Gaming: Screening and Assessment Tools

For more information, contact Provincial Information and Child, Youth, and

Family Initiatives Standards at [email protected].

March 2021

Much of the research surrounding problematic digital technology focuses on gaming. Numerous

screening and assessment tools have been shown to be valid and reliable for use with children,

youth, and their families. In this document, service providers will find some examples of

screening and assessment tools for gaming; some of them require distribution and usage

permissions or have to be purchased.

Screening tools identify potential concerns, and determine if further assessment is needed to

gain a deeper understanding of a client’s issues. Questions about problematic gaming may be

administered independently or as part of a larger psychosocial assessment. Both screenings

and assessments are helpful to support the development of a treatment plan and clarify areas of

potential intervention.

Screening and assessment tools may not provide conclusive evidence that an individual meets

the criteria for a gaming disorder diagnosis. Service providers concerned about their client’s

digital technology use may consider referring them to a mental health or addiction professional

with expertise in process addictions.

Gaming Screening Tools

Screening tools determine if there are potential issues of problematic gaming, and if further

assessment is needed. The following resources can be used to screen youth for possible

problematic gaming.

creening Tool: Video Game Addiction, eMentalHealth.ca

This tool screens for video game addiction and provides a quick assessment for persons who

have problems with video game addiction [1].

http://www.ementalhealth.ca/index.php?m=survey&ID=49

rief Internet and Gaming Screen (BIGS), reSTART Life

This tool helps individuals better understand their internet gaming use [2].

https://www.restartlife.com/test/brief-internet-gaming-screen-bigs/

rief Internet Game Screen – for Parents (BIGS-P), reSTART Life

This tool helps parents better understand their child’s internet gaming use [2].

https://www.restartlife.com/test/brief-internet-game-screen-for-parents-bigs-p/

Gaming: Screening and Assessment Tools| 2

Gaming Assessment Tools

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)

The

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) includes internet gaming

disorder in the section of conditions requiring more research. The DSM-5 proposes nine

symptoms. A person must demonstrate at least five of these within one year for a positive

diagnosis [3].

Indicators of internet gaming disorder include:

• Preoccupation with games (i.e., always thinking about internet games).

• Withdrawal symptoms when gaming is taken away (i.e., feelings of discomfort such as

irritability, anxiety, depression).

• Tolerance (i.e., needing to play for increasing amounts of time).

• Difficulty/inability to reduce playing.

• Loss of interest in previous hobbies and giving up other activities.

• Continuing to play despite problems.

• Problems with relationships (conflict and dishonesty about gaming behavior).

• Playing to feel better.

• Negative impact on community, social, school, and work environments [3].

https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm

The World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD-11)

defines gaming disorder as: characterized by a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming

behaviour (‘digital gaming’ or ‘video-gaming’), which may be online (e.g., over the Internet) or

offline, manifested by: 1)impaired control over gaming (e.g., onset, frequency, intensity,

duration, termination, context); 2) increasing priority given to gaming to the extent that gaming

takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities; and 3) continuation or escalation

of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences. The behaviour pattern is of

sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational,

occupational or other important areas of functioning. The pattern of gaming behaviour may be

continuous or episodic and recurrent. The gaming behaviour and other features are normally

evident over a period of at least 12 months in order for a diagnosis to be assigned, although the

required duration may be shortened if all diagnostic requirements are met and symptoms are

severe (para. 1) [4].

Please refer to the ICD-11 in your assessment when working with children and youth who might

be impacted by problematic gaming.

https://icd.who.int/en

Gaming: Screening and Assessment Tools| 3

he Video Game Addiction Test for Parents, Tech Addiction

This 30-item multiple choice survey of a child’s gaming habits is for parents worried about their

child’s excessive gaming [5].

http://techaddiction.ca/video-game-addiction-test.html

he Internet Gaming Disorder Scale, APA PsycNet

This scale measures the six criteria of computer addiction in adolescents: salience, tolerance,

mood modification, withdrawal, relapse tendency, and conflict [6]. Psychological Assessment

owns the copyrights to the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale; obtain permission for use.

• https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fpas0000062

• https://content.apa.org/record/2014-57712-001

he Internet Gaming Disorder Scale - Short-Form (IGDS9-SF), Halley Pontes

This unidimensional tool comprises nine items reflecting all nine criteria for internet gaming

disorder as proposed in the DSM-5 [8]. For versions of test in 14 languages, see Dr. Halley

Pontes’ website:

https://www.halleypontes.com/igds9sf/

For the validation of the test in Italian, see:

• Monacis, L., de Palo, V., Griffiths, M. D., & Sinatra, M. (2016). Validation of the Interne

Gaming Disorder Scale - Short Form (IGDS9-SF) in an Italian-spacing sample. Journal

of Behavioral Addictions, 5(4): 683-690

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5370374/

nternet Gaming Disorder Test (IGD-20), Halley Pontes

his test examines both online and off-line gaming activities over a 12-month period. This test

most often involves specific internet games, but can also include non-internet computerized

games [7].

