“Gaming Addiction” and the Politics of Pathologies
“Gaming Addiction” and the Politics of Pathologies Mark R. Johnson How to cite: Johnson, M. R. (2021). “Gaming Addiction” and the Politics of Pathologies. Critical Gambling Studies . https://doi.org/10.29173/cgs126 This non-peer reviewed entry is published as part of the Critical Gambling Studies Blog. The ever-looming spectre of “addiction” has been associated with gambling practices since long before “gambling studies”, or indeed any scholarly consideration of real-money game activities, came into being. Interested parties ranging from literary authors to state legislators, and from religious inquisitors to urban planners, have long considered the experience, risk or ramifications of gambling addiction to be inseparable from the practice itself. We presently stand at a moment where a different and relatively new activity – digital gaming - is beginning to be transformed into a vector for addiction. By examining how this is happening, what might we learn ab...