Video Game Consumption Research Articles

Gender perspectives on educational contributions to the study of video-gaming: A baseline feminist genealogy

As video games have evolved, they have emerged as useful tools in areas such as education, tackling global issues through their storylines and mechanics. However, never in the history of video games, not even today, has there been parity in the proportion of women directly employed in the development of video games. This paper is part of a broader research project undertaken in the context of a doctoral thesis within the framework of the R+D+I project ‘Building global citizenship with young people: researching transformative practices with participatory and inclusive methodologies’. It provides a historical perspective on video games and their place in culture and society, and attempts to outline a brief genealogy of the contributions of pioneering women in the video game industry. Recognising the work of women and addressing gender representation in video games is now a matter of great importance. Current trends in the video game industry reflect the impact of the pandemic on video game consumption habits, its expected continued growth in the future and its relationship with the development of virtual and augmented reality. Video games are therefore likely to remain an important part of culture and society in the future, with an ever-increasing role in education. It is therefore imperative to showcase the achievements of women in the video game industry, to highlight inequalities and to provide girls with genuine role models.

Loot boxes as part of a layered platform ecosystem: A multidisciplinary perspective

By considering diverse disciplinary perspectives on the psychological impact, design and regulation of loot boxes, this paper departs from a shared need for a holistic comprehension of the platform ecosystem in which contemporary videogames are played, developed and governed. The rationale of this paper is grounded in the rapid evolution of monetisation in videogames, which has not only generated scientific interest towards digital consumption, but also engendered concerns for player health, particularly in the realm of gambling-like loot boxes. We perform an empirical Walkthrough of FIFA22’s Ultimate Team (FUT) mode to identify four layers in FUT’s platform ecosystem, which constitute different scenarios of use and which, taken together, raise issues of uncertainty and persuasion for players. Although we focus on FIFA22, our study extends to other videogames with microtransactions, revealing implications for media, design and legal frameworks. Our findings underscore the value of a qualitative, interpretative approach to analysing videogame consumption at the intersection of various platforms and business models.

Going beyond video game consumption when considering Internet Gaming Disorder

BackgroundRecognizing the crucial importance of understanding the impact of video games on health in today's gaming-dominated world, our study aimed to investigate the relationship between gaming time and Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). Despite the widespread assumption that a connection exists between both, previous studies have revealed highly variable associations, highlighting significant weaknesses in establishing a robust link. MethodsTo unravel this complex relationship, we recruited two independent samples of League of Legends players. We combined the collection of self-reported and actual gameplay data, together with assessments of mental health, personality traits, and cognitive abilities. ResultsSurprisingly, none of the gaming variables demonstrated a robust and stable association with IGD, regardless of whether players spent less than or more than 30 hours per week gaming—a threshold suggested by the American Psychiatric Association as a potential indicator of disordered gaming. Notably, mental health factors, such as anxiety, depression and ADHD, emerged as the most influential predictors of IGD. ConclusionThese findings, replicated across two independent samples, challenge the prevailing belief that limiting screen time alone effectively combats IGD. Instead, mental health factors play a crucial role in mitigating risks associated with gaming. Policies focusing solely on restricting screen time are insufficient in reducing the prevalence or symptoms of IGD. Rather, a comprehensive approach that considers mental health and key personality traits must be adopted to safeguard the well-being of individuals engaged in gaming.

Sponsored Product-Based Competition and Customer Engagement: A Study of an Esports Competition in the Video Game Industry

The sponsorship of sports or entertainment events is a long-established marketing promotion technique. The goals of sponsoring these events are to generate exposure and to transfer brand equity. A more assertive type of sponsored competition is when the competition is built around the products and brands of the sponsoring firm. The number of firms using sponsored product-based competitions (SPCs) is rising. Firms invest in these competitions to create content that highlights the capabilities of their products and build committed fan bases. However, evaluating the economic value of this type of sponsorship activity is challenging due to the absence of a direct link between event viewing and subsequent product consumption. We present an empirical approach to investigate the impacts of SPC on customer engagement using esports viewing and video game consumption data. We find that sponsored competitions provide firms with substantial benefits. Specifically, the results suggest that viewing an SPC event (i.e., esports competition) reduces consumers’ time between game plays by 3.2% (i.e., increased visit frequency), increases per-visit duration by 3.5%, and boosts the paid content purchase rate by 26%. These findings are corroborated using an alternate dataset from a second esports event from the game publisher. We find that the effect of an SPC event viewing is a nonlinear function of consumer expertise and is more pronounced among customers less familiar with the video game product category. In a supplementary analysis, we also identify an educational role of SPC that may explain the observed incremental consumption. The analyses reveal that esports audiences tend to choose frequently featured game characters with superior performance during the event. In addition, we find that when event viewers play the game with these characters, their performance improves. The results have substantial implications for event sponsorship management and follow-up product promotions.

