Date of Award

Spring 6-12-2021

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of arts (BA)

Department

Global Honors

First Advisor

Dr. Christine Stevens

Abstract

With the technological advances of the 21st century, gaming addiction starts to become more analyzed and discussed as people become more aware of it. Gaming addiction can also be referred to as internet addiction, internet gaming addiction, and gaming disorder. Globally, gaming addiction is on the pathway of being seen as a health issue that needs to be treated. Identifying gaming addiction as a health concern causes one to wonder what kind of treatment needs to be given. The use of restorative justice, though mainly used in the criminal justice system, can be used in multiple sectors (such as the educational and health sector). Restorative justice is a concept that focuses on the victim who was harmed. It strives to use practices (i.e. one-on-one dialogues with a facilitator and circle practices) to understand the needs of victims, brainstorm how to serve those needs, and help the offender take accountability for their actions. In a sense of internet addiction, those addicted would be understood as the victim and the addiction itself could be viewed as the offender.

There is a lack of research on the use of restorative justice as an addiction treatment, leading to many people doubting the accuracy of its effectiveness. By conducting qualitative research done through interviews, this study will explore how restorative justice can be an additional treatment for those with gaming addiction. The interviews were done through Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic and were with professionals around the world who have worked with restorative justice and/or addiction treatment services. After coding and analyzing the data given through those interviews, it was concluded that restorative justice is a feasible way to help people with gaming addiction in their social aspects of life. It also brings awareness to both of the concepts of restorative justice and gaming addiction. Investigating and understanding the possible use of restorative justice as an additional gaming addiction treatment can be beneficial to those with internet addiction as well as those around them.

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