From Harvard Medical School; Harvard South Shore Psychiatry Residency Training Program, VA Boston Healthcare System, Brockton, MA; Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA (Dr. Mari).
Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2020 Mar/Apr;28(2):107-112. doi: 10.1097/HRP.0000000000000247.
The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines internet gaming disorder without differentiating games from their respective genres, such as first-person shooter versus real-time strategy versus online gaming. Our review of the literature on massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) suggests that MMORPGs are different from other games because they are the most addictive, and therefore deserve to be looked at separately. MMORPGs are internet platforms for online users to interact with each other in a virtual story line. The overview of the existing literature delineates the positive and negative aspects of MMORPGs and also the available evidence on neuroscientific and neuroanatomical correlates between internet gaming disorder and other addictions. Evidence shows that a player's characteristics and motivations can determine his or her risk of developing problematic play. Problematic MMORPG use may lead to mental disorders such as depression and addiction, and can negatively affect quality of life, and vice versa. Conversely, some players may benefit from being part of a social community and from using it as a learning platform or as a safe space to explore gender-identity issues. Brain circuitry and metabolism are changed through problematic MMORPG use, with the affected areas including the ventral striatum and left angular gyrus.
《精神障碍诊断与统计手册（第五版）》将网络游戏成瘾定义为一种病症，而没有对不同类型的游戏加以区分，例如第一人称射击游戏、实时战略游戏与网络游戏。我们对大型多人在线角色扮演游戏（MMORPG）文献的回顾表明，MMORPG 与其他游戏不同，因为它们最容易让人上瘾，因此值得单独研究。MMORPG 是一种互联网平台，为在线用户提供在虚拟故事情节中相互交流的机会。现有文献综述阐述了 MMORPG 的积极和消极方面，以及网络游戏成瘾与其他成瘾之间神经科学和神经解剖学关联的现有证据。有证据表明，玩家的特点和动机可以决定其出现问题性游戏的风险。有问题的 MMORPG 使用可能会导致抑郁和成瘾等精神障碍，并会对生活质量产生负面影响，反之亦然。相反，一些玩家可能会受益于参与社交社区，并将其用作学习平台或安全空间来探索性别认同问题。通过有问题的 MMORPG 使用，大脑电路和新陈代谢会发生变化，受影响的区域包括腹侧纹状体和左角回。
