The main objective of this article is to analyse the relevance of theories and perspectives used in the measurement of video games addiction within a broader sociocultural framework. For the purpose of further developing existing methodology, sociological perspectives (Crawford, 2011) of understanding video gaming as a separate culture with foundations for building social and professional career were used. Analysis of the data collected within the project “Sociocultural profile of video gamers in Croatia” showed that there are two main factors of addictive behaviour (addiction oriented towards self and “social” addiction). The factor of addiction towards self was explained with the predictors of self-identification with video gaming culture, interest in professional work within the gaming industry and with general following of the gaming scene. The second factor of addiction was mainly explained with socio-demographic variables (age, life satisfaction and involvement in the education process). The conclusion points to the importance of understanding addiction to video games within broader sociocultural parameters which are characteristic of the global digital-interactive context in order to differentiate genuine clinical addiction from compulsive play as a process for building towards a professional career.

video games, video gamers, addiction, social career