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0110137

For

versions of the test in six languages, see Dr. Halley Pontes’ website:

• https://www.halleypontes.com/igd-20/

Gaming: Screening and Assessment Tools| 4

he Development of the Problematic Online Gaming Questionnaire (POGQ), ResearchGate

This 18-item questionnaire assesses six dimensions–preoccupation, overuse, immersion, social

isolation, interpersonal conflicts, and withdrawal; it was developed before the proposed internet

gaming disorder appeared in the DSM-5 [9].

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224967636_The_Development_of_the_Problematic_O

nline_Gaming_Questionnaire_POGQ

Ten-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10), ResearchGate

The 10-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10) is a short screening instrument

developed to assess internet gaming disorder (IGD) as proposed in the DSM-5. The DSM-5

considers the case clinically relevant if five or more criteria are met [10].

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306460315300563

For a cross-cultural validation of the test in six additional languages (Hungarian, Persian,

French, Norwegian, Czech, and Spanish), see:

• Király, O., Böthe, B., Ramos-Diaz, J., & Rahimi-Movaghar, A., (2019). Ten-Item Internet

aming Disorder Test (IGDT-10): Measurement Invariance and Cross-Cultura

alidation Across Seven Language-Based Samples, Psychology of Addictiv

ehaviors, 33(1): 91-103. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328615597_Ten-

Item_Internet_Gaming_Disorder_Test_IGDT-10_Measurement_Invariance_and_Cross-

Cultural_Validation_Across_Seven_Language-Based_Samples

Why do you play? The development of the Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire (MOGQ),

ResearchGate

This 27-item questionnaire measures seven motives behind gaming: escape, coping, fantasy,

skill development, recreation, competition, and social relationships; it is available in several

languages [11].

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51046538_Why_do_you_play_The_development_of_t

he_Motives_for_Online_Gaming

Gaming: Screening and Assessment Tools| 5

References

1. eMentalHealth.ca. (2018). Screening Tool: Video Game Addiction. Retrieved

rom http://www.ementalhealth.ca/index.php?m=survey&ID=49

2. reSTART. (n.d.). Brief Internet and Gaming Screen (BIGS). Retrieved from

https://www.restartlife.com/test/brief-internet-gaming-screen-bigs/

3. American Psychiatric Association (APA). (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual

of mental disorders (5th edition). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric

Association.

4. World Health Organization (WHO). (2018). International statistical classification of diseases

and related health problems, 11th Revision (ICD-11). Retrieved from https://icd.who.int/en

5. Conrad, B. (2018, August). The Video Game Addiction Test for Parents.

etrieved from http://www.techaddiction.ca/video-game-addiction-test.html

6. Lemmens, J. S., Valkenburg, P. M., & Gentile, D. A. (2015, January 5). The

Internet Gaming Disorder Scale. Psychological Assessment, 27(2)

etrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pas0000062

7. Pontes, H. M., Király, O., Demetrovics, Z., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). The

Conceptualisation and Measurement of DSM-5 Internet Gaming Disorder:

The Development of the IGD-20 Test. PLoS One, 9(10), e110137.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0110137

8. Pontes, H. M., & Griffiths, M. D. (2015). Measuring DSM-5 Internet Gaming

isorder: Development and validation of a short psychometric scale. Computers

in Human Behavior, 45, 137-143. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2014.12.006

9. Demetrovics, Z., Urbán, R., Nagygyörgy, K., Farkas, J., Griffiths, M. D., Pápay,

O., Kökönyei, G., Felvinczi, K., & Oláh, A. (2012). The Development of t

roblematic Online Gaming Questionnaire (POGQ). PLoS One, 7(5): e36417.

doi:

10.1371/journal.pone.0036417

10. Király, O., Sleczka, P., Pontes, H. M., Urbán, R., Griffiths, M. D., & Demetrovics,

Z. (

2017). Validation of the Ten-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10) and

evaluation of the nine DSM-5 Internet Gaming Disorder criteria. Addictiv

ehaviors, 64, 253-260. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2015.11.005

11. Demetrovics, Z., Urbán, R., Nagygyörgy, K., Farkas, J., Zilahy, D., Mervó, B.,

Reindl, A., Ágoston, C., Kertész, A., & Harmath, E. (2011). Why do you play

he development of the motives for online gaming questionnaire (MOGQ).

Behavior Research Methods, 43(3), 814-825.

doi: 10.3758/s13428-011-0091-y