What keeps us playing: The connection between need fulfilment and Gaming disorder

Gaming disorder, or computer game addiction, is characterised by excessive and uncontrollable gaming that can negatively affect various aspects of daily life. Research is trying to find out what is involved in the development of this problem so that effective ways can be found to prevent and treat it.

Andrea Stašek and Lukas Blinka from INPSY and Vasileios Stavropoulos from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia set out to investigate how the satisfaction of different needs is related to the symptoms of computer game addiction and how these needs affect gamers' behaviour. They used a network analysis method involving 3895 adult male and female gamers. They completed questionnaires on need satisfaction, gaming behaviour and symptoms of gaming disorder.

Symptoms of gaming addiction

The authors found three main groups of symptoms of gaming addiction. The first was related to the intensity and frequency of gaming. Female gamers with shorter gaming sessions seem to play more often, while male gamers with longer sessions play less often. Intensity and frequency also have a weaker association with other symptoms of gaming addiction, suggesting that time spent playing is not a major criterion for the diagnosis of this disorder.

The second group of gaming addiction symptoms, cognitive-emotional, included preoccupation with games, craving, withdrawal symptoms, tolerance and escapism. The results are consistent with previous research and suggest that these symptoms may be mutually reinforcing. For example, intrusive thoughts about non-gaming play may trigger withdrawal symptoms, which in turn may trigger craving. This group of symptoms is important for the identification of gaming addiction, involving similar mechanisms to other addictions such as substance addictions.

The third group of symptoms, behavioural-consequential, included relapse (resumption of play after interruption), negative consequences (daily problems), continuation of play despite negative consequences, and loss of control. Negative consequences and continuing to play in spite of them are linked, as ignoring problems in life and continuing to play can exacerbate these problems. Relapse appeared to be a peripheral symptom and loss of control also appeared to have weaker links to other symptoms.

Fulfilling needs

The study examined the following needs of players:

• Autonomy: feeling in control of one's actions and decisions.
• Competence: a sense of accomplishment and effectiveness in completing tasks in real life and in-game.
• Relationality: the player*s need to have meaningful and satisfying social interactions and relationships in the online world and beyond.
• In-game presence: the feeling of immersion in the game world where the player* experiences strong emotional involvement and feels part of the story or environment.
• Intuitive mechanics: the feeling of the game's controls being simple and enjoyable

The research trio included the aforementioned needs in a network model to explore the connections with the different symptoms of game addiction. According to the results of the study, need satisfaction in everyday life was related to need satisfaction in the game.

The researchers expected that escape (i.e., playing to relieve stress) would be the most important element in the network of needs and symptoms, which was partially confirmed. It proved to be crucial to the link between gaming disorder and needs. It also appears that escape may be related to dissatisfaction with relationships in real life, where people may feel loneliness, unappreciated or experience conflict with loved ones. The findings are consistent with previous research suggesting that gaming often serves as an escape to a safer and more controlled social environment.

Satisfying the need to be present in the game, when players*are emotionally involved*and feel part of the story, was associated with satisfying the need for autonomy in the game, but also with escape. The findings suggest that games that provide a strong emotional experience and involvement may enhance escape into the game world for those involved. The authors explain that games are designed to be immersive to the player*s, which may lead to higher gaming consumption.

The research also suggests an interesting negative association between negative consequences of gaming (e.g., forgetting important things because of gaming) and satisfying the need for competence in real life. A higher sense of success in coping with difficult tasks and overcoming difficulties in life was associated with less negative impact on daily functioning. According to the authors, people who feel competent in real life may experience fewer negative consequences of play because they have greater motivation and commitment to other real-life activities.

The results show that different symptoms of gaming disorder have different weight and meaning, which is important for understanding and correctly identifying this disorder. In terms of practice, the findings suggest that need fulfillment within play and real life interact and are important to consider in diagnostic interviews and treatment planning. The study contributes to the debate on the criteria for diagnosing this disorder by showing its complex structure.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Recommended citation:

Stašek, A., Blinka, L., & Stavropoulos, V. (2024). Disentangling the Net of Needs Satisfaction and Gaming Disorder Symptoms in Adult Gamers. Computers in Human Behavior, 158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2024.108287