Psychophysiological response of individuals with internet gaming disorder to gaming content from social media

Despite the increasing clinical recognition of internet gaming disorder (IGD), treatment options remain scarce, and relapse rates are high. One major challenge is the pervasive presence of digital triggers that reinforce gaming behaviors, particularly through social media platforms, which are integral to gaming culture. Further research is needed on how gaming-related social media content affects gaming desire and physiological reactions because this topic remains understudied. This study investigated the effects of gaming-related social media videos on gaming desire and skin conductance response (SCR) in individuals with IGD and healthy controls (HCs) who casually play online games. While participants viewed gaming-related and neutral videos from social media, their gaming desire and SCR were assessed. Correlations between SCR and clinical variables were also examined. Notably, both groups exhibited increased gaming desire and SCR after viewing gaming-related videos compared with those after viewing neutral ones. Although self-reported gaming desire was comparable between groups, the SCR was significantly higher in the IGD group. In the HC group, SCR levels were positively correlated with gaming history. The dissociation between subjective and physiological outcomes may indicate implicit sensitization to gaming-related cues in IGD, suggesting that physiological reactivity could occur independently of self-reported cravings. Our findings can help elucidate the underlying mechanisms of IGD and highlight the need for further research on strategies aimed at managing gaming-related cue exposure in digital environments.