Video and computer gaming addiction, also called gaming disorder and pathological
gaming, is an emerging behavioral problem for adolescents. Previous studies have investigated
the associated negative outcomes of this putative mental health problem, such as academic
failure, physical and mental health problems, but findings have been inconsistent and have
methodological weaknesses. Most studies have been cross-sectional, which could not establish
temporal order. Furthermore, the limited longitudinal studies found in this field failed to control
for baseline health, mental health, academic achievement, gaming frequency and other
confounding variables. Therefore, it is not known whether gaming addiction itself can cause long
term negative consequences or whether gaming addiction is just associated with other problems.