Massively multiplayer online role-playing games and their impact on the psychosocial well-being of adolescents and young people

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Abstract

Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) are an integral part of leisure for millions of people worldwide. They significantly influence the development of interpersonal skills, self-esteem, and personal identity. The inclusion of gaming disorder as a type of behavioral disorder in the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual and the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases has stimulated an increase in research on the negative consequences of video games. Many authors note the potential positive effects of participating in MMORPG: mental stimulation, connection with virtual friends, relaxation, and stress relief. The research purpose is to systematize foreign scientific publications presented in the scientific libraries PUBMED and Scopus over the period from 2005 to 2023 on the impact of massively multiplayer online role-playing games on the psychosocial well-being of adolescents and youth. Search terms include: massively multiplayer online game, multiplayer online game, MMORPG. K-Means clustering is applied to organize topics based on abstracts, and preliminary statistical text processing is carried out with TF-IDF. We conduct a comparative analysis to identify common and distinctive features of the effects of MMORPG on players. The main studies show that participation in MMORPG can have a significant negative impact on the psychosocial well-being of adolescents and youth, leading to deterioration in mental health, depression, anxiety, social interaction issues, and a decrease in quality of life. Individual positive results should be viewed with caution due to their limited number. There is a need for more research among MMORPG players where mental well-being results are the primary focus and social variables are controlled. Thus, this review provides confirmation that, despite evidence of the negative consequences of excessive MMORPG play and problematic gaming behavior, there are important psychosocial benefits that can be derived from moderate and adaptive play. It is essential for healthcare and educational professionals to recognize that playing MMORPG is a pathway for social connection and support, similar to other forms of leisure and real-world sports activities.

About the authors

Elena G. Ichitovkina

Central Polyclinic no. 2 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia

Email: elena.ichitovckina@yandex.ru

Doctor of Medicine, Associate Professor, Psychotherapist

Russian Federation, 45 Lomonosovsky Ave., Moscow 119192, Russian Federation

Alexandra M. Shishkova

Moscow Technological Institute

Email: shishkova.sasha@internet.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0009-7740-7291

Student

Russian Federation, 80–5 Leningradsky Ave., Moscow 125190, Russian Federation

Sergey V. Zhernov

Derzhavin Tambov State University

Author for correspondence.
Email: sergern@rambler.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6250-9123

Candidate of Psychology, Senior Lecturer of Social and Developmental Psychology Department

Russian Federation, 33 Internatsionalnaya St., Tambov 392000, Russian Federation

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Copyright (c) 2026 Ichitovkina E.G., Shishkova A.M., Zhernov S.V.

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