Just Can't Get Enough: Exploring the concept of tolerance in gaming and gambling

Abstract

Digital games have become a dominant medium with significant socio-cultural impacts. While gaming offers positive experiences, it also carries the potential for problematic patterns, such as Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), first recognized in the DSM-5 in 2013. The convergence of gaming and gambling, through esports betting and gambling-like mechanics, has further complicated the distinction between these activities. This paper examines differences in tolerance between gaming and gambling. Gambling tolerance often involves increasing bet sizes for emotional arousal, linked to neurobiological and cognitive factors. Gaming tolerance, however, reflects extended time spent playing to achieve satisfaction, driven by motivations like social interaction and immersion. Applying gambling-derived diagnostic criteria to gaming behaviours risks misdiagnosis, ineffective interventions, and stigmatization. This study emphasizes the need for nuanced approaches to understanding and addressing problematic gaming and gambling behaviours, aiming to improve diagnostic accuracy, interventions, and support systems.