The Gaming Details You Need The Options

Gaming is a very popular hobby. Almost all children play games. Problematic gaming behavior occurs in 4% of students in secondary education, boys 7%. In 2015, around 500 patients with game addiction registered with addiction care. There is a clear difference in gaming behavior between boys and girls. More boys play games, and they also play more frequently. Problematic gaming is almost twice as common among boys as girls. Patients who are being treated for game addiction are almost exclusively male. In an international comparison, children played slightly more than the European average. From TheTechDJ you can have the essential deals.

How many young people play?

• In primary education, 87% of the students gamet 1
• In primary education, 35% of pupils play daily (50% of boys and 20% of girls) 2
• In secondary education, 68% of students sometimes play 1
• In continuing education, 27% of the students play every day (boys 42%, girls 11%) 2
• The frequency of gaming is gradually decreasing from primary education. Of the 12 year olds gaming is still 35% almost every day, this is only 18% for the 16 year olds.

Gaming is therefore a popular hobby. However, it is just one of the activities that young people spend time on. The ESPAD (2015) looked at what young people still do in their free time.

The graph shows the following:

The internet is the most popular form of time use: more than 9 out of 10 young people use the internet daily. Exercise is also popular: almost half of the boys exercise (almost) daily and another 40% on a weekly basis. It is almost a third of the girls exercise (almost) daily and another 52% on a weekly basis. Leisure reading is a minority activity: around 79% of boys and 63% of girls never read a book.

Problematic gaming behavior

Data from the HBSC survey (2017) offer the opportunity to look further at healthy and unhealthy gaming behavior. 5 Young people were asked about the consequences of their gaming behavior and the role that gaming plays in their lives (average age: 14). The following types of gamers emerged:

Risk gamers (total: 4%, boys: 7%): This problematic group of gamers scores positively on at least five of the nine questions about game disorder and has at least one direct problem with game behavior (secret gaming, quarreling due to game behavior, losing other hobbies / activities, the occurrence of serious problems with family or friends). This group plays at least two to three days a week. This group plays games on average around 23 hours a week.

Hobby gamers (total: 36%, boys: 55%): play a minimum of two to three days a week. This group plays games on average around 14 hours a week.

Non-gamers / occasional gamers (total: 60%, boys: 38%): the remaining group of young people, who occasionally or never play games, on average, this group plays games 3 hours a week.

Problematic gaming appears to be most common among players of multiplayer online games (such as World of Warcraft, Fortnite, GTA, Call of Duty).

As the school level rises, risky gaming decreases: risky gaming is most common among pupils of pre-vocational secondary education (5%) and least on pupils of HAVO and VWO (3%). Also as students get older, the number of week hours spent on gaming decreases. At least 24-hour gaming is most common among 13-year-olds (10%) and least common among 16-year-olds (5%).