Koepp et al. [50] were the first research team to provide evidence for striatal dopamine release
during video game play (i.e., a game navigating a tank for monetary incentive). In their study, eight
male video game players (age range = 36–46 years) underwent positron emission tomography (PET)
during video game play and under resting condition. The PET scans employed a 953B-Siemens/CTIPET
camera, and a region-of-interest (ROI) analysis was performed. Extracellular dopamine levels were
measured via differences in [11C]RAC-binding potential to dopamine D2 receptors in ventral and
dorsal striata. The results showed that ventral and dorsal striata were associated with goal-directed
behavior. The authors also reported that the change of binding potential during video game play was
similar to that following amphetamine or methylphenidate injections. In light of this, the earliest study
included in this review [50] was already able to highlight changes in neurochemical activity as a
consequence of gaming relative to a resting control. This finding is of immense significance because it
clearly indicates that the activity of gaming can in fact be compared to using psychoactive substances
when viewed from a biochemical level.