Hamari, J., Macey, J., (2018) Investigating relationships between video gaming, spectating esports,and gambling. (Alexander)

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Article: Investigating relationships between video gaming, spectating esports, and gambling Authors: Macey, Joseph. Hamari, Juho.

This article is a research paper which describes a study by its authors with the goal of uncovering a link between video games, watching eSports, and gambling. Macey and Hamari begin their article by explaining that much research has already been conducted regarding the field of video games and introduce the reader to the possibility of video game consumption serving as a pathway to developing gambling habits and addiction by citing several other research papers. The authors then state their research questions as: “Is increased consumption of video games and esports associated with increased levels of gambling?”, and “Are higher rates of problematic video gaming associated with higher rates of a) gambling activity, and b) problematic gambling?”. The authors seek answers to these questions by conducting an online survey over the course of one month, furthermore, they hypothesize that: video gaming habits will be positively associated with offline gambling habits, online gambling habits, and video game-related gambling habits; the association is expected to be most pronounced in relation to video game-related gambling habits and weakest for offline gambling habits. The survey made use of the Game Addiction Scale as well as the Problem Gambling Severity Index and its findings concluded that video game addiction has no association with non-gaming related gambling at all; however, it also found that video game consumption has a small association with video game-related gambling and eSports consumption has a small to moderate association with forms of gambling behaviour. The discussion regarding the results of the survey is then followed up by a detailed overview of the potential implications of this research as well as recognition of the limitations of the research. Macey and Hamari the conclude the article by stating that modern video games do not act as pathways to gambling disorders, rather, it is the development of digital culture that leads to people potentially developing these disorders. This article provides fruitful research regarding the possible link between gambling disorders and video game consumption as well as eSports consumption. Macey and Hamari do not include a devoted section to detailing future research, however, the article remains organized and is concisely communicates information to the reader and is a well thought-out paper overall.

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