The game Fortnite is a free game that can be played on mobile devices. Because of these savvy choices, more and more women are playing this game, helping to propel is to possibly generate 3.5 billion dollars in revenue. They also offer more representation for women, which is something different as well. How 'Fortnite' unlocked the most active gamers on mobile It's interesting how they have begun to cater to women, and that choice is really paying off for them.

On May 9 th and 10 th , the Gambling, Gaming & Technology Use team under the Provincial System Support Program at CAMH and Gambling Research Exchange Ontario co-hosted the Gambling and Gaming Harms: Ontario Professional Development Forum. The forum brought together over 100 clinicians and community partners, providing an opportunity to interact and learn from each other’s experiences, broadening their outlook beyond their own practice. Dr. Carlo C. DiClemente, one of the founders of the...

Detailed in an article published last week in The Verge , Google Play Store (Google's app store) will require app developers to disclose the odds of winning a prize through loot boxes in their games by September 1. Loot boxes are virtual items that players can purchase for a chance to win a prize, such as a "skin" (a cosmetic element that doesn't affect the outcome of a game, like a new outfit for your character). This new policy would also include free-to-play games that offer loot boxes,...

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...

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

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...

The Gambling, Gaming and Technology Use (GGTU) team at CAMH has been delivering quality professional development and support to service providers for over 20 years. To help us continue to deliver high-quality products and support, we would like to better understand the populations we are serving and their training needs. By filling in this needs assessment survey, you will help us develop better training deliveries to you and service providers like you. This survey should take approximately...

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...

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.

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...

Hi Jenn, Great question! While we don't automatically provide attendees with a certificate, we do offer certificates for all attendees. All attendees receive an email a couple hours after the webinar with instructions for how to request a certificate.

As February comes to a close with us celebrating and honoring Black History Month , we are only mindful at GGTU to ensure we send out a tribute to the Jean Tweed article, spearheaded by Angela Allen. This well written guide needs to be shared within our community since it shines a light on their wonderful research and helps us better understand and support African Caribbean Black (ACB) women with gambling concerns. After a thorough literature review and survey being conducted, the results...

Digital Burnout: COVID-19 Lockdown Mediates Excessive Technology Use Stress by Sharma Manoj Kumar, Anand Nitin, Ahuja Shikha, Thakur Pranjali Chakraborty, Mondal Ishita, Singh Priya, Kohli Tavleen, Venkateshan Sangeetha View the article here Discussions of how events of the Covid-19 pandemic might impacts various areas of human life have been a hot topic for debate over the previous 2 years. With outbreak numbers stabilizing and the resuming of "normal" daily activities more recently,...

On our unit, we also offer services for parents and family members for this reason. I especially appreciate how this article explores the larger systemic pieces that I don't influence in my work: the more systemic behavior of the companies producing the technology. Without this kind of focus, our work is always uphill!

Article Jiménez‑Muñoz, L., Peñuelas‑Calvo, I., Calvo‑Rivera, P., Díaz‑Oliván, I., Moreno, M., Baca‑García, E., and Porras‑Segovia, A. (2022). Video Games for the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (2022) 52:169–188. Accessed May 23, 2022 at https://link-springer-com.proxy.library.upei.ca/content/pdf/10.1007/s10803-021-04934-9.pdf How It Relates to Gaming Video game-based interventions were effective in alleviating...

Wow! This is interesting. I totally agree that using a phone when with someone is like not being fully present. Many of us do this without thinking of the impact of a seemingly trivial action. We do this with other things too, like eating and scrolling, etc. We live in a distracted and multi-tasking world. No judgment but there are implications. We are never fully present in whatever we do and go through all of life never being fully present and then come to the end of life, and wonder where...

Youth Gambling Although they may not be of legal age to enter a casino, youth may be already engaging in gambling behavior to some degree, even from a young age — whether that’s making a bet with a rare Pokémon card or playing a claw machine game to win a prize. Gambling at any age has risks associated with it and the potential to cause harm. Some video games have elements of betting or gambling, even in skill-based games. Loot boxes are an example which typically offer players a chance to...

Reference: Little, S. & Bala, J. (2023, March 7) UBC research draws new links between video game ‘loot boxes’ and gambling. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/9535007/loot-boxes-gambling-research/ Looked into research between the connection on loot boxes in video games and gambling Many games offer loot boxes often for purchase with real money for a randomized chance to win a large prize which is similar to gambling In the study it was seen that those who send more on loot boxes in...

This research study is about addressing loneliness and social isolation among older adults. It was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic to measure the impact of technology to address loneliness and social isolation. The results indicate a need for technology-assisted interventions to be designed and delivered with older adult’s values, motivations and capabilities in mind. The main findings of the study indicate: - Addressing loneliness and social isolation among older adults was a key...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHmC2D0_Hdg Cam talks about how playing video games overtook his life. He talks about dropping out of school and pretending to work at a restaurant. He explained he would pretend to go to the restaurant in the day so he could sneak back home to sleep after being up all night playing video games. Cam talks about how his research said 97% of youth aged 2-17 play video games. In the UK he explained his research showed more kids between the ages of 2-5 know how to...

This study explored social media's role in feelings of fear during COVID. 86% reported fear or panic (many females) regarding health information (misinformation) that was posted on social media. Levels of fear response differed by age and gender with more females reporting higher levels of fear, which can have implications on mental health.