title: Free-to-play: About addicted Whales, at risk Dolphins and healthy Minnows. Monetarization design and Internet Gaming Disorder.
abstract: Video games are not only changing due to technical innovation, but also because of new game design and monetization approaches. Moreover, elite gamer groups with financial in-game-investments co-finance all users of free-to-play-games. Besides questions on youth protection, the growing popularity of free-to-play games has fostered discussions on supposed associations to Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD).
  
  
  
  Children and adolescents using free-to-play browser games were examined in a German school-based representative study (N=3967; age range 12 to 18). Based on a clinical self-report AICA-S (Wölfling et al., 2011), students were categorized into non-problematic, risky, and addicted users. Psycho-social problems (SDQ; Goodman, 1997), perceived stress (PSS; Cohen, Kamarck & Mermelstein, 1983), coping strategies (BriefCOPE; Carver, 1997), and Average Revenue per (Paying) User (ARPU) were investigated as dependent variables. Furthermore, an industry classification (Freeloaders, Minnows, Dolphins, and Whales) for free-to-play gamers was used for additional relations regarding IGD, SDQ, PSS, BriefCOPE, and ARPU.
  
  
  
  Among free-to-play gamers the prevalence of IGD amounted to 5.2%. Subjects classified with IGD displayed higher psycho-social symptoms than non-problematic users, reported higher degrees of perceived stress, and applied dysfunctional coping strategies more frequently. Additionally, we found a higher ARPU among subjects with IGD.
  
  
  
  ARPU is significantly associated with IGD. Whales share significant characteristics with addicted video gamers; Dolphins might be classified as risky consumers; Minnows and Freeloaders are rather non-pathological gamers. Vulnerability for stress, dysfunctional coping, and free-to-play gaming represent an unhealthy combination.
authors.affiliation: Outpatient Clinic for Behavioral Addictions, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy - Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany; Researcher and Project Manager at theOutpatient Clinic for Behavioral Addictions, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy - Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany. Electronic address: Michael.Dreier@uni-mainz.de.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dreier
authors.affiliation: Outpatient Clinic for Behavioral Addictions, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy - Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wölfling
authors.affiliation: Outpatient Clinic for Behavioral Addictions, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy - Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Duven
authors.affiliation: Outpatient Clinic for Behavioral Addictions, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy - Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giralt
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Mainz, Untere Zahlbacher Straße 8, 55131 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Beutel
authors.affiliation: Outpatient Clinic for Behavioral Addictions, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy - Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Müller
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000367:Age Factors; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000191:economics*; D008297:Male; D010988:Play and Playthings / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D018910:Video Games / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Average Revenue per (paying) User (ARPU); Distress; Free-to-play; Internet Gaming Disorder; Monetarization; Psychopathology; Whales