Despite increasing attention to problematic gaming, its recovery pathways remain underexplored, especially qualitatively and through a social lens. This study examined recovery from problematic gaming through narrative interviews with 30 adult men (ages 18–46) from diverse regions, professional backgrounds, and of different relationship statuses, recruited from the r/stopgaming subreddit. As part of a broader inquiry, participants were asked to share the histories of their gaming habits, with a focus on circumstances which prompted decisions to regulate or quit gaming and resources which enabled that. Participants emphasized the importance of social integration, availability of meaningful occupations, and environmental changes in overcoming problematic gaming, with relapses associated with loneliness, stress, or lack of alternatives. While therapeutic support was noted as beneficial for addressing underlying psychological issues, participants stressed the impact of the quality of social opportunities and environments on habit change and a need for a broader approach. The findings expand on the official disease notion of problematic gaming by suggesting that recovery is a non-linear process shaped by social, cultural, and political factors. Practical implications of the study promote an intersectoral, social determinants of health approach to prevention and intervention that prioritizes social connection, empowerment, inclusive alternatives to excessive gaming, and regulation of the gaming industry. Limitations include the all-male, adult, self-selected sample, absence of participants from East Asia, reliance on retrospective narratives, and focus on a single online community.
Benediktas Gelūnas (Fri,) studied this question.