Abstract:
Video games are increasing in popularity with every passing year (Newzoo, 2021) and previous engagement in gaming but the mechanisms for these relationships is a lesser-known area (Sun, 2020). The present study, guided by the Self-determination theory
(SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2017) assessed the social-contextual risk factors and processes with in relation to literature has highlighted that the type of passion an individual has for an activity has impact on their wellbeing (for a review, see Curran et al, 2015). Studies have highlighted the interplay of parental contexts and obsessive and harmonious passion for gaming. Perceived parental rejection and perceived parental control were conceptualized as need-thwarting and need supportive environments, respectively, assessed by the short version of Adult PARQ/Control (Rohner and Khaleque, 2005). The two passions for gaming were assessed using an adapted version of the Passion Scale (Marsh et al., 2013; Vallerand et al, 2003). General need satisfaction and general need frustration were tested as mediators, measured using the BPNSFS (Chen et al., 2015). A sample of young adults (N=324) in the age range 18-26 (M=21.6 years) were recruited from online forums using convenient sampling. The results found that need frustration positively mediated the relationship between parental rejection and obsessive passion for gaming. However, need satisfaction partially and negatively mediated the relationship between only paternal control and harmonious passion for gaming. Implications of the findings are discussed.
