Longitudinal Analysis and Modeling of Video Game Play and Addiction Behaviours
Abstract
This longitudinal study examined Internet gaming by measuring number of days played per month of a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG), World of Warcraft (WoW), collected daily for 19 months from 216 participants. This study was an attempt to improve our understanding of long term play of a purportedly addictive game using behavioural rather than self-reports measures alone. Participants also completed online questionnaires that measured demographic, psychosocial and psychiatric variables at three time points during the study. The data was modeled using (a) cross-sectional models and (b) longitudinal models fitted to the entire participant pool and to a subset of higher use participants.
The longitudinal growth curve model fitted to the complete pool of participants suggested that monthly WoW days played was related to higher income, more self-reported days playing video games per week, increasing GAIA coping subscale scores, play of a new WoW expansion pack, and higher ranking of WoW among participantsā favourite games.
The longitudinal growth curve model fitted to a subset of participants in the top 75th percentile of total days played suggested that monthly WoW days played was explained by older age, part time student status, expansion pack play, and higher ranking of WoW among participantsā favourite games. Higher baseline GAIA addiction scores predicted higher monthly WoW days. Unexpectedly, increasing GAIA addiction scores and GAIA coping scores were related to decreasing monthly WoW days played in this subset of participants.
Compared to the cross-sectional models, the longitudinal growth curve models allowed for the modeling of autocorrelated observations and play as a series of exposure and adaptation effects, likely in response to new content. The GAIA coping subscale had a robust relationship with WoW play across high and low use participants while the effects of the GAIA addiction full scale were only significant when the bottom 25% of participants by total WoW days played were excluded from the analysis. Results from the cross-sectional and longitudinal models may have implications for assessment and treatment in clinical settings.
Description
Keywords
Psychology--Behavioral, Psychology--Clinical, Psychology--Social
Citation
Wong, U. (2016). Longitudinal Analysis and Modeling of Video Game Play and Addiction Behaviours (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26782