The role of videogame micro-transactions in the relationship between motivations, problem gaming, and problem gambling

Gibson, E ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1068-1036, Griffiths, MD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-6524, Calado, F ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2906-7279 and Harris, A ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9627-4900, 2024. The role of videogame micro-transactions in the relationship between motivations, problem gaming, and problem gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies. ISSN 1050-5350

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Abstract

Emerging research has highlighted potential associations between micro-transaction use and problematic videogame and gambling behaviour. An increasingly prominent theory highlights that self-determined motivations and basic psychological needs may play crucial roles in the development of problematic videogame and gambling behaviour. However, literature discussing the role that micro-transaction use has in this relationship is scarce. The present study examined the role of micro-transactions in the relationship between self-determined motivations for gaming and gambling and problematic behaviour (inter-net gaming disorder and problem gambling severity). A sample of 370 participants (74.1% male, M age = 28.24 years, SD = 7.88) answered questions related to their gaming and gambling motivations, basic psychological needs, micro-transaction use (i.e., type of micro-transaction, expenditure, and frequency of use), internet gaming disorder, and problem gambling. The present study used structural equation modelling methods to test relationships between these variables. The results indicated positive associations between extrin-sic gaming and gambling motivations and frequency of micro-transaction use. Frequency of micro-transaction use (i) partially mediated the relationship between extrinsic gambling motivations and problem gambling severity, and (ii) fully mediated the relationship between externally regulated gaming motivations and problem gambling severity. Expenditure on micro-transactions and basic psychological needs were not found to be significant variables in the present study. Potential explanations for the findings, including a lack of self-esteem and a need to boost ego, social pressure, and rapid reward processes, are discussed. The implications and applications of the research are also discussed, focusing on limit setting and policy development focusing on frequency of micro-transaction use.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Journal of Gambling Studies
Creators:	Gibson, E., Griffiths, M.D., Calado, F. and Harris, A.
Publisher:	Springer Verlag
Date:	13 November 2024
ISSN:	1050-5350
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1007/s10899-024-10365-9 DOI 2285350 Other
Rights:	© The Author(s) 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	15 Nov 2024 11:57
Last Modified:	15 Nov 2024 11:57
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/52574

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