Big five personality traits, gaming motives, and regular and disordered gaming: A cross-national examination among college student gamers in seven countries.

INTRODUCTION: Previous research has shown that personality traits and gaming motives are important predictors for explaining regular and disordered gaming. However, the mediating role of gaming motives in the relation between personality traits and video game outcomes (e.g., time spent gaming or disordered gaming) has been scarcely studied and limited cross-national studies have addressed this issue. The present study aimed to examine the direct and indirect effects of the Big Five personality traits on weekly gaming and disordered gaming via gaming motives across seven countries. METHOD: 3540 college student gamers (59.5% women) from the U.S., Canada, Spain, Argentina, Uruguay, South Africa and England completed the online survey. Structural equation modeling was conducted to test models. Multigroup models were employed to test model invariance across countries. RESULTS: Significant, albeit weak, relations were found between personality traits and gaming outcomes, and were mediated mostly by coping motives in predicting disordered gaming, and by social interaction and recreation (to a lesser extent) motives in predicting weekly gaming. Some minor, yet significant, differences across countries appeared and are discussed in detail. DISCUSSION: The present findings indicate that the differential interrelations between personality traits, gaming motives, and video gaming outcomes may be generalized in college students across countries.

Motives to play videogames across seven countries: Measurement invariance of the Videogaming Motives Questionnaire.

INTRODUCTION: Gaming motives appear to be an important predictor of time spent gaming and disordered gaming. The Videogaming Motives Questionnaire (VMQ) has shown adequate psychometric properties to assess gaming motives among Spanish college students. However, the utility of this measure has not yet been explored in other cultures. This research aimed to examine the structure and measurement invariance of the VMQ across seven countries and gender groups, and to provide criterion-related validity evidence for VMQ scores. METHOD: College students who reported having played videogames in the last year (n = 5192; 59.07 % women) from the US, Canada, South Africa, Spain, Argentina, England, and Uruguay completed an online survey to measure time spent gaming, disordered gaming, and the VMQ. RESULTS: Findings support a 24-item 8-intercorrelated factor model structure for the VMQ in the total sample. Our results also support configural, metric, and scalar invariance of the VMQ across gender groups and countries. Students from North America (US and Canada) scored higher on most gaming motives (except recreation and cognitive development) than students from the other countries. The correlations between VMQ and non-VMQ variables were similar across gender and countries, except in England where VMQ correlations with time spent gaming were stronger. DISCUSSION: These results suggest that the VMQ is a useful measure for assessing gaming motives across young adults from different countries.

Correction: The development and validation of the Videogaming Motives Questionnaire (VMQ).

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240726.].

The role of personality on disordered gaming and game genre preferences in adolescence: Gender differences and person-environment transactions. / El papel de la personalidad en el juego problemático y en las preferencias de géneros de videojuegos en adolescentes.

Playing video games is one of the world's most popular leisure activities, especially for teenagers. The main aim of the present study was to examine additive and moderation effects of gender and personality to explain individual differences in problematic gaming and video game genre preferences in adolescence. 776 Spanish high school students (mean age = 14.29 years, SD = 1.59, 50.64% girls) completed the questionnaires of the Five-Factor Model of personality, frequency of video gaming, disordered use, and the video games they mostly played.Gender differences were observed for gaming behaviors: boys played more and presented much more disordered gaming than girls. Boys preferred competitive genres; for example, action-shooters, sport, fight and strategy games. Girls preferred nonviolent and ocasional game genres; for example, social simulation, and brain and skill games. Gender moderated the association between personality and disordered gaming: disordered gaming was associated with low agreeableness and low conscientiousness in boys, and with low extraversion and low conscientiousness in girls. Low consciousnness moderated the association between gaming frequency and problematic use of video games: playing more video games led to disordered gaming, mainly in irresponsible and impulsive individuals. Though small, significant associations were found among all of the personality domains and video game genre preferences. These findings highlight the relevance of gender and personality for gaming behaviors in adolescence, and suggest paying more attention to gender-dependent differences and person-environment transactional processes when studying gaming-related behaviors.

Jugar a videojuegos es una de las actividades de ocio más populares en adolescentes. El principal objetivo de este estudio fue examinar los efectos aditivos y de moderación del género y la personalidad en el juego problemático y en la preferencia en géneros de videojuegos durante la adolescencia. 776 estudiantes españoles (media de edad = 14,29; DT = 1,59; 50,64% chicas) cumplimentaron cuestionarios del Modelo de los cinco grandes de personalidad y de conductas relacionadas con videojuegos. Se observaron diferencias de género en conductas relacionadas con videojuegos: los chicos jugaban más y presentaron mucho más uso problemático que las chicas. Ellos prefirieron géneros competitivos; por ejemplo, juegos de acción-shooters, deportes, lucha y estrategia. Las chicas prefirieron géneros no violentos y ocasionales; por ejemplo, simulación social, y juegos de habilidad y lógica. El género moderó las asociaciones entre personalidad y juego problemático: el juego problemático se asoció a baja amabilidad y baja responsabilidad en chicos, y a baja extraversión y baja responsabilidad en chicas. La baja responsabilidad moderó las asociaciones entre frecuencia de juego y uso problemático: jugar más a videojuegos conducía a un uso problemático de éstos, principalmente en individuos irresponsables e impulsivos. Se encontraron asociaciones pequeñas pero significativas entre la personalidad y preferencias en géneros de videojuegos. Estos hallazgos destacan la relevancia del género y la personalidad en las conductas relacionadas con videojuegos durante la adolescencia, y animan a prestar más atención a las diferencias dependientes del género y a las transacciones persona-ambiente al estudiar estas conductas.

