Relationship Between Internet Gaming Patterns, Game Genres, and Gaming Psychological Motivations Among Students

Abstract

Background: Understanding the factors shaping students’ tendencies toward online gaming patterns is crucial for addressing psychological and educational challenges. Objectives: The present study aimed to examine how internet gaming patterns, preferred genres, and psychological motivations are related to students’ experiences in Tehran. Materials and Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational design was used to examine these relationships. This descriptive cross-sectional study recruited 708 students (248 girls and 460 boys; ages 12 - 18) from Tehran using convenience sampling in 2023 - 2024. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire assessing internet gaming addiction, psychological motivations for gaming, and a genres checklist. The sample size was determined using Cochran’s formula (n = 708) with a 95% confidence level (z = 1.96) and 0.05 margin of error, accounting for a 10% anticipated dropout. Analyses included chi-square tests, ANOVA, Brown-Forsythe tests, stepwise linear regression, and Tukey’s post hoc tests, with significance set at P < 0.05. Analyses were performed in SPSS version 26. Results: Significant genre effects on motivation emerged (P < 0.05). Action and Strategic genres yielded the highest motivation and engagement, with large between-genre contrasts. Social-emotional patterns showed substantial explained 46% of variance, driven by escape (β ≈ 0.66) and coping (β ≈ 0.40), controlling for age and gender. Academic-professional patterns explained 42%, with escape (β ≈ 0.65) and coping (β ≈ 0.53); skill contributed (β ≈ 0.34). All predictors were significant at P < 0.05. Across patterns, escape produced the largest effect (r ≈ 0.64; 0.66). Coping, imaging, and skill showed moderate-to-high associations (social-emotional: r ≈ 0.40 - 0.66; academic-professional: r ≈ 0.55 - 0.64). Entertainment links were weaker but significant (≈ 0.35 - 0.36; P < 0.05). Overall, effect sizes ranged mid-to-high (approximately r or β ≈ 0.40 - 0.66) with meaningful variance explained. Conclusions: The findings highlight targets for prevention and school-based interventions that address underlying psychological motivations, social context, and family dynamics to reduce problematic gaming. Interventions should promote healthy coping strategies, digital literacy, and time management, with a focus on engaging parents, training teachers, and expanding accessible support services to mitigate adverse academic and social outcomes and foster resilience, and responsible technology use among students.