Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and gaming in India gamers—a scoping review to understand an emerging public health concern in India

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), associated with excessive video gaming, has emerged as a growing public health concern. Many reviews have investigated factors associated with gaming and IGD. However, studies focusing on the Indian context remain underrepresented. This scoping review aims to understand the factors associated with gaming and IGD in Indian gamers. Scopus, MEDLINE and PubMed Central (via PubMed), ProQuest, EBSCO, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Shodhganga were searched from July 2023 to April 2025, for empirical studies on gaming and IGD in Indian gamers written in English. We selected 71 articles for data extraction. Study aims, tools used to measure IGD, sample size, sampling method, variables, and salient results were extracted for thematic synthesis. Prevalence rate was reported in 29 studies and showed high variability, ranging from 0.8% to 39%, with most studies (20) reporting a prevalence rate from 0% to 10%. The factors associated with gaming and IGD were thematically grouped and summarized, and the potential interrelationship among these factors are presented. Gaps in the existing literature are discussed, and directions for future research are suggested. This review maps existing evidence on IGD and gaming in Indian gamers and outlines future research priorities in this emerging area.