The specific nature of harm and functional impairment in the context of gaming disorder (GD) has received limited attention. In this study, we present one of the first concerted attempts to measure the types and degree of harm experienced by people displaying signs of problem gaming. Attempts were made to assess the extent to which types of harm were attributable to gaming as opposed to other factors. The study also investigated potential behavioural indicators of harmful involvement, including exposure to loot boxes. A sample of 471 regular gamers (M = 380, F = 73), recruited through the online platform Prolific, completed a survey where problem gaming was identified using Petry et al.’s (2014) checklist. Individuals who met the cut-off for gaming disorder scored higher than the non-problem group on most dimensions of harm, with physical and psychological types being the most common issues. Loot box expenditure was low (M = $25 in 3 months, for the 10.8% of respondents who played loot boxes) but significantly positively associated with the degree of gaming-related financial harm. This study shows that problem gaming is most strongly associated with physical or psychological harm and that financial harms may manifest in gaming activities that facilitate continuous spending options.

在游戏障碍 (GD) 的背景下，伤害和功能障碍的具体性质受到的关注有限。在这项研究中，我们提出了第一个一致的尝试来衡量人们表现出问题游戏迹象的伤害类型和程度。已尝试评估哪些类型的伤害可归因于游戏而不是其他因素。该研究还调查了有害参与的潜在行为指标，包括接触战利品箱。通过在线平台 Prolific 招募的 471 名常规游戏玩家（M = 380，F = 73）的样本完成了一项调查，其中使用 Petry 等人（2014）的清单确定了问题游戏。在大多数伤害维度上，达到游戏障碍临界值的个人得分高于非问题组，身体和心理类型是最常见的问题。战利品盒支出很低（M = 3 个月内 25 美元，对于 10.8% 的玩过战利品盒的受访者），但与游戏相关的财务损害程度显着正相关。这项研究表明，问题游戏与身体或心理伤害最密切相关，而财务伤害可能体现在促进持续消费选择的游戏活动中。