Commentary argues for multidimensional assessments and improved family communication in gaming-related disorders.
This commentary responds to the views of King and colleagues (King, Billieux, Behm, & Delfabbro, 2025) on boundaries between normal and disordered gaming. Drawing on clinical experience with adolescents and families in treatment for problematic gaming, we argue for multidimensional assessment that embeds diagnosis within relational and contextual understanding. Overreliance on time spent gaming or self-report tools obscures functional impairment and family dynamics. Evidence from systemic therapy (STANDUP) indicates that improved family communication reduces gaming-related conflict without necessarily reducing gaming time. We propose viewing diagnosis as a collaborative working hypothesis, fostering dialogue rather than division between clinicians, families, and researchers.
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Nielsen et al. (2026) studied this question.
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