Effects of Video Game Addiction on Mental Health

In September 2019, the World Health Organization formally designated gaming addiction, characterized by excessive online or video game consumption that disrupts daily functioning, as a novel mental disorder, enlisting it in the latest International Classification of Diseases under dependency disorders. This recognition underscores the significant impact of video game addiction on both physical and mental well-being. This study primarily investigates the diagnostic criteria and behavioral traits associated with electronic game addiction, delves into the roots of mental health complications stemming from this affliction, and proposes multifaceted solutions spanning familial, educational, and societal dimensions. Within families, cultivating balanced gaming habits and implementing time restrictions emerge as crucial strategies. Schools can contribute by diversifying extracurricular activities to reduce excessive screen time. At the societal level, fostering psychological support systems and implementing comprehensive rehabilitation programs are imperative. This research underscores the pressing need to address electronic game addiction as a genuine mental health concern, demanding a concerted effort from individuals, families, schools, and society at large to mitigate its far-reaching consequences.

The convenience of gaming

The frequency of video game consumption is a contested topic among scholars. In existing research, the extent of video game use is often related to the terminologies ‘excessive gaming’, ‘video game addiction’ and ‘problem gaming’. Yet the socio-material and practical qualities of gaming in everyday life have received little theoretical and empirical attention in the research on frequent video gaming. By considering these issues this article aims at detaching time spent gaming from a problem framework through a practice theoretical perspective. The empirical data stems from a qualitative study of young Danish adults who are frequently engaged in gaming. The article finds that gaming is constituted by multiple socio-material components that make it highly convenient to consume in everyday life. First, the devices and applications involved in gaming setups conjure mundane, and not focused, engagements with video games. Second, the mobility of gaming enables it to be simultaneously performed with other everyday practicalities such as cooking or commuting. Third, frequent video gaming may occur because the affordances of gaming grant easy access and flexible options for socialising. The convenience of gaming suggests that frequent engagements with video gaming can be viewed as a consequence of how people value their time use.

Body satisfaction and screen media usage in Spanish schoolchildren

Screen media usage among young children has increased dramatically in recent years. Although media consumption has been noted as an influencing factor in children’s body image, the relationship between children’s body satisfaction and screen media usage in children under 10 years old remains a less-explored topic. A cross-sectional study was designed to analyze the association between screen media usage and the body image satisfaction of Spanish children 5–9 years old. By examining the data of 792 schoolchildren (N = 363 boys, 429 girls; M = 7.23 years), this study sought to reveal the association between screen media usage and children’s body satisfaction. The results showed significant correlations between the use of television and video games and satisfaction expressed with facial features and overall body scheme. Observations by sex indicated positive correlations between television consumption and satisfaction with weight among boys, while in girls‚ a negative association was observed between video game consumption and satisfaction with skin and overall body scheme. Multiple regression analyses revealed a positive association between television consumption and satisfaction with weight, face, and hair, whereas the use of video games was negatively associated with satisfaction with eye and skin color. This study provides a better understanding of the relationship between screen consumption and body satisfaction in minors; accordingly, it seeks to contribute to the design of more strategic and focused media literacy interventions, particularly among those populations that are less well-explored‚ such as young children.

Consumers Behaviour Analysis in the Video Games Market

This paper aims to evaluate the socio-economic impact of video games on consumers, but also the implications they bring as a result of the interaction with this industry regarding the experience received in video games, but also the psychological effects that can be manifested in this industry. The aim of the research is to gather information regarding consumer motivation and consumer expectations and to critically analyze the possibilities to manage the experience offered and satisfaction received with video game consumption, taking into account side effects that may appear before, during, or after consumption.

