Should all forms of gaming be considered for gaming disorder?
A brief discussion on digital and non-digital gaming
LFG: Learning from Games is a series dedicated to making the complex world of video game research just a little easier to understand. I post about twice a month in between my Science Shorts, Coming Soon, and Impressions series. Welcome to the first LFG of 2026!
šš¼Hello JOMT Reader!
Video gaming (sometimes called digital gaming in the scientific world) has quickly shifted from a niche hobby to a globally recognized past time, even as some of us fight the vestiges of the stigma surrounding video games. The explosion of video gaming has also birthed a growing chorus of voices warning about the risks of too much gaming, and in particular, how addictive it can become.
Content warning: There are mentions of addiction sprinkled throughout the post. If you are sensitive to that content, please skip this issue!
In this issue of LFG: Learning from Games, I want to come back to the topic of addiction in the gaming world. This time though, Iām exploring whether the definition of gaming needs to be broadened to include non-digital games, i.e., board games.
If you want to read something more focused on video games, I wrote about creating an addictability score for games in this post:
Addictions to video games
Video or digital games as a source for addiction is a very recently recognized behavioural disorder. These disorders are widely misunderstood and often stigmatized because many believe that behavioural disorders are caused by a lack of willpower. Unfortunately, it isnāt that simple.
Behavioural disorders are caused by changes in brain chemistry due to a combination of factors including the environment, genetics, and mental health.1 Factors beyond willpower can lead to behavioural disorders which include addictions to video games. Both the World Health Organization and American Psychiatric Association have defined this addiction, calling it internet gaming disorder.
Internet gaming disorder is defined as a preoccupation with video/digital gaming, increasing priority given to gaming, continuation of gaming despite negative consequences, and loss of interest in other activities. Gaming in these definitions refers mainly to online video gaming, although the World Health Organization also considers offline video games as part of the definition.
While these definitions focus on video games, there is another arm of gaming that isnāt mentioned: non-digital or board games.
Are digital and non-digital games similar?
Thereās no board game version of Call of Duty (unless you consider paintball as the non-digital equivalent). But there are plenty of games that started life in the real world that have become pixels. So it seems odd that under the definition of gaming disorder, the Steam version of Wingspan, Magic: The Gathering, or any other board game could contribute to the disorder while their physical counterparts donāt.
The oddities donāt stop there. There are also mechanisms beyond gameplay mechanics that are similar between non-digital and digital gaming. If youāve played any collectible card game, the booster packs you buy to get more cards is eerily similar to the dreaded loot box. Itās a gambling mechanism in disguise because you donāt know what youāre going to get inside the pack. Your reward is all up to chance.
Researchers have recognized this as well and there are several studies comparing booster pack buying to gambling and addiction:
š A Ruse by Any Other Name: Comparing Loot Boxes and Collectible Card Games Using Magic Arena
So if there are similarities between digital and non-digital games, why arenāt they included in the definition for gaming disorder?
Should non-digital games be part of the definition for gaming disorder?
Some researchers argue that based on similarities of game play and mechanics between digital and non-digital games, gaming disorder should include non-digital games. The small but growing body of evidence suggests that there is reason to suspect that non-digital gaming can contribute to addiction.
But I think there is one major difference between digital and non-digital games that clearly separates their chances of becoming an addiction. That difference is setup time.
Digital gaming can be addictive for some people because of the low effort required to start playing. Aside from time spent waiting while the game loads or matchmaking, you can start playing the game as soon as you decide you want to play (or in the case of gaming disorder, your body feels the need to play).
But for non-digital gaming, thereās a much bigger effort required to start playing the game. Thereās no instant matchmaking for a board game you want to play. Then, thereās setup time. Depending on how complicated the game is, you might spend a lot of time getting all the pieces in the right place.
I think that initial barrier to playing keeps it from becoming too addictive. Research has shown that speed to gratification (in this case playing games) does influence the onset of addiction. The difference in setup time between digital and non-digital games essentially delays the gratification, which keeps non-digital gaming from crossing over to the gaming disorder side.
Final remarks
To answer the question I posed in the title of this issue, I donāt think all of gaming should be considered for gaming disorder.
Yet.
I leave it open because future research might uncover more ways for gaming disorder to happen that doesnāt depend on instant gratification.
But if the gap between digital and non-digital gaming remains, could non-digital gaming be used as a treatment for gaming disorder, to sort of wean a person off of digital gaming? Only more research can tell!
If you want to read the article that inspired this post, you can read it here for free: https://akjournals.com/view/journals/2006/aop/article-10.1556-2006.2025.00101/article-10.1556-2006.2025.00101.xml
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https://goodhealthpsych.com/blog/understanding-the-causes-of-emotional-and-behavioral-disorders/
This website provides an overview of the causes of behavioural disorders.
I think there's also a distinction in that board games or CCGs almost always require the real-world presence of other people, creating a pro-social environment. Sometimes you even have to LEAVE YOUR HOUSE to go to the local game store and hang out with the other nerds in the back room to play Magic, where you probably will establish at the very least some regular acquaintanceships. Unless you're playing a couch co-op game, digital games by and large do not include a social experience. I really don't think that online gaming with voice chat is remotely similar.
For me personally, there's a big difference in connection between me and my partner playing a couch co-op game together and me and my partner sitting next to each other on the couch each playing a different game. (I don't play online games because I prefer turn-based RPGs and because a lot of online gamers are assholes, and I play games to relax and strategize, not to get castigated by some rando half my age for not being good enough at a game.)
Isn't one of the core issues the lack of a concise definition of the term 'game'? If I can recreate your board game in my 3D first-person game world, are we really talking about the same thing?