Internet Gaming Disorder: Dark Personality Traits

Gaming is a popular form of entertainment, social interaction and leisure. Yet for some players, gaming is associated with clinically significant impairment or distress. Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is not simply a matter of spending many hours playing: the impact on everyday functioning matters.

A new study, “The dark side of internet gaming disorder: new evidence from the Dark Tetrad and the Vulnerable Dark Triad”, by Marco Giancola, Laura Piccardi, Raffaella Nori, Simonetta D’Amico and Massimiliano Palmiero, published in Current Psychology, examines how dark personality traits relate to problematic gaming.

The Research: Two Complementary Perspectives

The DSM-5-TR describes Internet Gaming Disorder as a persistent pattern of gaming that causes clinically significant impairment or distress; it remains a condition for further study within that manual. Within the I-PACE model, personality is a key predisposing factor. Much previous research has focused on the Big Five, leaving the contribution of dark personality traits less explored.

The authors surveyed 551 adult gamers aged 18 to 45 and examined two complementary personality models:

• The Dark Tetrad: Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy and sadism.
• The Vulnerable Dark Triad: vulnerability-based dark traits.

They combined a variable-centred approach, using Structural Equation Modelling, with a person-centred approach, using Latent Profile Analysis. The first considers associations between measured variables; the second examines how traits combine within groups of participants.

Key Findings: When Dark Traits Combine

Both Dark Personality Models Relate to Internet Gaming Disorder

The Dark Tetrad and the Vulnerable Dark Triad were both positively associated with IGD. The Dark Tetrad showed the stronger link. These associations suggest that both agentic-antagonistic and vulnerability-based dimensions deserve attention when studying maladaptive gaming.

Five Personality Profiles Emerged

The analysis identified five profiles:

1. An extreme hybrid dark profile.
2. A strategic-instrumental dark profile.
3. A hybrid dark profile.
4. A low dark profile.
5. A vulnerable dark profile.

These are research categories describing patterns in the sample, not clinical diagnoses or labels for individual gamers.

The Highest IGD Scores Occurred in the Extreme Hybrid Profile

Gamers in the extreme hybrid dark profile had significantly higher IGD than all other groups. The hybrid dark profile also scored higher than the strategic-instrumental and low dark profiles. The vulnerable dark profile scored higher than the low dark profile.

Together, these comparisons indicate that combinations of traits may be especially informative: considering one trait in isolation may miss relevant patterns.

Implications and Future Directions

Internet Gaming Disorder appears to be associated with both agentic-antagonistic and vulnerability-based dimensions of dark personality. Profiles in which these features co-occur seem particularly relevant. The findings support a multidimensional view of the personality architecture associated with maladaptive gaming and show the value of combining variable-centred and person-centred approaches.

Association is not causation. The reported relationships do not establish that personality traits cause IGD, nor do they mean that someone with those traits will develop a gaming disorder. The study does not provide a diagnosis for readers or demonstrate the effectiveness of a particular treatment.

Future research can examine how these associations develop over time and whether profile-based approaches improve understanding across different gaming populations.

Read the Study and Related Research

For the complete methodology and statistical analyses, read the original article in Current Psychology.

Explore the related study on the Vulnerable Dark Triad and technology addiction, browse our publications, or learn about our research. For scientific collaboration enquiries, contact the research team.

This article summarises the supplied research announcement. It is educational information, not a clinical assessment or personalised medical advice.