Modeling the epidemics of internet gaming disorder with system dynamics approach

Over the last three decades, video game companies have invested heavily in attracting and retaining gamers in the online world to obtain significant market share. The accessibility of online gaming has contributed to a significant increase in Internet Gaming Disorder defined by the American Psychiatric Association in 2013. Similar to other forms of addiction, it also weakens physical and psychological health, as well as breakdowns in environmental relationships such as family and friends. To explore the global dynamics of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), we constructed a population-level system dynamics simulation model covering the COVID-19 pandemic period. Causal relationships among subsectors of gamers, gaming businesses, and streaming with model assumptions, and simplifications are investigated. The model is validated from 2010 to 2022 based on qualitative and quantitative literature. Scenario analyses indicate that the average life of games in the market has a significant impact, affecting the number of addicted gamers within society. The duration of pandemics affects addiction rates differently, with longer durations having diminished effects on addiction proportions. Policy interventions targeting parameters like the ``Neutral Gamer Fraction" result in substantial reductions in addicted gamer ratios. A combined policy with multiple parameters is shown to be effective in controlling the addicted gamers. Future research avenues may involve refining model assumptions, exploring alternative mitigation strategies, and developing individual-level system dynamics models to gain deeper insight.