Module 7 - Relevant Research
Module 7 - Relevant Research
Last activity on May 29, 2026
Our Evidence Informed Approach
A core part of our program logic is to help young people who play video games apply their intrinsic motivators of competence, autonomy and relatedness more to their real life, and not just their gaming.
The following research papers study the impact of intrinsic motivation (Self Determination Theory) on resilience, and how the lack of fulfillment in these three areas may lead to problematic gaming.
1) The Motivational Pull of Video Games: A Self-Determination Theory Approach
ABSTRACT
- Four studies apply self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2000) in investigating motivation for computer game play, and the effects of game play on well-being. Studies 1–3 examine individuals playing 1, 2 and 4 games, respectively and show that perceived in-game autonomy and competence are associated with game enjoyment, preferences, and changes in well-being pre- to post-play. Competence and autonomy perceptions are also related to the intuitive nature of game controls, and the sense of presence or immersion in participants’ game play experiences. Study 4 surveys an on-line community with experience in multi-player games. Results show that SDT’s theorized needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness independently predict enjoyment and future game play. The SDT model is also compared with Yee’s (2005) motivation taxonomy of game play motivations. Results are discussed in terms of the relatively unexplored landscape of human motivation within virtual worlds.
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This study establishes how gaming is a way for gamers to try and fulfill these needs, however we can see that spending too much time in game in an attempt to feel this fulfillment detracts from their ability to fill these needs more fully in real life.
Richard M. Ryan · C. Scott Rigby · Andrew Przybylski
2)Unsatisfied Needs as a Predictor of Obsessive Passion for Videogame Play
ABSTRACT
- Although research shows that videogames have a positive impact on the majority of players, concerns remain about the situations in which videogame play becomes disordered and harmful. Drawing on self-determination theory and the dualistic model of passion and based on previous research in non-videogame domains, we sought to explore the extent to which need satisfaction outside of videogames (in general life) as well as need satisfaction from videogames predicted passion orientation. We also aimed to explore the extent to which passion for videogames predicted well-being outcomes. We undertook structural equation modeling with survey data from a sample of 170 participants. We found need satis-faction from videogames predicted both obsessive and harmonious passion, but importantly, that obses-sive passion for videogames was predicted by low need satisfaction in general life. In turn, qualified support was found for obsessive passion predicting psychological distress and addiction. Overall, our findings highlight that when problematic gaming occurs it may be useful to focus outside of videogames as the cause of the problem.
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“Although our findings do not directly speak to overall rates of problematic gaming, they highlight that when problematic gaming is observed, it may be useful to focus outside of videogames themselves as a cause of the problem. For instance, when confronted with obsessive passion for videogames, players, parents, friends, or mental health practitioners might usefully first look to the broader context surrounding videogame play. Specifically, encouraging the person to diversify their interests, with associated increased opportunities to derive need satisfaction from other sources might be the most impactful path to deal with problematic gaming.”
Johnson, D., Formosa, J., Perry, R., Lalande, D., Türkay, S., Obst, P., & Mandryk, R. (2021). Unsatisfied needs as a predictor of obsessive passion for videogame play. Psychology of Popular Media. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000299
3) Need satisfaction, passion and wellbeing effects of videogame play prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic
ABSTRACT
- Since the outbreak of COVID-19, reports have shown a significant rise in videogame engagement due to stay-at-home and quarantine restrictions, which has led to further concerns regarding the wellbeing impacts of video-games. Due to the challenges and stressors associated with living in a pandemic, it is even more crucial now to understand how engagement with videogames influence players’ wellbeing. This study, therefore, utilises Self-Determination Theory and the Dualistic Model of Passion to explore the relationships between people’s need satisfaction (and frustration), passion for videogames, and wellbeing prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings showed that, during both periods, in-game need satisfaction could lead to either harmo-nious or obsessive passion for videogames, while frustration of needs through important life domains was more likely to determine an obsessive passion. The findings also highlighted significant differences in wellbeing outcomes seen prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that videogame engagement may play an important role in improving players’ vitality and lowering psychological distress during this time.
