Phenomenological Strands for Gaming Disorder and Esports Play: A Qualitative Registered Report
The recent inclusion of gaming disorder in the ICD-11 as a mental disorder has further increased the importance of researching the health spectrum related to gaming. A critical area in this regard is the lack of clarity concerning the differences between gaming disorder and intensive play, the latter of which often involves several gaming hours per day without related health problems especially among the players of the recently emerged esports games. In this study, we approach the above question by interpretive phenomenological analysis with interviews in two groups of highly involved videogame players: those who seek or have sought clinical help for their problems with gaming (n=5–15), and those who play esports more than 4 hours per day without self-reported related health problems (n=10–15). The interviews will be carried out by using a new 53-point Phenomenology of Play (POP) interview frame. These data are contextualized with interviews of medical experts (n=5–15) who have experience of working with the former group. All player interviews are repeated after 12 months. The project has two publication outcomes, from first and second round data, respectively. [Red font: parts that represent second-round interviews and second output.]