: Game Quitters – Online Peer Support for Gamers www.gamequitters.com YouTube: https://youtu.be/dyOLc5cl6ck Cam’s story is one that many would resonate with. He is the founder of Game Quitters which is an online support page for gamers who are concerned about their gaming habits. It is a safe space that offers a chance for individuals to connect with others who are experiencing similar struggles with gaming addiction. It is well formatted with resources in various forms including...
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Gaming helps
9 Benefits & Positive Effects Of Video Games | GEICO Living - The article shared 9 advantages gaming can bring to an individual. Which shows that gaming can help people develop skills that are useful in everyday life. - More focus should be put on how gaming can be beneficial. Instead of demonizing it - there should be regulations on game development to make the game less addictive.
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Client Video on Confidence with Gaming vs Offline World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wngVZR8ISBU In this video by Cam from Game Quitters (a self-help group for people with video game addiction and their family that also has treatment services for a fee) outlines a common concern within the gaming community. The idea that gaming is the only thing the person can do well, and that cutting back or quitting games will take away the only way they can feel accomplished. Not only is this a fear that many clients for problem gaming can relate to, but...
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Concerns about Video Gaming
https://mediasmarts.ca/video-games/concerns-about-video-games Relates To Problem Use - Spoke to how adults/ parents can try any differentiate between problematic use by such questions, becoming excessive, less socializing, grades and or health declining. Clinically Relevant - I liked how this article spoke about age-appropriate games. I suppose I forgot that there may be a fair amount of children/ teens out there playing games that are rated for only adults. This may be a good question to...
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Re: Anxiety, loneliness and Fear of Missing Out: The impact of social media on young people’s mental health
Given the scope of this topic area, it seems necessary to "focus on our focus" and attend to health aspects of PTU while keeping an eye on other aspects of PTU (such as technology, game design, business strategy and more).It seems that the concept of "balance" is critical. Exciting ways of conveying mental "balance" seems welcome for psychoeducation approaches. The premise is that if mental health is "in balance" then behavioral addiction or substance addiction will be less likely, less...
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Re: Health effects of gaming
This article has fairly recent (2021) stats on prevalence around the world but doesn't separate Canada out from a larger study that included the US, UK, Canada and Germany which showed the same percentage as the above article. Iran apparently has the highest rate and in Korea it is considered a public health crisis. Video Game Addiction Statistics 2021: Is the World Addicted to Video Games? | Healthy Gamer
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Problematic Online Behaviors Among Gamers
Article posted for COI was: Rozgonjuk, Dmitri & Schivinski, Bruno & Pontes, Halley & Montag, Christian. (2022). Correction to: Problematic Online Behaviors Among Gamers: the Links Between Problematic Gaming, Gambling, Shopping, Pornography Use, and Social Networking. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. Accessed May 16, 2022 at https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11469-021-00590-3.pdf Three Bullet Points – How Article Relates to Gaming Behaviors listed...
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YouTube video about replacing gaming with other activities
I came across this video after seeing another by the same youTuber, 'game quitters', linked in a classmate's post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgC4DM1EZ5A I liked that, while the content appears to have some basis in research (presenter is citing evidence, and the content as parallels with the course content), the material is being presented by a peer and in a format that will be comfortable for many of my clients: a quick youTube video. I think the discussion of needs met by gaming is...