Time, money limits in online games help curb addictive behaviour: Study

The study, conducted based on data provided by gaming companies, analysed the gaming habits of more than 8,000 gamers

The adoption of voluntary self-exclusion tools, as well as ‘time and money limit’ policies by online gaming platforms helps in containing addictive behaviour of players, a joint study conducted by researchers from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi has shown.

 

The study, conducted based on the data provided by gaming companies, took into consideration the gaming habits of more than 8,000 gamers. Most of the data, however, was non-personal and looked at parameters such as the deposit amounts, game counts, daily play amounts per player, and daily winnings per game per player.

 

Though these tools are effective as per the initial findings of the study, “there is limited empirical research” studying the overall deeper impact of such tools and its effectiveness, the researchers said.

 

Voluntary self-exclusion tools and practices also present psychological limitations bringing about feelings of isolation and deprivation in gamers, which in turn, exhibits lack of flexibility and unwillingly promotes unhealthy gaming habits.

 

“Contrary to this, the limit-setting tool seems more adaptable and flexible, where the users can create boundaries for their behaviours by using deposit and time-based constraints. Research has suggested that voluntary limit-setting can be effective in moderating the risky gaming behaviour and improvising self-control,” the researchers concluded in their study.

 

Though the time and money spent monitoring and limiting tools and services that online gaming platforms employ are generally considered encouraging for gamers as they help these players reflect on the time and money spent on gaming, it is largely ineffective for individuals “with compulsive gaming behaviour, as limits can be modified or varied in a manner that undermines their effectiveness”.

 

To devise tools which are more effective than those being deployed by gaming platforms these days, there should be extensive research optimising self-exclusion and limit-setting strategies, exploring complementary support systems, and understanding the mechanisms driving variability in outcomes, said Yatan Pal Singh Balhara, a behavioral health expert for addictions at AIIMS. Balhara is one of the two lead researchers of the study.

 

“Our main goal is to come up with some kind of solution which is good for everyone for a holistic approach to gaming by understanding the various socioeconomic factors that impact players and what can be done to curb negative influence of excessive gaming,” said Tapan K Gandhi, the Cadence Chair Professor of automation and artificial intelligence at IIT Delhi. Gandhi is the other lead researcher of the study.