MMORPG Addiction in Women: Diagnosis and Treatment

This article explores the understudied topic of MMORPG addiction in women and associated diagnostic characteristics as articulated by the American Psychiatric Association (2013). It is currently estimated that almost half of video game players are female, and women generally tend to select online roleplaying games (MMORPGs) as their preferred video game due to gender-specific social characteristics. Understanding the motivations for female MMORPG players and specifically identifying these characteristics may help counselors discern leisure play from addiction and will aid in the appropriate formation of treatment strategies and future research.