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“Finally, while videogame passion may have the potential to influence problematic videogame play, the findings highlight that the ability to which an individual is able to meet important psychological needs plays a very important role in the likelihood of certain behaviours occurring. In order to prevent problematic videogame play, people should look outside the activity and into other important domains of life which may help an individual to meet their basic psychological needs.”
Formosa, J., Johnson, D., Türkay, S., & Mandryk, R. L. (2022). Need satisfaction, passion and wellbeing effects of videogame play prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Computers in Human Behavior, 131, 107232.
4) Satisfaction and frustration of basic psychological needs in the real world and in video games predict Internet gaming disorder scores and well-being (Need Density Hypothesis)
ABSTRACT
- The need-density hypothesis proposes that pathological gaming is most likely to occur when satisfaction of three basic human needs (competence, autonomy, relatedness) is low in the real world but high in video games. Our study tested this hypothesis to determine whether real-world need satisfaction and video game need satisfaction independently predict internet gaming disorder scores (IGD). We also assessed the effects of need frustration in both domains. As expected, we found strong support for the need-density hypothesis in terms of need satisfaction. Unexpectedly, need frustration in both domains was positively associated with IGD scores. A second goal of our study was to determine how the satis- faction and frustration of needs in both domains relate to well-being. We found consistent associations between well-being and real-world need satisfaction and frustration. Associations between well-being and video game need satisfaction and frustration were inconsistent, however. This pattern suggests that the satisfaction and frustration of needs in the real world is more important for well-being than the satisfaction and frustration of needs in video games. Thus, the real-world superiority hypothesis was supported over the video game superiority and equivalence hypotheses.
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“Given the staggering popularity of video games, it is critically important to understand how they influence people’s lives. This study demonstrated that the satisfaction and frustration of basic psychological needs in everyday life and in video games serve as reliable predictors of IGD scores and well-being. The need-satisfying power of video games makes them highly enjoyable, but it may also make them dangerous, especially for people whose psychological needs are unsatisfied in the real world.“
Johnie J. Allen , Craig A. Anderson
5)Effects of Basic Psychological Needs on Resilience: A Human Agency Model
ABSTRACT:
- Academic resilience refers to the ability to recover and achieve high academic outcomes despite environmental adversity in the academic setting. At the same time, self-determination theory (SDT) offers a human agency model to understand individuals’ autonomy to achieve in various fields. The present longitudinal study explored the factors influencing resilience from the analytical framework of SDT to investigate how basic psychological needs strengthen students’ resilience. A mediation model was proposed that resilience may mediate the relationship between basic psychological needs and academic performance. The results from 450 10th grade Chinese students showed that three basic psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness) facilitate academic resilience; academic resilience thus increases subsequent academic performance after controlling for previous test scores.
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“Basic Psychological Needs as Predictors of Resilience”
The basic psychological needs theory (BPNT; Deci and Ryan, 2002) is one of the mini theories in self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 1985, 2000; Ryan and Deci, 2000, 2020; SDT) that emphasizes the intrinsic motivation and addresses three basic needs of human beings that are inherent as inner motivational resources. Basic psychological needs are needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Ryan and Deci, 2000, 2017). The three psychological needs indeed play a prominent role in development, adjustment, and wellness across cultures, with strong implications for basic motivational domains, applied practices, and even broad social policies (Gillison et al., 2019).”
