Personality, motivations, and gaming disorder symptoms: A large-scale comparative study of esports players, highly engaged gamers, and recreational players.
Background and aims: Esports playing (i.e., competitive videogaming) is an ever-growing activity but has a variety of risks or harms associated with problematic consumption. The aim of the present study was to investigate the extent to which esports is associated with different indicators of problem...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-10-01
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| Series: | Comprehensive Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X25000513 |
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| author | Harshdeep S. Mangat Róbert Urbán Patrik Koncz Zsolt Demetrovics Andrea Czakó Mark D. Griffiths Orsolya Király |
| author_facet | Harshdeep S. Mangat Róbert Urbán Patrik Koncz Zsolt Demetrovics Andrea Czakó Mark D. Griffiths Orsolya Király |
| author_sort | Harshdeep S. Mangat |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background and aims: Esports playing (i.e., competitive videogaming) is an ever-growing activity but has a variety of risks or harms associated with problematic consumption. The aim of the present study was to investigate the extent to which esports is associated with different indicators of problematic consumption and how motivations for playing videogames reflect differences between esports players, recreational players, and highly engaged gamers. Methods: Self-report data were collected regarding personality, psychopathological symptoms, and gaming behavior among 14,727 gamers (mean age = 24.1 years [SD = 7.0]; 89.3 % male) comprising 557 esports players (mean age = 21.5 years [SD = 6.5]; 95.9 % male), 5101 recreational players (mean age = 26.1 years [SD = 7.5]; 87.8 % male), and 9069 highly engaged gamers (mean age = 23.2 years [SD = 6.4]; 89.7 % male). Results: Comparing all three groups, esports players were more likely to be male, younger in age, and were more likely to have a competitive personality. When compared to highly engaged gamers with regard to gaming motivation, esports players showed lower mastery, stimulation, and escapism motives. Highly engaged gamers displayed higher sensation seeking, higher negative affectivity, and lower sociability compared to the other two groups. Conclusion: Esports players tend to have a balanced psychological profile, which indicates that esports themselves are not necessarily associated with problematic use characteristics. Highly engaged gamers showed potentially harmful characteristics in terms of higher perceived stress and depression, and motivations to play (escapism). Interventions are encouraged to protect and support this group of gamers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-29e5bb6a06e74133a7f05d9d08b38433 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0010-440X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-10-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Comprehensive Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-29e5bb6a06e74133a7f05d9d08b384332025-08-20T03:51:07ZengElsevierComprehensive Psychiatry0010-440X2025-10-0114215262310.1016/j.comppsych.2025.152623Personality, motivations, and gaming disorder symptoms: A large-scale comparative study of esports players, highly engaged gamers, and recreational players.Harshdeep S. Mangat0Róbert Urbán1Patrik Koncz2Zsolt Demetrovics3Andrea Czakó4Mark D. Griffiths5Orsolya Király6Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, GibraltarInstitute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, HungaryDoctoral School of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary; Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, HungaryFlinders University, Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Bedford Park, SA, Australia; Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary; Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar; Corresponding author at: Flinders University, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar; Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, HungaryInternational Gaming Research Unit, Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UKInstitute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary; Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, GibraltarBackground and aims: Esports playing (i.e., competitive videogaming) is an ever-growing activity but has a variety of risks or harms associated with problematic consumption. The aim of the present study was to investigate the extent to which esports is associated with different indicators of problematic consumption and how motivations for playing videogames reflect differences between esports players, recreational players, and highly engaged gamers. Methods: Self-report data were collected regarding personality, psychopathological symptoms, and gaming behavior among 14,727 gamers (mean age = 24.1 years [SD = 7.0]; 89.3 % male) comprising 557 esports players (mean age = 21.5 years [SD = 6.5]; 95.9 % male), 5101 recreational players (mean age = 26.1 years [SD = 7.5]; 87.8 % male), and 9069 highly engaged gamers (mean age = 23.2 years [SD = 6.4]; 89.7 % male). Results: Comparing all three groups, esports players were more likely to be male, younger in age, and were more likely to have a competitive personality. When compared to highly engaged gamers with regard to gaming motivation, esports players showed lower mastery, stimulation, and escapism motives. Highly engaged gamers displayed higher sensation seeking, higher negative affectivity, and lower sociability compared to the other two groups. Conclusion: Esports players tend to have a balanced psychological profile, which indicates that esports themselves are not necessarily associated with problematic use characteristics. Highly engaged gamers showed potentially harmful characteristics in terms of higher perceived stress and depression, and motivations to play (escapism). Interventions are encouraged to protect and support this group of gamers.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X25000513EsportsGaming motivesPersonalityHighly engaged gamingProblem gaming |
| spellingShingle | Harshdeep S. Mangat Róbert Urbán Patrik Koncz Zsolt Demetrovics Andrea Czakó Mark D. Griffiths Orsolya Király Personality, motivations, and gaming disorder symptoms: A large-scale comparative study of esports players, highly engaged gamers, and recreational players. Comprehensive Psychiatry Esports Gaming motives Personality Highly engaged gaming Problem gaming |
| title | Personality, motivations, and gaming disorder symptoms: A large-scale comparative study of esports players, highly engaged gamers, and recreational players. |
| title_full | Personality, motivations, and gaming disorder symptoms: A large-scale comparative study of esports players, highly engaged gamers, and recreational players. |
| title_fullStr | Personality, motivations, and gaming disorder symptoms: A large-scale comparative study of esports players, highly engaged gamers, and recreational players. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Personality, motivations, and gaming disorder symptoms: A large-scale comparative study of esports players, highly engaged gamers, and recreational players. |
| title_short | Personality, motivations, and gaming disorder symptoms: A large-scale comparative study of esports players, highly engaged gamers, and recreational players. |
| title_sort | personality motivations and gaming disorder symptoms a large scale comparative study of esports players highly engaged gamers and recreational players |
| topic | Esports Gaming motives Personality Highly engaged gaming Problem gaming |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X25000513 |
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