A stabilizing factor?-Video gaming among elite athletes during the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Little is known about the extent of video gaming among elite athletes, specifically under stressful conditions like those induced by the current COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to evaluate the intensity and extent of video gaming in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the usual daily routine of many athletes was disrupted. Overall, 203 elite athletes from Switzerland who participated in Olympic sports or in "International Olympic Committee"-approved disciplines were interviewed using an online questionnaire. They were questioned on their video game consumption during the first Swiss lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as on their athletic performance and economic circumstances. Additionally, mental and physical health were assessed by standardized questionnaires. From this questionnaire data, predictors of gaming time were evaluated using multivariable analysis. Before the lockdown, 21% of the participating athletes played video games regularly. The average playing time was 15.8 h per month within the gamer group. During the first lockdown, 29% of athletes reported gaming regularly, and within the gamer group the average gaming time increased significantly, by 164%. The mental health burden showed significant differences between gamers and non-gamers regarding existential fears during the lockdown, the ability to cope with governmental measures due to COVID-19 and total sleeping time. However, there was no statistical difference in respect to standardized scales for depressive symptoms, sleep behavior, and anxiety. Higher video gaming time during the lockdown was significantly associated with male gender and previous gaming before the COVID-19 lockdown. Video gaming time increased significantly during the first lockdown. Whether video gaming among elite athletes hereby functions as an effective coping behavior remains to be shown and requires more research.

Predicting Video Game Addiction Through the Dimensions of Consumer Video Game Engagement: Quantitative and Cross-sectional Study.

BackgroundVideo games are expanding exponentially with their increased popularity among users. However, this popularity has also led to an increase in reported video game addiction. There may be consumer engagement–related factors that may influence video game addiction.ObjectiveThis study aims to empirically examine the impact of the dimensions of consumer video game engagement on video game addiction. The dimensions are dedication, absorption, conscious attention, social connection, enthusiasm, and interaction. We utilize the uses and gratifications theory to study the video game engagement dimensions as potential factors through which gamers feel gratified and engaged in video game playing. Additionally, this study incorporates the cultivation theory to investigate how video game engagement factors trigger video game addiction.MethodsA two-step process was applied for data analysis on valid cases of 176 gamers aged 15-25 years: video game addiction was specified and validated as a reflective-formative construct, and hypothesis testing was later performed using the WarpPLS on valid respondents.ResultsThe analysis uncovered 2 dimensions of video game engagement: social connection with P=.08 and interaction with P=.49, which did not significantly contribute to video game addiction.ConclusionsThis study offers unique insights to a myriad of stakeholders, mostly psychologists and psychiatrists, who routinely prescribe behavior modification techniques to treat video game addiction.

A Meta-Analysis on the Longitudinal, Age-Dependent Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggression

ABSTRACT A large body of research exists on the causal relationship between violent video game (VVG) consumption and aggression. However, no meta-analytic studies to date have specifically examined the influence of age on these effects. We investigated the age-dependent relationship between VVG consumption and subsequent physically aggressive behavior in a meta-analytic procedure based on longitudinal studies. Further exploratory analyses addressed the moderating effect of the year of data collection. A random-effects meta-analysis with 30 effect sizes from 21 studies (N = 15,836) yielded a significant and relevant positive effect of VVG on subsequent physically aggressive behavior (r = .21). The effect was reduced but maintained at r = .11 when controlling for aggression at T1. Polynomial regression showed a significant U-shaped age trajectory with a peak in early adolescence at the age of 14. Year of data collection did not correlate with the effect size. Consequently, we confirm the results of other meta-analyses, with the added finding of a peak of effect sizes in early adolescence. The empirical finding provide support for basing age ratings for game publication on potential adverse behavioral effects.

NOSTALGIA AND THE BACKLOG: /R/PATIENTGAMERS AND THE TRANSACTIONAL NATURE OF LEISURE

This paper uses the findings of an investigation into the /r/patientgamers subreddit to account for the ways that our leisure time and our play have been assimilated by the logics of neoliberal, late capitalism. I do this by tracing classed experiences of slowness as experienced by video game players. The figure of the patientgamer was selected not just because of their protracted approach to video game consumption, but because the grows out of a frustration with the financial and temporal costs to access leisure. Through Foucauldian discourse analysis, two major themes were detected across a number of posts which traced how many players tried, and often failed, to slow down their lives in restful ways through their play and the conversations that emerged from the impulse to treat their leisure time as work. Specifically, users’ nostalgia for their childhoods and their anxieties around possessing a video game backlog are both emblematic of the way that video game play has been made legible to capitalist logics such that any distinction between labour and leisure becomes moot and attempt to lift from the patientgamer ethos some potential ways that the work of play may be reframed to undercut logics of efficiency and productivity. The case study of /r/patientgamers holds relevance not just for the study of games and/as culture, but of how technocapitalism instrumentalizes all leisure and the consequences felt by those who try to slow their rhythms of consumption but do so without proper attention to issues of class and power.

