The Wire

People who have autistic-like traits, but fall short of a clinical diagnosis, are at risk of problematic gaming, according to a new Charles Darwin University (CDU) study.

Concerns over problematic video gaming have increased in recent years, with a billion new gamers emerging since 2015.

Co-Author, Professor Kim Caudwell said the findings don’t imply having autistic-like traits leads to problem gaming but highlights the importance of understanding what shapes gaming behaviour.

Meanwhile, researchers insist that vilifying gaming isn’t the solution, but say understanding when gaming becomes problematic, should be the focus.