Abstract
The study of the effects of interactive media has mainly focused on dysregulated behaviors, the conceptualization of which is supported by the paradigms of addiction. Research into Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP) examines the interplay between video game features, events while playing, and the manipulation of hardware, which can lead to sensory-perceptual and cognitive intrusions (e.g., hallucinations and recurrent thoughts) and self-agency transient changes (e.g., automatic behaviors) related to video games. GTP can influence the interpretation of stimuli and everyday interactions and, in contrast to gaming disorder, are relatively common and not necessarily negative. However, some players have reported feeling distress due to their GTP. This study focuses on how dispositional and interactive media habit factors are related to GTP and two forms of problematic interactive media [problematic video game playing (PVG) and problematic social media use (PSMU)]. A sample of 343 university students who played video games completed an online survey (58.7% male, 19–25 years old). Not all who had experienced GTP were identified as exhibiting PVG or PSMU, but all of those in the PVG group had experienced GTP. Overall, the profiles of the groups, including GTP (91.4%), PVG (28.5%), and PSMU (24.8%), were in accordance with previous findings. Those in the GTP and the PVG groups were characterized by being male, being highly engaged in the game (either while playing or via game-related activities), and showed preferences for game-related activities. However, while those in the GTP group were significantly more likely to be fantasy-prone, those with PVG were the ones who played most per day. Those in the PSMU group were characterized by being female and/or extroverted, frequently using social/sharing platforms, and seldom playing video games. A hierarchical binary logistic regression revealed that males were more likely to experience GTP. Increases in PVG, fantasy proneness, and neuroticism increased the odds of GTP. Future work can benefit from considering the role of GTP in gaming disorder, since intrusive thoughts, cognitive biases, and poor impulse control are pivotal in the initiation and maintenance of dysfunctional playing behaviors.
Highlights
Playing video games and using social media can provide benefits such as informal learning, enabling creativity and self-expression, and belonging (Collin et al, 2011; Hall et al, 2012; Griffiths et al, 2017); on the other hand, they tend to be associated with problematic use (Andreassen, 2015; Buono et al, 2020)
The types of Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP) reported by at least half of the sample were hearing music from a video game (69.4%), seeing or visualizing images (74.3%), thinking about using something from a video game in real life (61.4%), misinterpreting sounds (59.7%), wanting or feeling the urge to do something in real life after seeing something that reminds one of the video game (55.6%), and hearing sounds from a video game (55.1%)
The chi-square tests showed that 31.0% of those who had experienced GTP had PVG, and 24.1% had problematic social media use (PSMU)
Summary
Playing video games and using social media can provide benefits such as informal learning, enabling creativity and self-expression, and belonging (Collin et al, 2011; Hall et al, 2012; Griffiths et al, 2017); on the other hand, they tend to be associated with problematic use (Andreassen, 2015; Buono et al, 2020). The emerging area of research into Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP) examines the interplay between video game features, in-game experiences, and the manipulation of hardware, which can lead to sensory-perceptual and cognitive intrusions (e.g., hallucinations and recurrent thoughts) and self-agency transient changes (e.g., automatic behaviors) in relation to video games (Ortiz de Gortari, 2019b). It is only recently that GTP has started to be contextualized into research on gaming disorder to explain thought intrusions related to game content, reactivity to game-related cues, dissociation, and players’ distinctive relationships with their avatars (Ahn et al, 2015; Cudo et al, 2020; Stavropoulos et al, 2020). The worldwide prevalence of GD are 3.05% (Stevens et al, 2020) and can lead to clinically significant impairment or distress (Kuss and Griffiths, 2012; Montag et al, 2019). The prevalence rate of GTP (having experienced at least one instance of GTP) is estimated to range between 82 and 96% in studies conducted with international samples (N > 6,000, 15–60 years old) (Ortiz de Gortari, 2017; Dindar and Ortiz de Gortari, 2017; Ortiz de Gortari and Griffiths, 2016b)
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