Young people’s digital gaming is a complex phenomenon often approached in both research and public discussion from risk or utilitarian perspectives, erasing young people’s diverse experiences of their participation in gaming cultures. This study explores the utility of a novel approach, the digital gaming relationship (DGR) theory, in examining young people’s gaming experiences. Drawing from a thematic analysis of qualitative questionnaire data (N=180) collected in Finland from respondents aged 15–25, the study illustrates how the DGR approach helps make sense of young people’s engagement with digital gaming cultures and develops the theory further.