The aim of the present research is to examine the relationship between university students’ online game addiction and sensation-seeking behavior, and loneliness levels. The study group consists of 342 university students studying at Sakarya and Karabük Universities. Data were collected using the Online Game Addiction Scale, the Brief Sensation-Seeking Scale for Young Adults (BSSS-8), and the UCLA Loneliness Scale. The data were analyzed by Pearson’s correlation coefficient and regression. The results of the research revealed that there is a positive and statistically significant correlation between online gaming addiction and loneliness and sensation seeking. In addition, as a result of the regression analysis, it was determined that sensation seeking predicts online gaming addiction at a higher level than the loneliness variable, and that both variables significantly predict online gaming addiction.

Keywords: Online game, online gaming addiction, sensation seeking, loneliness, addiction