Exploratory Study on Video Game Addiction of College Students in a Pandemic Scenario

The use of video games has increased significantly in the last decade. The young population has always been more inclined to use them. However, the risks of addiction to them are growing with the access to the Internet and new digital devices, the lower cost of them, and the lack of parental control. On the other hand, a weird circumstance as the COVID-19 pandemic involves weeks-long confinements, which may significantly influence increased consumption. This study aims to know university students’ situation in Spain regarding the problem described in this pandemic scenario. It analyzes the use of video games and whether addiction risks appearance, examining which factors are determinants of this behavior. The method is based on various statistical techniques: descriptive analysis, the association between variables, and logistic regression to check the phenomenon studied, which are predictive variables. As a result, high video game consumption during confinement was got, finding addiction patterns in 16.6%. The excessive use of social networks and being male show significant relevance. These results also show the existence of comorbidity, meaning that university students may suffer from psychological and psychiatric disorders linked to other consumptions. Health and academic authorities should consider this individual, social, and health problem and implement prevention, detection, and treatment programs.

Compensatory video gaming. Gaming behaviours and adverse outcomes and the moderating role of stress, social interaction anxiety, and loneliness

ABSTRACT Based on the general assumption that even problematic behaviours are associated with an inherently health-promoting motivation to cope with unpleasant or unsatisfying life situations, the compensatory model of media use focuses on how psychosocial vulnerabilities moderate links between media behaviours and adverse outcomes. The present paper means to further develop this approach by exploring the moderating role of state- and trait-level factors (state: perceived stress; trait: social interaction anxiety and loneliness) on the relation between video game consumption (i.e. playing duration and habitual gaming), motivations (i.e. achievement, social, immersion), and engagement (harmonious and obsessive engagement) within a large-scale sample of mostly heavy gamers. Overall, results provided further evidence for the compensatory approach, with perceived stress emerging as a critical psychosocial factor that intensified positive and negative relations between several gaming behaviours and harmful outcomes. Moreover, our results reiterated the heuristic importance of intra- and interpersonally pressured (i.e. obsessive) engagement to explain adverse gaming outcomes as well as self-determined (i.e. harmonious) engagement as a potentially fruitful gateway toward more healthy gaming. These findings constitute solid empirical groundwork that may contribute to effective prevention and intervention methods against problematic gaming.

Video gaming as craft consumption

This article repurposes Campbell’s (2005) concept of ‘the craft consumer’ to generate a new theory of video game consumption, which proposes that we identify the material practices typically associated with craft labour within acts of digital play. We draw on case studies from popular and community-driven video game titles including Dark Souls and Super Mario Maker to make our argument, suggesting that a grasp of the controls initiates material practices, like repetition, which provide the groundwork for craft skill. It is from this position that we argue that consumers initiate a craft-like ‘dialogue’ (Sennett R (2008) The Craftsman. London: Yale University Press.) with the game’s design that reveals the experimental and creative nature of video game consumption. Importantly, these case studies provide evidence to meet with Campbell’s definition of ‘craft consumption’ as an (1) ‘ensemble activity’ and (2) as a ‘collection’ of handmade things. The result is a better understanding of the consumer as someone who initiates experiences of skilled labour and creative self-expression through the craft of playing a video game. This article presents a new understanding of the (gaming) consumer whilst also challenging the idea that the experience of ‘craft consumption’ is typically reserved for the middle or professional classes, as Campbell maintains.

Examining homicides and suicides cross-nationally: Economic factors, guns and video games.

Understanding why different nations have different homicide and suicide rates has been of interest to scholars, policy makers and the general public for years. Multiple theories have been offered, related to the economy, presence of guns and even exposure to violence in video games. In the current study, several factors were considered in combination across a sample of 92 countries. These included income inequality (Gini index), Human Capital Index (education and employment), per capita gun ownership and per capita expenditure on video games. Results suggest that economic factors primarily were related to homicide and suicide cross-nationally. Video game consumption was not a major indicative factor (other than a small negative relationship with homicides). More surprisingly, per capita gun ownership was not an indicator factor cross-nationally. The results suggest that a focus on economic factors and income inequality are most likely to bear fruit regarding reduction of violence and suicide.

Exploring the Mediating Effect of Psychological Engagement on the Relationship between Child-to-Parent Violence and Violent Video Games.

