Dissertations and Theses
Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Ann Marie Yali
Keywords
video games, female gamers, boredom, stress, intrinsic motivation, COVID-19 pandemic
Abstract
The prevalence of U.S. female gamers has skyrocketed in recent years, largely due to the popularity of mobile games; however, this population is underrepresented in academic research. The present study aimed to close this gap in the literature by focusing on the motivations and behaviors of adult female mobile gamers in the U.S. It also aimed to capture changes in gaming motivation and behavior resulting from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. An online sample of 354 American women 18 to 77 years of age (M = 36.79, SD = 12.38) were surveyed about their motivations for mobile gaming, their mobile game preferences, how much they typically play overall (frequency) and the duration of a typical gaming session. Results of hierarchical regression analyses showed that alleviation of boredom and enjoyment were significantly related to gaming frequency. Autonomy, relatedness and enjoyment were significantly related to gaming duration. Of the women who reported pandemic-related changes in their gaming behavior, 86.6% reported an increase in mobile gaming. Additionally, women who reported pandemic related changes in gaming behavior rated alleviation of boredom and stress significantly higher than those who reported no change. Implications and future directions for research are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Goldblum, Margot, "Free-To-Play? An Examination of Intrinsic Motivation and Gaming Behaviors in U.S. Female Mobile Gamers" (2020). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/850
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