2017/10/10 by Devin J. Mills, Marina Milyavskaya, Nancy L. Heath +1 · 82 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Context (archaeology) #Frustration #Impact of Technology on Adolescents #Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports #Multimedia #Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies #Psychology #Self-determination theory #Social psychology #Style (visual arts) #Video game
paper · open access · doi:10.1002/ejsp.2343
published in European Journal of Social Psychology 48(4), 551-559 (Wiley)
openalex publication_date 2017/10/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
Abstract Motivation is often used as a predictor of a problematic style of video game engagement, implying that individuals' gaming undermines optimal functioning. Drawing from recent advances in Self‐Determination Theory (SDT), the present study explores the links between gaming motivations, the daily frustration of basic psychological needs, and reports of problematic video gaming (PVG). A sample of 1029 participants (72.8% male; M = 22.96 years; SD = 4.13 years) completed items regarding their gaming engagement and gaming motivation as well as their experience of needs frustration and PVG symptoms. Results revealed positive associations between gaming motivations and PVG, and between daily needs frustration and PVG. Finally, after comparing several competing models, a mediational model whereby needs frustration explained the association between individuals' gaming motivation and PVG emerged as best fitting the data. The discussion addresses the theoretical and practical implications of these findings in the context of recent research.