For over 50% of young people aged between 15 and 19, online gaming poses a risk of addiction, according to research by the University of Pavia, – in this city more than €220 million has been spent on gambling in 2024 -, in collaboration with the Cnr-Ifc, the Mario Negri Institute in Milan and with the support of the Lombardia Region Program for the prevention and contrast of pathological gambling (GAP Fund). The study is part of the activities of the national project PRO-BEN | Health Mode On, funded by the Ministry of University and Research, which brings together a network of universities throughout Italy with the aim of generating scientific evidence useful in promoting healthy lifestyles and psychological well-being among young university students.
The data has been collected from a representative sample of more than 11.000 Italian adolescents as part of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), the largest monitoring system for risky behaviours among European adolescents. This latest ESPAD Report offers new and valuable information on the experiences and realities of a younger generation that is about to establish itself in a rapidly changing social context. It also highlights changes, the growing importance of digital lifestyles and related mental health issues that could be linked to the behavioural patterns of this group of young people.
The research, published in the journal Lancet Public Health, revealed a direct link between gaming and gambling. The study found that the “pay-per-win” mechanism underlying many videogames encourages gamers to move from spending virtual money or money linked to rewards for skills or level progression in spending real money to gain advantages over other gamers. This concept is linked to the theme of microtransactions worth a few euros, which encourage players to get used in spending real money, such as the “season pass” technique: this is a seasonal pass that offers players the opportunity to purchase additional content for the games they like. Season passes are more common in traditional games such as Candy Crush, which can be downloaded for free, with additional post-launch content and a linear storyline. The contents of season pass vary depending on the game and include DLC, future downloadable content, updates, cosmetic items and in-game currency. “Battle passes” are more prevalent in live-service games such as Second Life, or free-to-play games (which tend to attract new potential customers).
Exploiting players’ psychological vulnerabilities tends to create addiction, including the technique of waiting 20 minutes to unlock another life within the game; these are risky behaviours. Developing effective prevention strategies means being able to limit access to the gaming, analysing the risk factors and student distress through studies and questionnaires. Based on the data collected, thew aim is to build prevention programs and activities in collaboration with universities and healthcare institutions.
