Media release

From: The University of Queensland

Adults at risk of developing a gaming addiction are more likely to overspend on in-game purchases due to increasingly sophisticated sales tactics, a University of Queensland study has found.

The research revealed adults at risk of a mental health condition called gaming disorder, were 6 to 9 times more likely to report excessive spending on games, in-game purchases, and online sports betting.

Associate Professor Gary Chung Kai Chan from UQ’s National Centre For Youth Substance Use Research said researchers analysed data from the 2022 International Gaming Study, involving nearly 1000 adults aged 18-94 years old from Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and United States.

“Most research on gaming disorders has examined effects on mental and physical health, but we wanted to focus on the link between gaming disorders and overspending on in-game purchases that help users level up in games, unlock virtual goods or access extra features,” Dr Chan said.

Dr Chan said gaming disorder is a new addictive disorder recognised by the World Health Organization, and characterised by impaired control over gaming, to the extent of taking priority over other daily interests and activities.

“Gaming addictions have often been seen as a young male’s problem, but our research found this wasn’t the case.

“While overspending was most common in people under 40 years old, in our study, a considerable 4 to 9 per cent of adults aged over 66 reported overspending on in-game purchases.

“Our study highlights that in-game purchase could be especially harmful for older adults who might struggle in real life if they are spending their retirement savings on virtual items.”

“A lot of games are free to download, and these games have deployed tactics to encourage in-game spending, including gambling-like features such as paid treasure chests or loot boxes,” Dr Chan said.

The study also found people who played video games for 3 hours or more in one session were more likely to experience excessive game-related spending.

PhD candidate Benjamin Johnson, from UQ’s National Centre For Youth Substance Use Research, said many games are designed to obscure a person’s perception of real money and in-game currency.

“It’s very easy for people to lose sight of the amount money they’re paying,” Mr Johnson said.

“We hope this research will highlight game-related financial harm as a real issue, as it can be often overlooked.

“Screening tools used by clinicians to identify problematic levels of gaming focus on social dysfunction and emotional distress, rather than financial harm.

“Our next steps will be to measure how game-related overspending translates to financial hardship and examine the different kinds of spending taking place in these games and if some virtual transactions can be more harmful.”

The research is published in Addictive Behaviours.