Research into the effects of violent video games on levels of aggression has raised concerns that they may pose a significant social risk, especially among younger people. The objective of this study was to analyze, through structural equation models, the mediating role of psychological engagement in the relationship between the consumption of violent video games and child-to-parent violence (CPV) against the mother and the father. The sample consisted of 916 students from the third and fourth grades of compulsory secondary education, first and second grades of high school, and first cycle of vocational training (483 males and 433 females), of whom a total of 628 were video game players, aged between 13 and 19. The exposure to video games was assessed through an author-elaborated questionnaire, engagement was evaluated with the game engagement questionnaire, and CPV was assessed through the child-to-parent aggression questionnaire. The structural equation models indicated that exposure to violent video games was related to lower rates of CPV against both parents. Conversely, the flow (a sense of being in control, being one with activity, and experiencing distortions in the perception of time) dimension of engagement positively correlated with the level of CPV against the mother, whereas the flow and absorption (total engagement in the current experience) dimensions correlated with CPV against the father. In conclusion, the results confirm the role of violent video game consumption, reducing CPV rates against both parents, a role that is offset to the extent that these violent games provoke engagement in the user.

Impact of HEXACO Personality Factors on Consumer Video Game Engagement: A Study on eSports.

This article aims to uncover novel insights into personality factors and consumer video game engagement modeling. This research empirically validates the role of specific HEXACO personality factors that foster consumer engagement (CE) in electronic sports (eSports) users. Using a survey-based approach, we incorporated the HEXACO 60 items and consumer video game engagement scales for data collection. Data were collected from eSports users, with 250 valid responses. WarpPLS 6.0 was used for partial least squares–structural equation modeling analyses comprising measurement and structural model assessment. The results showed that the reflective measurement model is reliable and sound, whereas the second-order formative measurement model also meets the criteria of indicator weights and collinearity values variance inflation factor (VIF). The results based on the structural model indicate that openness to experience, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness positively predict CE in eSports. This article is first among others that conceptualizes and validates the HEXACO personality traits as a reflective formative model using the hierarchical component model approach. The research model carries the explanatory capacity for CE in eSports concerning personality dimensions as indicated by the HEXACO model. It highlights the potential benefits of such research especially to marketers who could potentially employ personality modeling to develop tailored strategies to increase CE in video games.

Videojuegos para el desarrollo del pensamiento crítico y el diálogo

El presente artículo retoma los resultados de la investigación realizada por la autora, cuyo título es Videojuegos en el aula: una propuesta asociada al desarrollo del pensamiento crítico (2016). Las inquietudes generadas en el estudio guardan relación con los lineamientos para desarrollar una propuesta de uso de los videojuegos en el aula, asociada al desarrollo del pensamiento crítico, en un grupo de jóvenes venezolanos escolarizados con edades comprendidas entre 13 y 17 años. Se procuró entender el videojuego como producto cultural en el contexto venezolano, los hábitos de consumo por parte de los sujetos estudiados y su relación con el pensamiento crítico y el desarrollo de procesos de diálogo. Se parte del análisis de las cuatro dimensiones propuestas por Lipman (1998) para el estudio del pensamiento crítico y se tomó en cuenta la concepción sociocultural del aprendizaje y la teoría de la Zona de Desarrollo Próximo de Vigotsky. Desde el punto de vista metodológico, se empleó la entrevista como técnica para la recolección de datos y se trabajó con una muestra intencional, conformada por dos adolescentes de 14 años, quienes interactuaron con videojuegos de distintos géneros. Se observó que el diálogo y la colaboración ante estas tecnologías son conductas espontáneas y necesarias para favorecer la resolución de problemas y la toma de decisiones. También los lineamientos de Lipman y Vigotsky son formulaciones que orientan las reflexiones en torno a las posibilidades que la alfabetización en los medios pueden ofrecer al desarrollo de miradas críticas sobre éstos.

Personality differences between videogame vs. non-videogame consumers using the HEXACO model

This study investigates whether there exist personality differences between consumers of videogames and non-consumers of videogames. This is explored through the HEXACO model, which derives HEXACO scores indicative of a particular personality profile. The model assesses the dimensions of honesty-humility, emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience. The investigation utilized a causal-comparative approach to examine personality differences. A sample of 855 teenage students attending private and public institutions in the Perak and Selangor states of Malaysia participated in the study. The sample contained 475 non-videogame consumers and 380 videogame consumers. The study revealed that videogame consumers have a personality profile that is significantly different on agreeableness, extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness to experience compared to non-videogame consumers. Our study is first to utilize the HEXACO model to evaluate personality differences between videogame consumers and non-videogame consumers.