The Role of Violent Video Game Exposure, Personality, and Deviant Peers in Aggressive Behaviors Among Adolescents: A Two-Wave Longitudinal Study.

The impact of violent video game exposure (VVGE) on aggressive behaviors has been extensively explored, but still remains controversial. Although some studies have shown slight detrimental short-term effects of VVGE, other studies have failed to find any consequence. In addition, the existence of long-lasting effects on aggressiveness, or their impact on adolescents, are still not well established. One limitation of most of these studies is that they do not control for other important risk variables for aggressive behaviors, such as personality and deviant peers, nor have they investigated the possible moderation role of these risk factors in the link between VVGE and aggression. Therefore, the main aim was to examine the additive and interactive role of VVGE, personality, and deviant peers in adolescent aggressive behaviors cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Many regression analyses and a cross-lagged autoregressive model were carried out. At both waves, aggressive behavior was predicted by having deviant peers and specific personality traits, especially low agreeableness. VVGE also presented a slight but significant effect at both waves, but it became nonsignificant when controlling for other variables. No long-term effects on the relation between VVGE and aggressive behaviors were found. Some moderation effects were consistently found at both waves: when participants reported having more deviant peers, the effects of VVGE and low agreeableness on aggressive behaviors significantly increased. These findings suggest that multiple biopsychosocial variables and their complex interplay need to be examined to gain a better understanding of the origin and expression of aggressive behavior.

El papel de la personalidad en el juego problemático y en las preferencias de géneros de videojuegos en adolescentes / The role of personality on disordered gaming and game genre preferences in adolescence: Gender differences and person-environment transactions

Jugar a videojuegos es una de las actividades de ocio más popularesen adolescentes. El principal objetivo de este estudio fue examinarlos efectos aditivos y de moderación del género y la personalidad enel juego problemático y en la preferencia en géneros de videojuegosdurante la adolescencia. 776 estudiantes españoles (media de edad =14,29; DT = 1,59; 50,64% chicas) cumplimentaron cuestionarios delModelo de los cinco grandes de personalidad y de conductas relacionadas con videojuegos. Se observaron diferencias de género enconductas relacionadas con videojuegos: los chicos jugaban más ypresentaron mucho más uso problemático que las chicas. Ellos prefirieron géneros competitivos; por ejemplo, juegos de acción-shooters, deportes, lucha y estrategia. Las chicas prefirieron géneros no violentosy ocasionales; por ejemplo, simulación social, y juegos de habilidad ylógica. El género moderó las asociaciones entre personalidad y juegoproblemático: el juego problemático se asoció a baja amabilidad y bajaresponsabilidad en chicos, y a baja extraversión y baja responsabilidad en chicas. La baja responsabilidad moderó las asociaciones entrefrecuencia de juego y uso problemático: jugar más a videojuegos conducía a un uso problemático de éstos, principalmente en individuosirresponsables e impulsivos. Se encontraron asociaciones pequeñaspero significativas entre la personalidad y preferencias en géneros devideojuegos. Estos hallazgos destacan la relevancia del género y la personalidad en las conductas relacionadas con videojuegos durante laadolescencia, y animan a prestar más atención a las diferencias dependientes del género y a las transacciones persona-ambiente al estudiarestas conductas. (AU)

Playing video games is one of the world’s most popular leisure activities, especially for teenagers. The main aim of the present study was toexamine additive and moderation effects of gender and personality toexplain individual differences in problematic gaming and video gamegenre preferences in adolescence. 776 Spanish high school students(mean age = 14.29 years, SD = 1.59, 50.64% girls) completed the questionnaires of the Five-Factor Model of personality, frequency of videogaming, disordered use, and the video games they mostly played.Gender differences were observed for gaming behaviors: boys playedmore and presented much more disordered gaming than girls. Boyspreferred competitive genres; for example, action-shooters, sport, fightand strategy games. Girls preferred nonviolent and ocasional gamegenres; for example, social simulation, and brain and skill games.Gender moderated the association between personality and disordered gaming: disordered gaming was associated with low agreeableness and low conscientiousness in boys, and with low extraversion andlow conscientiousness in girls. Low consciousnness moderated theassociation between gaming frequency and problematic use of videogames: playing more video games led to disordered gaming, mainlyin irresponsible and impulsive individuals. Though small, significantassociations were found among all of the personality domains andvid- eo game genre preferences. These findings highlight the relevance of gender and personality for gaming behaviors in adolescence,and suggest paying more attention to gender-dependent differencesand person-environment transactional processes when studying gaming-related behaviors. (AU)

The development and validation of the Videogaming Motives Questionnaire (VMQ).

Gaming motives are important factors for explaining individual differences in videogame-related behaviors. The aim of the present study was to develop a new comprehensive but brief instrument-the Videogaming Motives Questionnaire (VMQ)-which embraces some of the most relevant gaming motives. In a first study, a pilot exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with data from 140 undergraduates was performed on items from twelve potential motives. This identified eight main factors: recreation, social interaction, coping, violent reward, fantasy, cognitive development, customization, and competition. In Studies 2 and 3, an EFA and a confirmatory factor analysis were performed on two independent samples of 407 adolescents and 260 young adults, respectively. The VMQ presented a robust eight-factor structure, with all scales showing adequate reliability indices. In reference to criterion validity, all motives presented specific associations with hours spent playing videogames, disordered gaming, and game genre preferences. More specifically, and in both adolescents and young adults, social interaction was the main motive related to time spent gaming, whereas disordered gaming was related to both coping and social interaction motives. Based on these findings, it is concluded that the VMQ is a brief and psychometrically appropriate tool for assessing the most relevant videogaming motives.