Online computer gaming: a comparison of adolescent and adult gamers

Abstract

Despite the growing popularity of online game playing, there have been no surveys comparing adolescent and adult players. Therefore, an online questionnaire survey was used to examine various factors of online computer game players (n=540) who played the most popular online game Everquest. The survey examined basic demographic information, playing frequency (i.e. amount of time spent playing the game a week), playing history (i.e. how long they had been playing the game, who they played the game with, whether they had ever gender swapped their game character, the favourite and least favourite aspects of playing the game, and what they sacrifice (if anything) to play the game. Results showed that adolescent gamers were significantly more likely to be male, significantly less likely to gender swap their characters, and significantly more likely to sacrifice their education or work. In relation to favourite aspects of game play, the biggest difference between the groups was that significantly more adolescents than adults claimed their favourite aspect of playing was violence. Results also showed that in general, the younger the player, the longer they spent each week playing.

Gambling and Video Game Playing Among Youth

“…In the current study, significantly more males than females were identified as addicted gamers and social gamers, and significantly more females than males were identified as non-gamers, a pattern that has also been widely reported with problem gambling. This gender divide has been reported elsewhere (Desai et al, 2010;Gentile, Choo, Liau, Sim, Fung, & Koo, 2011;Griffiths et al, 2004b;Lemmens et al, 2009Lemmens et al, , 2011Mentzoni et al, 2011;Padilla-Walker et al, 2010;. Whether or not game choice affected these results is beyond the scope of this paper but, as with gambling, video game manufacturers are becoming aware of the market potential of women gamers and these numbers may change as game designers create and promote games geared toward women and girls.…”

“…Males are also more likely than females to play video games and to score more highly on addicted gaming screens (Dauriat et al, 2011;Griffiths, Davies, & Chappell, 2004a, 2004bLemmens, Valkenburg, & Peter, 2011;Mentzoni et al, 2011;Padilla-Walker, Nelson, Carroll, & Jensen, 2010). Desai, Krishnan-Sarin, Cavallo, & Potenza (2010) reported gender differences between gamers and non-gamers.…”

Are Adolescents with Internet Addiction Prone to Aggressive Behavior? The Mediating Effect of Clinical Comorbidities on the Predictability of Aggression in Adolescents with Internet Addiction

“…[5][6][7][8] Adolescence is a period of rapid psychological maturation and of susceptibility to Internet attraction, 9 and adolescents were found to be particularly vulnerable to the negative health impacts of Internet overuse. [10][11][12] Among the negative health impacts, the relationship between Internet addiction and aggression has been addressed. Ko et al 13 reported that although Internet use may reduce distress by providing immediate rewards and opportunities to engage in different activities, excessive use of the Internet is an important risk factor for aggression.…”

Understanding problematic game behavior : prevalence and the role of social cognitive determinants

“…Research has reported that social interac on, especially within online games, may be an important mo vator for people to ini ally play video games and subsequently maintain a long-term interest in the ac vity (Cole & Griffiths, 2007;. Games also func on as a way to make new friends (Klimmt, Schmid, & Orthmann, 2009) and to consolidate social rela onships through shared gameplay (Griffiths, Davies, & Chappell, 2004;Klimmt et al, 2009). Thus, it was expected that social influences would have a significant impact on gaming me and PGU.…”

“…With the development of new gaming console machines and the use of the Internet for gaming, new games were introduced that enable people to play together online. Many different genres and pla orms are available and games are also popular among adults (Griffiths et al, 2003;Griffiths, Davies, & Chappel, 2004). This implies that PGB may also occur among adult gamers.…”