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Internet gaming disorder represents a growing health issue. Core symptoms include unsuccessful attempts to control the addictive patterns of behavior and continued use despite negative consequences indicating a loss of regulatory control. Previous studies revealed brain structural deficits in prefrontal regions subserving regulatory control in individuals with excessive Internet use. However, because of the cross‐sectional nature of these studies, it remains unknown whether the observed brain structural deficits preceded the onset of excessive Internet use. Against this background, the present study combined a cross‐sectional and longitudinal design to determine the consequences of excessive online video gaming. Forty‐one subjects with a history of excessive Internet gaming and 78 gaming‐naive subjects were enrolled in the present study. To determine effects of Internet gaming on brain structure, gaming …