Running Head Online Game Addiction.doc

Running Head: Online Game Addiction Perception of and Addiction to Online Games as a Function of Personality Traits Searle Huh University of Southern California and Nicholas David Bowman Michigan State University Online Publication Date: April 26, 2008 Journal of Media Psychology, V 13, No. 2, Spring, 2008 Abstract With the growing popularity of online video games, there have been anecdotal reports suggesting that these games are highly addictive, with some gamers spending in excess of 40 to 50 hours per week playing. Thus, research into the individual characteristics that lead to excessive play is warranted. This paper examines two individual variables – personality and perceptions of media – and explores how they relate to online game play, specifically online game addiction. By presenting a revised metric for online game addiction, this paper explores the relationship between addiction and both personality and perception. Online addiction is presented in this paper as a process addiction with four unique factors: perceived social sanctions, excessive play, uncontrollable play, and displacement. Both personality and perception are found to be significantly associated with online game addiction. These results are interpreted and discussed, and future research direction is suggested. Keywords: online game addiction, Big Five personality traits, media perception, MMOs Perception and Addiction of Online Games as a Function of Personality Traits Computer games as a leisure activity have become an ever-increasing part of many young people’s day-to-day lives (Griffiths Davis, 2005; Durkin, 2006). More recently, with the rapid diffusion of broadband Internet services and high-end graphic cards for computers and console systems, online video games – games played over certain online networks (primarily the Internet) – have become more popular and attractive than ever before (Sherry Bowman, in press). According to a white paper from the Korea Game Industry Agency (2007),