How do passion for video games and needs frustration explain time spent gaming?

Abstract

Research applying self-determination theory and the dualistic model of passion (DMP) has shown video games may satisfy basic psychological needs (i.e., competence, autonomy, and relatedness) and be identified as a passion. The DMP distinguishes between healthy or harmonious passion and problematic or obsessive passion (OP), with the latter reflecting an overreliance towards one's passion to obtain needs satisfaction. The experience of daily obstructions to needs satisfaction, or needs frustration (NF), may facilitate such an overreliance. This study explored how NF and both types of passion explain the amount of time that university students spend gaming. The overall association between NF and time spent gaming was not significant. However, for video game users with low levels of OP for gaming, there was a significant negative association between NF and time spent gaming. Additionally, evidence of a mutually reinforcing association between NF and OP for gaming indicates that a vicious cycle exists, whereby a strong OP for gaming predicts and is reinforced by greater NF. The theoretical implications are discussed.

Effect of the Frustration of Psychological Needs on Addictive Behaviors in Mobile Videogamers—The Mediating Role of Use Expectancies and Time Spent Gaming

“…In contrast, females do not generally see videogames as an activity that satisfies their basic needs [34] but prefer videogames that involve socializing [47] and therefore are more likely to use CVGs [6,52]. Thus, being female might be a risk factor for playing mobile games excessively.…”

“…In this line, research suggests that FPS players are mostly male [26,49]. In general, males report spending more time gaming than females [34,50] and show higher levels of addiction [51].…”

“…In sum, need frustration presents a risk factor for a disordered pattern characterized by long hours of compulsive, tense and unenjoyable play [36]. It has been suggested [34] that need frustration may be an underlying factor in IGD because of its contribution to time spent gaming. Interestingly, pathological gaming is most likely to occur when satisfaction of the three basic human needs is low in the gamer's real world but high in videogames [37].…”

“…In consequence, need frustration does not merely represent a lack of satisfaction but a separate construct that exhibits different relationships to external outcomes [27,33]. Frustration of basic psychological needs has only recently been studied as separate from low need satisfaction and has been proposed to be related to the development of psychopathology [34]. Need frustration is especially predictive of poor well-being-disengagement, poor sleep, elevated blood pressure, disordered eating and obsessively pursued behaviors [35].…”

Need fulfilment and internet gaming disorder: A preliminary integrative model

“…Not surprisingly, studies have demonstrated that higher frustration ( Mills, Milyavskaya, Mettler, & Heath, 2018 ) and lower fulfilment ( Weinstein, Przybylski, & Murayama, 2017 ) of basic psychological needs in daily life are risk factors to the development of IGD. These findings have prompted recommendations for further research focusing on the complicated interplay between IGD and SDT associated factors ( Mills, Milyavskaya, Mettler, Heath, & Derevensky, 2018 ).…”