Gaming Dependency Among Indian Adolescents: A Phenomenological Study

Multiple factors influence the development of gaming dependency among adolescents. Much of the extant literature identified risks associated with its development and its consequences. However, impact of Indian culture and family characteristics on gaming dependency in India is largely unknown. The paper reports the findings of an exploratory study, using phenomenological in-depth interview technique, examining whether the prevalence of gaming dependency varies according to cultural affiliation with specific reference to Indian culture. A group of 15 adolescents were phenomenologically interviewed after being identified as game dependent out of total 486 respondents. Three major themes explicated from participants spontaneous experiences are risk arising from gamer characteristics, familial factors and game characteristics. The results were discussed with respect to the influence of Indian culture and family system on gaming behaviour of adolescents. Family cohesiveness and close parental monitoring are some of the protective factors in Indian culture.