“The basic psychological needs indeed may improve the level of resilience. For example, in two longitudinal programs, the Kauai longitudinal study and the Minnesota parent-child project, they have shown that individuals who availed themselves of informal sources of support in the community, and whose lives subsequently took a positive turn, differed in significant ways from those who did not make use of such options (Werner and Smith, 2001; Yates et al., 2003; Werner, 2013). Meanwhile, scholastic competence at age 10 was also positively linked to self-efficacy and the ability to make realistic plans at age 18 (Werner and Smith, 2001; Yates et al., 2003; Werner, 2013). Moreover, boys who were more autonomous at age 2 encountered fewer stressful life events in the first decade of life and had fewer health problems in childhood and adolescence; girls who were more autonomous as toddlers had fewer health problems in each decade of life and fewer coping problems by age 40 (Werner and Smith, 1992).”
6) Real-world demotivation as a predictor of continued video game playing: A study on escapism, anxiety and lack of intrinsic motivation
ABSTRACT
- Past research has identified some positive impacts of game escapism, but has not explored what drives gamers to escape into games. Research filling this gap will provide game makers with knowledge on ways to attract gamers and foster continued playing intention, motivating our study. We theorize how types of real-world frustration—namely autonomy frustration, competence frustration, and relatedness frustration—drive game escapism, fostering continued playing intention. We collected responses from 1785 online gamers to empirically test our research model. We found that only autonomy frustration and competence frustration are related to game escapism and further to continued playing intention. Game escapism is a mediator in the link between real-world frustration and continued playing intention. Gamer anxiety positively moderates the link between competence frustration and game escapism, but negatively moderates the link between autonomy frustration and game escapism. Our model contributes to the video game literature by identifying those who are likely to engage in game escapism. Our model explained 40% of continued playing intention, indicating the practical significance of identifying a target audience and fostering their continued playing intention.
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“Real-world frustration can prompt individuals to pursue gameplay as a means to escape from frustration-associated negative emotions (Reinecke, 2009), indicating that real-world frustration can be a valid driver of game escapism. Real-world frustration may arise due to unfulfilled basic needs, as advocated in self-determination theory (SDT) (Deci and Ryan, 2000). We used SDT to derive three types of frustration that correspond to the three basic needs, i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs. For example, individuals in the real world may feel controlled by external forces or pressure (autonomy frustration), experience failure and doubt their own efficacy (competency frustration), and experience relational exclusion and loneliness (relatedness frustration).”
Gen-Yih Liao, Thi Tuan Linh Pham, Hsin-Yi Huang, T.C.E. Cheng, Ching-I Teng
7)Internet Gaming Disorder: Evidence for a Risk and Resilience Approach
ABSTRACT:
- Although previous research has noted a range of factors that predict developing Problematic Video Game Use (PVGU) and Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), few studies have looked at risk and protective factors together, and there is scant empirical evidence examining whether risk for PVGU or IGD increases or decreases as risk or protective factors accumulate in the individual. The aim of the current study was to examine both issues using predictors from three demonstrated PVGU and IGD risk categories: executive dysfunction, unmet needs in everyday life, and unhelpful family environment. In a survey of N = 866 12–17-year-old school students, the risk/protective factors that most strongly predicted severity of IGD symptomology and meeting IGD diagnostic criteria were self-control and social exclusion. Other significant predictors included impulsivity, self-esteem, mastery, control of one’s external environment, and better parent-child attachment quality. Trend analyses revealed a linear increase in the risk of PVGU as risk and net-risk factors accumulated, and a decrease as protective and net-protective factors accumulated. Thus, a net accumulation of issues around impulse control and unmet needs in everyday life may predispose adolescents to PVGU or IGD. Results support a ‘risk and resilience’ approach to adolescent screen-based disorders and suggest potential benefits to a risk factor focus in treatment.
Link:
“This study provides evidence that unmet needs in off-screen life (e.g., social isolation, low control over one’s environment), in tandem with poor executive function (e.g., low self-control), together are potent predictors for PVGU and IGD. Importantly, as such risk factors accumulate in the individual without being offset by protective factors, the risk of PVGU and IGD may grow concomitantly. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that a risk and resilience approach to IGD may be valuable both for understanding the development of IGD and for informing clinical interventions.“